Best West Coast Road Trips

It’s a great time to pack up your truck, camper, or RV and hit the road for a beautiful drive along the Pacific coastline.  From Bellingham, Washington, to San Diego, California, you’ll find beautiful campgrounds and scenic wonders to explore all along the way.  There are a lot of popular tourist stops that people make, but we came up with a few tips that many travelers don’t think of.  Here are our top five recommendations to help you plan one of the best west coast road trips your family can take.

DuraFlap’s Tips to Plan the Best West Coast Road Trips:

1. If the coast is your destination, choose PCH, I-5, or a combination of the two.  Of course, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) travels right along the coastline and offers breathtaking views of cliffs, lighthouses, and beaches.  It’s easy to stop at scenic lookouts along the way and enjoy food at local restaurants in all the little towns along the way.  However, the road can be very congested making travel slow.  I-5 is parallel to the coastline but is a one to two-hour drive inland.  You’ll get north or south much quicker, but there’s not nearly as much to see along the way.  If you have specific areas you want to visit along the coast, it may be faster to take the I-5 part of the way and then travel on PCH for slower, casual driving.
2. Not all the beauty is on the coast.  One popular road trip begins with the 400-mile Cascade Loop starting in Seattle, Washington, and taking it to the North Cascade Scenic Byway to Anacortes.  Travelers enjoy some of the most dramatic scenery on the West Coast.  Stop along the way to stretch your legs on their amazing hiking trails, and plan your evenings in North Cascades National Park campgrounds.
3. Stop to see the Columbia River Gorge.  The Columbia River has historically been an important part of the Pacific Northwest shipping industry.  However, the Gorge is home to many beautiful waterfalls, including Multnomah Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.  Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria is a fun, educational stop to learn about the region’s history and the daring adventures of navigating the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. 
4. Spend a few days in Santa Barbara.  When people think about Southern California, they may be thinking about Los Angeles, San Francisco, Long Beach, and San Diego, but Santa Barbara really has something for everyone in your family.  You’ll enjoy the architectural and cultural flavor of the historic city.  There are outdoor adventures from hiking trails to beautiful beaches to ensure you get your proper dose of sunshine.  Kids will love visiting the Santa Barbara Zoo or the Museum of Natural History.
5. Go whale watching in Depoe Bay.  The coastal waters off the town of Depoe Bay, Oregon, are home to dense kelp forests.  The kelp makes a perfect feeding area for grey whales.  Throughout the year, you can watch for whale tails as they dive down into the depths to consume their 2,000 pounds of kelp per day.  For a closer look, you can buy a ticket for a one-hour ocean boat ride out to the feeding area.

Be prepared for your journey with new drill-less mudflaps from DuraFlap.

DuraFlap’s drill-less mudflaps are the highest quality mudflaps you can buy for your truck, and since they use holes that already exist in your vehicle’s body, they are easy to install.  Our exclusive “rain grooves” direct rain, snow, and road debris down and away from the vehicle to prevent your truck from being scratched, dented, or just caked with dirt.

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