Hwy 101 and Hwy 1: S OR, N CA, and Point Reyes

linheu · 08-06-2017, 02:19 PM

Hello All,
We are picking up our new Escape 21 at the end of this month!

Our first adventure (beyond a couple of short, local, get-to-know-our-new-trailer outings) will be down to Point Reyes in central California. I'm seeking suggestions on places to stay (campgrounds as well as boondocking) and things to see/do as we head south, on Hwy 101 FROM southern Oregon, then Hwy 1 along the northern CA coast. Also would appreciate any cautions/warnings of things we should be aware of as we take our trailer along Hwy 1. We are also looking for suggestions on campgrounds/things not to miss in the Point Reyes area itself.

Thanks very much for your help.
Linda

Bobbie54 · 08-06-2017, 02:48 PM

Not sure how far south you cut over to 101 but my favorite route from 5 to 101 is through Drain and Elkton to Reedsport. Beautiful drive!

When you get to the Prairie Creek redwoods on 101 (N. Cal) there is a bypass called Drury Parkway. Take it. I almost always see elk there (also on the road above through Elkton) and it is a lower elevation- the other goes up and over on 101.

Get reservations for campgrounds now.

linheu · 08-06-2017, 03:06 PM

Thanks Bobbie54. Would be great to see elk.

reetired · 08-06-2017, 04:11 PM

Ck caltrans road conditions for sr1....for the construction/slides.

Division of Traffic Operations - Road Information - California Highway Information

Heading S you are on the cliff side as opposed to the Mt side. Turnouts along the way.
Depending on how far S you are going....problems in Big Sur area.

We've stayed at Pelican Pt RV park in Half Moon Bay. Sheltered out of the wind with beach access..if you want to go for a walk
Safe travels.

Bruce Wray · 08-06-2017, 04:21 PM

MacKerricher State Park in Ft. Bragg on Hwy 1. Great place, busy on weekends, get your rezzies now. Campsites in the 80s-90s on the beach side are the best. And only 6 mi. from Mendocino.
Bruce

santacruzer · 08-06-2017, 06:17 PM

How are you entering California from southern Oregon? Via 101? Just past Scotia is California State Highway 254, the "Avenue of the Giants", which parallels 101 and takes you through the very magnificent redwoods. Not to be missed. Humboldt Redwoods State Park is along this route. Book now! If you're jumping onto Highway 1 at Leggett, be certain to check road conditions, we've had lots of slides last winter and they're just now repairing a lot of them.

linheu · 08-06-2017, 07:06 PM

Yes, santacruzer, we are entering CA via 101 from Oregon so will definitely checkout Humboldt.

THanks to Bruce for tip on macKerricher Sounds like a great place.

And thanks to reetired and Bruce for suggestion to check out road conditions.

holo · 08-06-2017, 07:15 PM

We also liked Prairie Creek CG. A quiet place and you can take a bumpy drive (no trailer) or long hike to the beach.
The road from Leggett to Rockport is memory making. It's downhill, narrow, very winding and the locals don't care. It took a while but it was kind of fun! We were very relieved to see the ocean.
There is a good coffee shop/diner in Point Arena.

bdornbush · 08-06-2017, 07:38 PM

We live in Santa Rosa and picked up our 19 foot in May, 2015, just over two years ago. We came down I-5 and visited friends and relatives in Seattle and Portland before heading to the coast from Grants Pass on Rt 199 to Rt 101. We stayed in Redwoods NP at Mill Creek Campground. The Redwoods are great if you have a few days to explore. We then went home from there. With our prior trailer, a 16 foot vintage Aristocrat, we camped in Humboldt Redwoods SP at Burlington campground, which is very nice but the turns there are sharp within the campground. But this park is also great as others have said. Also Prairie Creek SP is great.

Alternatives to MacKerricher SP are Russian Gulch SP and Van Damme Beach SP which we like better.

Since we live in Santa Rosa, we have not camped at Point Reyes as it is a convenient day trip for us but I have heard good things about Samuel P Taylor state park. We have camped in Bodega Bay at Bodega Dunes State Park several times. In the same area, you might also try Doran Beach county park or Salt Point state park. You won't find connections at the state or county parks along the coast. Northern CA state parks generally don't have connections but they have flush toilets and showers. You can find connections in southern CA state parks.

In Point Reyes, we like the Point Reyes Lighthouse (whale watching), Chimney Rock (see the elephant seals), Drakes Beach, Abbotts Lagoon. For towns, see Point Reyes Station.

Iowa Dave · 08-06-2017, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by linheu

Thanks Bobbie54. Would be great to see elk.

When you get down into the Prairie Creek Redwoods you'll see the famous Roosevelt Elk. They are the largest of the four North American Elk subspecies. We saw them right along the
road in the park. Should be late enough that you'll see calves and the Bulls may or may not still be in velvet.
Iowa Dave

Misc99 · 08-07-2017, 07:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reetired

We've stayed at Pelican Pt RV park in Half Moon Bay. Sheltered out of the wind with beach access..if you want to go for a walk
Safe travels.

We just got home last night from staying with my sister-in-law who lives on the beach in Half Moon Bay. All I could think about was having an trailer preferably an Escape TA and traveling down Highway 1.

There is a State Park with camping at Half Moon Bay and it is on the beach. I've read one needs reservation months in advance. There is a KOA south of Half Moon a ways.

Other state parks (without camping) we enjoyed seeing were near Pescadero and Monterey. Point Lobos was amazing. Unfortunately never saw the whales. I think most of them had moved on. I recommend bringing binoculars. We did see seals sunning themselves on the beach along side the cormorants and herons. We also heard the sea loins from far off. It is a lot of hiking and we cut our walk short because some were tired from the previous day of surfing. I could type a lot about the rock formations, the flora and the fauna. Oh, and the weather was really nice, but then again we live in Oklahoma. July and August can be pretty hot here.

We fell in love with this part of Highway 1. None of us were ready to come back after a 10 day trip.

I didn't find much on boondocking in the area, but then again I was searching on my smartphone.

Linheu, I look forward to hearing about your trip as my husband's family lives in Seattle, Portland, Half Moon Bay, and San Diego area.

Steve Clark · 08-07-2017, 09:12 AM

Reservations in the California coastal State Parks might be difficult, Linda, until at least the middle of September, but you can occasionally snag a first come site. The Fort Bragg/Mendocino area offers great vistas and lots to do in quaint towns. Pomo RV Park and CampGround is very nice, with full hook-ups. Harbor RV Park is also very nice. If you like beer, I highly recommend a 16 sample flight at North Coast Brewery in Fort Bragg. They also have a good restaurant.

Good Luck!

linheu · 08-07-2017, 04:17 PM

Thank you Eric and Linda. Sounds like it was an interesting drive to the ocean!

linheu · 08-07-2017, 04:19 PM

Thanks bdornbush. Some great suggestions. And I appreciate the head sup about lack of connections in the northern CA state parks.

linheu · 08-07-2017, 04:20 PM

Awesome pics of the elk iowadave. Thanks for sharing.
linheu

Rossue · 08-07-2017, 05:05 PM

Last May we enjoyed Bullards Beach near Bandon, Eel Creek F.S. almost across 101 from Tugman- one site has it's own dunes park; #9 I believe.

Prairie Creek and Jed Smith are two State Park C.G. that will give you the National Park Geezer pass discount- but you have to ask.

Liked Albee Creek very much as it has some opening from the Redwood canopy the other ones nearby don't seem to have- however it is a 5 mile narrow and in places bumpy road out there. They have a wonderful overflow spot but will not make it available if there are any spots in the other c.g. available. Nuts!

Nice boondock site East of 101 just south of Ft. Bragg up from Caspar about two miles. We then would head over to Mendocino, either to Headlands or to Big River for day use.

Liked Van Damme, but not the $45/night. Preferred Navarro to the south for $25, however that beachfront $25 c.g. was closed in early June. We stayed one night anyway before being chased away. The website says it is open now.

From there heading south on hwy 1 it seemed slim pickings with campgrounds normally open closed. Like Navarro that may be different now hopefully.

Our last night was at Parker's RV resort on the Russian River in Guerneville. Only the second private c.g. we've ever stayed in, however it was pretty nice- especially for $38.

reetired · 08-07-2017, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Misc99

We just got home last night from staying with my sister-in-law who lives on the beach in Half Moon Bay. All I could think about was having an trailer preferably an Escape TA and traveling down Highway 1.

There is a State Park with camping at Half Moon Bay and it is on the beach. I've read one needs reservation months in advance. There is a KOA south of Half Moon a ways.

Other state parks (without camping) we enjoyed seeing were near Pescadero and Monterey. Point Lobos was amazing. Unfortunately never saw the whales. I think most of them had moved on. I recommend bringing binoculars. We did see seals sunning themselves on the beach along side the cormorants and herons. We also heard the sea loins from far off. It is a lot of hiking and we cut our walk short because some were tired from the previous day of surfing. I could type a lot about the rock formations, the flora and the fauna. Oh, and the weather was really nice, but then again we live in Oklahoma. July and August can be pretty hot here.
We fell in love with this part of Highway 1. None of us were ready to come back after a 10 day trip.

I didn't find much on boondocking in the area, but then again I was searching on my smartphone.

Linheu, I look forward to hearing about your trip as my husband's family lives in Seattle, Portland, Half Moon Bay, and San Diego area.

Hopefully that tornado bypassed you!
In regards to camping at that beach...that is where we started out! It was so windy you couldn't enjoy it. Too hard to open the door and then watch out because it slammed shut! So we moved over to Pelican Pt and loved it.
Me personally, Hwy 1 farther south, is too curvy, people are impatient and if there is a wreck...you can't turn around.
Montara is nice and San Gregorio St Beach...that is where folks construct "structures" using driftwood.

7th Heaven · 08-08-2017, 01:41 AM

First off on Hwy1 Drive slow road had lots of twists and turns so be sure to secure everything inside your trailer ( including drawers and doors) a few of ours ended up on the floor during our first trip along HWY 1.

Second a big Bump to Ave of the Redwoods that another person mentioned, Giant Redwoods RV Camp | Giant Redwoods RV Camp is a good place to camp over night.

-David

Iowa Dave · 08-08-2017, 09:01 PM

Best looking dump site ever built and couple pictures regarding scale of living things that share the planet
Dave

Misc99 · 08-09-2017, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by reetired

Hopefully that tornado bypassed you!
In regards to camping at that beach...that is where we started out! It was so windy you couldn't enjoy it. Too hard to open the door and then watch out because it slammed shut! So we moved over to Pelican Pt and loved it.

Thanks! It didn't hit us. The tornado hit four miles north of us. We were on our way back from California and were staying at my brothers in FW TX when it touched down.

The winds thing is interesting. They can be pretty strong. What time of year did you stay in Half Moon Bay?

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