If you have enough time the summer, a road trip from Phoenix to Cape Kiwanda in Pacific City, from the heat of the Sonoran Desert to the cool Oregon Coast, can be one of the best summer vacations you will experience.
Roadtripping is my family’s favorite way to travel, at least when we don’t need to cross an ocean. It offers the opportunity to experience different landscapes at our own pace, the freedom to pick the places we spend time in or you just drive through, the freedom to change directions mid-trip, or choose a different road on your way home.
This summer, we had our longest road trip so far: we drove about 2,800 miles, from Phoenix to Cape Kiwanda in Oregon. We drove there along the Pacific Coast, and we took an inland, shorter, route back home. The following are my favorite stops along this route.
1. Pismo Beach, California
We covered a lot of miles during our first day, and made it all the way to Pismo Beach in California, just north of Santa Barbara.
It was quieter here, in this small town with a beautiful coastline, where we spent the first night of our trip. Since we got there relatively late, we spent more time on the beach in the morning, walking in the soft sand.
Before leaving the town, we stopped at a butterfly garden, where we enjoyed a short walk among the native trees and plants.
2. California Missions
We noticed several missions along this route, and stopped at two. Missions give us a glimpse into a relatively recent history of the area. I don’t like to linger inside them, but they usually have beautiful gardens worth stopping for. Larger ones, like … have a whole community built around them.
We stopped at San Luis Obispo Mission, where we had an opportunity to take a short walk along the river. Later, we stopped at the much smaller Mission San Miguel.
3. San Francisco
San Francisco is worth a longer stop along this route. We only spent one night there, but it’s worth taking even longer. Still, considering the extreme wind and rain we experienced, maybe timing wasn’t the best for us, but we plan to return.
4. Muir Woods
Muir Woods National Monumentwas our first encounter with giant redwoods on this trip. The park protects redwoods since January 1908. It started with 285 acres of redwood forest, as the 7th National Monument in the country, and the first one from a donation of privately owned land. Over time, the park expanded to the 554 acres it is today.
The trails in Muir Woods are easy walking rather than hiking trails. We walked about a mile on the main trail, starting at the entrance plaza, along old-growth redwoods. We stopped often, enjoying the ancient trees, looking up into their canopy far above our heads, and at times stopping to walk inside a partially hollowed tree.
*Fun fact:The latest Planet of the Apes movie was partially filmed here, in the Muir Woods. We saw several people, mostly teenage kids, taking photos in certain places recognizable from the movie.
5. Humboldt Redwood State Park
Our next encounter with the giant redwoods was inHumboldt Redwoods State Park. This park is home to the largest expanse of old-growth ancient redwood forest left on the planet. The 17,000 acres of this ancient forest is incorporated in the larger park, which spans 53,000 acres at this time.
It was my favorite spot to spend time among these giant trees and my favorite stop on the whole road trip from Phoenix to Cape Kiwanda! With over 100 trails, we found several quiet ones where we were alone in the forest. It was here where I felt closest to the forest, even as I felt minuscule in contrast to the towering trees surrounding me.
As soon as we entered the park, we stopped in the closest empty parking lot. Barely discernible in the dark forest, the nearby trail led us to a stream, where we stopped and enjoyed the fragrance of the woods and the gurgling sound of the crystal-clear water. I don’t remember if the trail had a name (I’m sure it does), all I remember is the feeling of awe while being there, alone with only my family, surrounded by the mossy forest and towering trees.
6. Redwood National and State Park
My personal experience inRedwood National and Sate Parkwasn’t quite as memorable as in Humboldt State Park. “Call something paradise…” and too many people visit it, taking away from the experience.
However, we were on a road trip, the park was not our ultimate destination, so we didn’t have time to find quieter areas. I’m sure they exist, since the park is large enough for hidden spots, covering 131,983 acres, with over 200 trails crossing it.
We stopped at one of the most popular trails through an old growth forest of redwoods, along the scenic road through the park. Though we encountered too many loud groups of people that took away from the experience, the trail was still absolutely worth taking.
7. Gold Beach, Oregon
Gold Beach was the our first stop on the Oregon Coast.
It was a good place to walk along the beach and spend the night. Uncrowded beaches and rocky shores were some of the things I like most about this town. The highlight of our stop was a hike to the haystack rocks along the shore.
8. Cape Blanco State Park
Home to the westernmost of the lighthouses on the Oregon Coast, Cape Blanco State Park is an easy access from Highway 101 along the coast, at the end of a five-mile quiet road, aptly named Cape Blanco Road.
We visited several times, and the wind was always howling there, sometimes so strong, I’d feel it would knock me over the cliffs if I stood too close to the edge. Still, the gorgeous views of the coastline are worth the stop, though the main attraction of the cape is the historic lighthouse, built in 1970.
A half-mile paved trail leads to the lighthouse, where you can take a close look at it, and, if you’re there at the right time, even take a tour, to learn about its history and see how light house keepers lived.
Speaking of keepers, Cape Blanco was home to the first woman lighthouse keeper on the coast, who started her job there in 1903. The keepers job was to keep the light on from sunset to sunrise every night; which included not only burning the light, but keeping the huge Fresnel lens clean and polished.
Besides visiting the lighthouse, you can take a trail to the beach below. Or just take a walk and enjoy the views of the coastline.
9. Bandon, Oregon
Bandon is a beach town we’ve used before as a base for our vacations, when we wanted to explore the Southern Oregon Coast.
Secluded beaches with seaside rocks, spectacular views of the coast were some of my favorite things in this coastal town we spent part of a day and stayed overnight.
10. Depoe Bay
We always spend more time in Depoe Bay, known as the world’s smallest natural navigable harbor in the world and the whale watching capital of the Oregon Coast. You don’t even need to get on a boat to see whales, since the bay is home to a resident pod of gray whales, living in the bay from March to December.
You can’t miss a visit to the Whale Watching Center, right on the highway, where you can learn about whales and the resident pod, and use binoculars to look for them. Besides the center, you can see them from observation decks set up along the shore.
Or, you can also get on a charter boat for a whale watching adventure. They don’t need to go far, and since the boats stay in the bay, seasickness is not a real issue. It wasn’t even for me, and I am very sensitive to motion sickness.
11. Cape Kiwanda, Pacific City
Cape Kiwanda was our destination for a week-long stop during our vacation, one of our favorite spots on the Oregon Coast, a place we return often.
The Cape got its name from Chief Kiawanda Rock, a haystack rock in the ocean, along the coast of Pacific City. Chief Kiawanda was a well-known chief of the Nestugga tribe in the 1880s, one of two tribes (the other being the Tillamook) who lived in the area before settlers arrived in the 1870s. Yes, the spelling is different; it’s not a typo.
Cape Kiwanda is a perfect place to go tide pooling along the sea stacks and rocks exposed during low tide. Hiking up the sand dune is a lot of fun – especially running or sliding back down. A trail leads to the top of the cape to a viewpoint, where you’ll witness the ocean, its waves, changing the landscape. Crashing waves, sometimes reaching the top of the cape, are forming new caves and crevices, pummeling the soft sandstone that will crumble, reshaping the whole shore.
Early morning walks and sunsets on the beach of Cape Kiwanda were also some of my favorite activities.
Cape Kiwanda is also a great gateway to the Three Capes Scenic Road, offering a perfect day trip from its shore.
Roadtripping was only half the fun
Though roadtripping often constitutes our whole vacation, this time we spent nine days at Cape Kiwanda and its surroundings. The southernmost cape along the Three Capes Scenic Route, the little hut near the beach offered a perfect base for shorter day trips.
But if you have less time, the roadtrip itself, with the return trip along a different route, makes a great holiday.
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