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Oregon Coast and the Redwoods: Portland to San Francisco

9 days down the Pacific coast from Portland to San Francisco: Haystack Rock, Newport and Yaquina Head, Bandon's sea stacks, two nights among the redwoods at Crescent City, Mendocino and a winery lunch in Sonoma.

9 days · Portland to San Francisco · up to 12 guests

The facts

At a glance

Length
9 days, 8 nights
Start and end
Portland to San Francisco
Group size
7 to 12 guests
Longest drive
5.5 h on day 7
Activity level

Moderate

Daily walks of 2 to 6 km on beaches, headland paths, forest trails and city streets, mostly flat and at sea level. Fern Canyon means wading shallow creek water or crossing seasonal footbridges, and Lady Bird Johnson Grove is a 2.4 km loop with a gentle climb. Most drives are 3 to 3.5 hours, split by stops; day 7 is the one long day, about 5.5 hours in legs of under 2 hours. Every walk can be shortened or sat out, with an easy and an active choice on the coast and redwood days.

Meals included
8 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 3 dinners
Room of your own
+ CAD 1,040 (estimated price)
Season
May to October

Highlights

Why this trip

  • Haystack Rock at low tide, with the tide pools at its base, on the first evening on the coast
  • Yaquina Head Lighthouse and the Cobble Beach tide pools, then an afternoon at the Oregon Coast Aquarium
  • The Oregon Dunes from the overlook south of Florence, on the way to Bandon
  • Bandon's sea stacks in the morning light, then the Samuel H. Boardman cliffs
  • Two nights at Crescent City: Stout Grove, Fern Canyon and Roosevelt elk in Prairie Creek
  • Founders Grove on the Avenue of the Giants, then Highway 1 down to Mendocino
  • A winery lunch in the Sonoma Valley and the old Sonoma plaza
  • A walk across the Golden Gate Bridge on the way into San Francisco

What makes this trip different

  • Short drives, all published

    Every drive is listed day by day. The longest is 5.5 h, on day 7.

  • Free time is part of the plan

    Free time and choices are marked on the days they fall.

  • Solo without the penalty

    A room of your own is + CAD 1,040 (estimated price).

Day by day

Itinerary

The longest drive is 5.5 h, on day 7.

OREGONCALIFORNIACOAST RANGEKLAMATH MOUNTAINSPacific OceanColumbia RiverSan Francisco Bay1234567PortlandDays 1 to 2Cannon BeachDays 2 to 3Cape KiwandaDay 3Depoe BayDay 3Yaquina HeadDay 3NewportDays 3 to 4Cape PerpetuaDay 4Oregon DunesDay 4BandonDays 4 to 5Samuel H. BoardmanDay 5Crescent CityDays 5 to 7Stout GroveDay 5Fern CanyonDay 6Prairie CreekDay 6Avenue of the GiantsDay 7MendocinoDays 7 to 8SonomaDays 8 to 9Golden Gate BridgeDay 9

Tap any stop on the map to open that day

Arrive in Portland

Portland International Airport (PDX) to your hotel in downtown Portland

  • Dinner
  • Stay in Portland
  • Drive about 30 min
Downtown Portland's towers and lights at dawn below an orange sky, with the cone of Mount Hood on the horizon beyond layers of hazy hills
Photo: Spicypepper999, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Portland_Oregon_Aerial_Sunrise,_June_2025.jpg)

Fly into Portland International Airport (PDX), about 20 minutes from downtown. We meet arrivals at set times through the day and drive you to a central hotel; the pick-up windows come with your final itinerary. If you land early, Portland is an easy city on foot: Powell's City of Books fills a whole block a short walk from most downtown hotels, the Pearl District has galleries and cafes in old warehouses, and Tom McCall Waterfront Park runs along the Willamette River. At about 6 pm your See Sight Tours guide meets the group at the hotel for a short briefing on the trip south: how the days are paced, how the tides decide when we walk the beaches, and why a warm layer matters on a summer coast.

Evening

Then we walk to a welcome dinner nearby. Tomorrow starts with roses and a view of Mount Hood before we head for the sea.

Included

  • Pick-up at Portland International Airport (PDX)
  • Welcome briefing with your guide
  • Welcome dinner in Portland

Free time: Free until the evening briefing

  1. Portland1 night
  2. Cannon Beach1 night
  3. Newport1 night
  4. Bandon1 night
  5. Crescent City2 nights
  6. Mendocino1 night
  7. Sonoma1 night
  8. San Franciscoend
  • Overnight stop
  • Day trip
  • By boat or train
Print itinerary

Wildlife and weather: May to October is the dry season on this coast. Expect 12 to 18 C and morning fog on the beaches, warmer and sunnier days in Portland and the Sonoma Valley, often in the high 20s C, and cool, breezy afternoons on the Golden Gate Bridge. Look for tufted puffins on Haystack Rock from about April to August, gray whales feeding off Depoe Bay through the summer, harbour seals and sea lions on the offshore rocks, and Roosevelt elk in the meadows of Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.

Want this plan in your inbox?

Get the day-by-day itinerary by email, or ask us anything about this trip. A trip planner replies the same or next business day.

Before you book

Right for you?

Good for you if you want

  • Travellers who want the whole Oregon coast, the redwoods and northern California in one trip without camping
  • Walkers who like 2 to 6 km a day on beaches and forest paths, with a harder option on most days
  • Anyone who wants park fees, the aquarium, lunches on the long days and airport transfers settled in one price
  • Solo travellers and couples who prefer hotels and inns, and do not mind one-night stops on the Oregon coast

Not for you if you want

  • Travellers who want Crater Lake, Bend or Seattle on the same trip (see our related trips)
  • Those who would rather unpack for several nights in each place: four bases are one night
  • Anyone who finds a 5.5-hour drive day hard, even with long stops (day 7)
  • Travellers who need step-free access at every stop (Cobble Beach, Fern Canyon and the tide pools have stairs, water or rocks)

Book flights after we confirm your seat.

8 nights

Where you'll stay

Your hotels are named in your trip confirmation.

  • Portland1 night
  • Cannon Beach1 night
  • Newport1 night
  • Bandon1 night
  • Crescent City2 nights
  • Mendocino1 night
  • Sonoma1 night

One price

What's in the price

Included

Accommodation

  • 8 nights: 1 in central Portland, 1 in Cannon Beach, 1 in Newport, 1 in Bandon, 2 in Crescent City, 1 in Mendocino and 1 in Sonoma
  • Hotels and inns of a 3-star-plus standard with private bathrooms; we name each one when we confirm your dates
  • Rooms shared, or your own for a supplement

Transport

  • Pick-up at Portland International Airport (PDX) and drop-off at San Francisco International Airport (SFO) or a central San Francisco hotel
  • A private air-conditioned van with seats for 14, for at most 12 guests, and a professional driver

Your guide

  • A See Sight Tours guide for the whole trip, who leads and narrates rather than drives

Activities

  • International Rose Test Garden (Portland)
  • Ecola State Park and the Haystack Rock tide pools at low tide (Cannon Beach)
  • Tillamook Creamery visitor centre (Tillamook) and Cape Kiwanda (Pacific City)
  • Oregon Coast Aquarium entry (Newport)
  • Yaquina Head Lighthouse and Cobble Beach, day-use fee included (Newport)
  • Cape Perpetua and Devil's Churn, Heceta Head Lighthouse viewpoint and the Oregon Dunes Overlook (central Oregon coast)
  • Bandon beach, Coquille Point and Face Rock (Bandon)
  • Samuel H. Boardman State Scenic Corridor (southern Oregon coast)
  • Stout Grove in Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park (Crescent City)
  • Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park, Elk Prairie, Fern Canyon with the summer day-use permit, Big Tree and Lady Bird Johnson Grove (Redwood National and State Parks)
  • Trinidad harbour and Founders Grove on the Avenue of the Giants (Humboldt County)
  • Mendocino Headlands walk (Mendocino)
  • Winery lunch with a tasting (Sonoma Valley)
  • Sonoma Plaza and Mission San Francisco Solano entry (Sonoma)
  • Walk across the Golden Gate Bridge (San Francisco)
  • All state park, national park and day-use fees on the route

Meals

  • 8 breakfasts
  • 5 lunches: sit-down in Depoe Bay and Florence, picnics in Prairie Creek and Founders Grove, and a winery lunch in the Sonoma Valley
  • Welcome dinner in Portland, dinner in Crescent City and farewell dinner in Sonoma

Not included

  • International flights to Portland and from San Francisco
  • ESTA or US visa fees
  • Travel insurance
  • Lunches on days 1, 2, 5 and 9; dinners on days 2, 3, 4, 5 and 7
  • Drinks, other than the tasting at the winery lunch
  • Tips for your guide and driver (optional; guidance sent with your booking)
  • Optional activities such as the Sea Lion Caves
  • Personal expenses
  • Nights in San Francisco after the trip

Extras

Room of your own
CAD 1,040 (estimated price)

When you can go

Dates and prices

Pick your start date when you request to book. We check that date and confirm it in your quote.

Prefer to travel without a group or guide? Ask us about arranging hotels, transport and city tours for you to travel independently.

Before you book

Booking terms

Nothing is charged now. Full terms and the cancellation schedule come with your quote, before you accept.

Business addresses

See Sight Tours Trips (USA): 3172 N Rainbow Blvd, Las Vegas, NV 89108, United StatesSee Sight Tours Trips (Canada): 5305 50 Avenue, #1091, Red Deer, AB T4N 4B6, Canada+1-888-961-6584

Guest reviews

What guests say

Reviews from guests on our day tours.

Cornelius Amann
October 06, 2026
google

5/5

Parminder did a great job guiding us around, giving us tips & teaching us the history of the falls. A great experience!

Jane
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

Good views of the surrounding area of Halifax in a comfortable minivan

Susan
October 06, 2026
gyg

5/5

June was brilliant- made good contact beforehand and really attentive and knowledgeable. Made me feel like I was special- something only experience can do. Thank you June.

Tom L
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Our host was very knowledgeable, friendly and even provided some humor.

MandL83
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Peter was a very good guide, giving us insight into the various parts of the Park, including parking lot congestion details, trail and viewing location suggestions.

Darren O
October 05, 2026
tripadvisor

5/5

Excellent morning spent with my guide Nancy. Very knowledgeable and friendly. Thoroughly enjoyed my trip

4.7/5 from 38,601 guest reviews

Good to know

Questions

What does the price include?

Eight nights in hotels and inns, 8 breakfasts, 5 lunches including a winery lunch, and 3 dinners, airport transfers at PDX and SFO, a private van with a driver, your See Sight Tours guide throughout, the Oregon Coast Aquarium, Yaquina Head, the Fern Canyon permit, all park fees, the Sonoma mission and every visit in the day plan.

How big is the group?

The small-group trip runs with 7 to 12 guests in a van with seats for 14, so there is room for day bags and layers, and everyone can hear the guide on the forest trails and at the tide pools.

Who leads the trip?

A See Sight Tours guide travels with the group for all 9 days, with a separate professional driver so the guide can talk rather than drive. We name your guide when we confirm your dates.

How fit do I need to be?

Moderate. Most days have 2 to 6 km of walking on beaches, headland paths and flat forest trails. The harder parts are the Cape Kiwanda dune, the stairs to Cobble Beach and wading in Fern Canyon, and each has an easier choice. Any walk can be sat out.

How long are the drives?

Seven of the nine days have 3.5 hours of driving or less, split by stops. Day 7, from the redwoods to Mendocino, is about five and a half hours, broken into legs of under two hours with a long stop and a picnic in Founders Grove. Drive times for every day are in the itinerary.

I am travelling solo. Do I pay a single supplement?

Only if you want a room of your own, which is from CAD 1,040 more. If you would rather share, ask when you book and we will try to pair you with another solo guest at the twin-share price. Solo travellers get the same seat, meals and guide as everyone else.

When is the best time to go?

May to October, the dry season on this coast. July and August bring the warmest inland days but also the most coastal fog; May, June, September and early October are often clearer on the beaches. Puffins nest on Haystack Rock from about April to August.

Will we see the tallest trees in the world?

Yes, in the sense that coast redwoods are the tallest tree species on Earth, and we walk among old-growth groves in Jedediah Smith, Prairie Creek and Humboldt Redwoods. The single tallest known tree's location is kept secret by the park to protect it, so no tour visits it.

Why does the trip not go to Crater Lake?

Crater Lake is inland, about four hours from the coast each way, and adding it means long days in the van rather than on the beaches and in the redwoods. Our Pacific Northwest national parks trip covers it properly, and a private trip can add it as an extension.

Do I need a visa?

Canadian citizens need only a valid passport. Most visitors from Visa Waiver countries need an approved ESTA before flying, and others need a US visa. We do not arrange these, so apply well before you travel.

Can I fly into Portland and out of San Francisco?

Yes, and you should: the trip starts at Portland International Airport (PDX) and ends at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), with transfers at both ends included. Book an open-jaw ticket, landing in Portland by the afternoon of day 1 and leaving San Francisco after about 3:30 pm on day 9.

How does booking work, and can we choose our own dates?

Send your preferred dates as an enquiry. We check availability and provide the final quote, itinerary and booking terms before you accept. No payment is taken when you send the request. Hotel names, airport pick-up windows and the day plan come with your confirmation. For your own dates, choose the private trip, or ask from the dates section for an independent quote.

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