We are thinking of going from here (Denver) up to Oregon and then down along the coast. Also want to make a stopover in San francisco. We have never made this trip in the motorhome, but did do a car trip several years ago. Any tips on things we must see or places we just have to stay?

Cheryl:

Sounds like a fun trip. There are only two RV Parks really close to San Francisco--Pacifica and Candlestick Park. Both are overpriced, crowded, and difficult to get too and from. Would not recommend them. The only other two nearby are Novato and Petaluma. We haven't stayed at Novato and don't know much about it, but Petaluma is strictly a no-no in our book. Unlevel sites, untrimmed trees, difficult to navigate with a big rig. When we go to San Francisco, we stay at a brand new park, Flag City RV Park, in Lodi, California, and drive the car into San Francisco--about 90 minutes. This is a superb park and you avoid the hassels of trying to squeeze a motorhome in areas around San Francisco. As to Oregon, there are two "must stay" places on the coast. One, and our favorite in all the US, is the Marina RV Resort in Winchester Bay, OR. This is a county owned park right on the water and on a scale of 1 to 10, it ranks a 20 But it is so popular you must reserve way ahead of time. The other "must stay" place is the Outdoor Resorts in Newport, OR. This park sits high atop a bluff overlooking the Pacific and the lighthouse and is really great, but a bit pricey. Hope this is helpful and that you have a great trip!

Beastdriver, thank you so much. Wow, that is so much info. I will definitely check into the parks you recommended and stay away from those you have warned about. It will probably be 6 months or so before we go, but to me, half the fun is the plannign and gathering information.

I can always count on you for good advice....

IN Northern CA, on Route 101, just south of the Oregon Border is the Camper Corral, Klamath, CA. It is located on the Klamath River. Lots of room for all size rigs, meticulously maintained and a pleasant, quiet stop.

Located right on the Klamath River, acres and acres and acres of paths to walk, including the river bank. A "Dog's" paradise. Lots of Redwood sights to see and good food in the area.

Nightly communal fire with marshmellos and a game room for kids.

We stayed there in SEP and loved it. Ended up extending our stay 3 days past plan.

Right in the middle of Redwood forests. "Impressive"

We will be planing a similiar trip again, except we're coming from the south.

Will add more here once I return from my business trip and relook my notes form the SEP trip.

Thanks Tate...I am printing everything out and putting it in my travel folder. We will have dogs with us, so I am sure they would enjoy what you refer to as a dog's paradise - although I think that is a constant state with them...let's see, they lay around all day, have someone feed them and give them treats and buy them toys - sounds like paradise to me!!!!

Cheryl,

We have used the park in Novato on Hwy. 101. The park is on the high priced side but this is CA. We also used Hwy. 37 over to I-80 to stay out of heavy road traffic. As you drive west on 37 before you cross Hwy. 101 turn left into the park. We took 101 south down to ferry (parking is free) and cross S/F bay into downtown & fishman's wharf. You can ride street cars free on your ferry pass. Last ferry back is 11:00 pm. Food is great at fishman's wharf. Check out the bread also.

Park was very nice, you will pick up some road noise off Hwy 101. People in office will help plan your time S/F if you like. We also run the wine route up into Napa and over into Petatuma one day and that was nice. Wine train runs on some days of week.

I would plan on 5 to 6 days in S/F if you see anything. We run everything we could find in town and BART under bay over to Oakland to see how people live in this place. You may wish to drive down to San Jose to see Winchester mystery house at I-880 and I-280. That was a wild place to visit. You can spent a lot of time here and have a lot of fun.

Thanks John, another printout for my folder. Once I gather all my info, hubby and I will sit down and go over it all and make our plans. We actually visited the Winchester House 3 years ago when we made a road trip. I found it quite fascinating. Can you imagine believing that as long as you had construction going on, the ghosts of those killed with your rifles would not bother you? I really enjoyed seeing all the quirky things in the house. I really like your suggestions and am starting to really look forward to the trip. But then, it is always a good time when we can load the hounds into the motorhome and just hit the road!!!

Sounds like a great trip! We were in those areas late summer and fall this year and had a ball. The OR state parks along the coast are very nice. Most require reservations that go fast. A few keep spots open for drive in's and since you are planning ahead you should have no trouble. We also liked Midway RV resort in Coos Bay. Clean, great management and a PA park so the price was right.
We were visiting friends in San Francisco so left our Motorhome at the fairground camp site in Santa Rosa, CA. It is a basic park but clean and has good security. It is a little far for a daily comute but this far ahead you may find resonably priced hotel accomidations in the heart of the city. There is also a bus from Santa Rosa to San Francisco if you do not pull a toad. We are full time so a week out of the bus was a nice break. You may prefer to stay in your motorhome. I do recomend that you get the Metro Pass (available for 1, 3 or 7 days) which is good for unlimited rides on the city metro, buses, street cars and cable cars. It does not includs the BART.
Hope you have a good trip.