7 Day Pacific Northwest Road Trip

The last time we did a family camper-van roadtrip was back in 2015 through Utah and Arizona. Our daughters were 3 and 1 and it easily made for one of the most memorable trips. Nothing feels better than just parking that van wherever you like and waking up to amazing views especially during snowy season! No tent setup and five star views and I am here for it!

The excitement to road trip with Moterra vans through the Pacific Northwest and in June is something we were all very excited about. During covid we lived in Oregon for a few months which we spent exploring the PNW (the Pacific northwest), but one thing we really wanted to do was go back and explore hwy 1, spend more time by the ocean, and soak in the views while just chilling and enjoying the warmer weather. Most trips, we tend to do a lot of hiking and trying to see and do everything, but I felt that this time I wanted to slow down a bit and soak it in, and that's exactly what we did! My husband was not able to join us on this trip due to work so my MIL joined us instead and it was such a blast!

From the moment we picked up the van we were all so excited! We got the pop top classic which was an absolutely gorgeous Mercedes sprinter van that seats 5 and sleeps 4. but I would say you can easily sleep up to 6 (especially if some are kids). My mother in law and eldest slept upstairs while I slept downstairs with my youngest 2 on the double bed and it was perfect! They even offered us a Luno blow up air mattress that fits in the front between the driver and passenger seat and we didn't have to use it!

I'm 5'11" and my main concern was being able to stand in the van and use the little kitchenette comfortably and all we had to do was raise the pop top up and TADA! At first I would find myself still slouching over scared to hit my head and I would catch myself and stand up straight. The little kitchenette was fully stocked with utensils, cups, plates, coffee, French press, pots and pans, dish soap, sponge, wash cloth, dust pan, and Clorox wipes, I mean you name it! I still brought a bin with me for all the little extra items I thought they wouldn't have but the van was so well stocked, we barely had to use them! The bedding was so comfortable too! Cozy blankets, extra sleeping bags and pillows but we didn't even have to use either because the van is solar powered and so we can easily have the heater on in the back of the van the whole night and be cozy and warm. You wouldn't think we'd need that in June, but some nights were still in the 50s and you wouldn't know it inside. I honestly cannot tell you enough about how amazing this camper van is except for you need to book one and see it for yourself!

Here is my full Itinerary as a single mama on this Campervan trip! This is my first time doing it solo with the kiddos and not going to lie I was nervous about handling a lot of things with the van but in the end, it all worked out and I would love to do it again in a heartbeat!

Day 1:

We Picked up van from San Francisco and drove up the coast for about 3.5 hours until we reached Van Damme State Park. We have tent camped here before and had the best time. It has gorgeous campsites and in the upper portion, a hidden trail with a rope swing that takes you above various ferns as well as a pretty trail near the campground which goes through a mini fern canyon and truly a special place. Right across the street you get access to the beach where you can only sleep for one night. Its $45/night, and eve though it uses porter potty bathrooms and no running water, it was the perfect first stop. In the morning, we woke up to a low tide and watched people on the beach fishing and gathering urchins.

Day 2:

Next morning we woke up to gorgeous beachfront views, a windy walk on the beach and a breakfast before we hit the road to enjoy some time at the Big River estuary Mendocino headlands. The views here are just something else. The water is greenish blue giving off tropical vibes. We could have easily spent a few days here just taking it all in as the kids really didn't want to leave. We spent about an hour or two here and then continued on to the next stop you don't want to miss, especially with kids, which is the Elk country RV resort and campground. One street before entering here you'll see a little turn you can go into and enjoy the grazing elk. It is so beautiful to watch and the kids really enjoyed this! If you have time I highly recommend camping or staying nearby here to explore Humboldt, Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park and Fern Canyon!

Did I mention how obsessed we all were with these windows and the views we enjoyed during our entire trip?!

As we continued driving we saw a sign for Pauls famous salmon smoked jerky and decided to pull in and give it a try. I was a bit hesitant since I am quite sensitive to salmon if it has a fishy smell, and even more after finding out it was around $40 for 4 small pieces. We decided to give it a try anyway and so glad we did because it was a win with everyone! They also had bison jerky which I quickly regretted not trying.

It was about 5 pm now and we were trying to find a place to settle into for the night and hoping that involved beachfront views. We stopped at Samuel H Boardman State Scenic Corridor Lone Beach and it was so breathtaking!

Unfortunately the winds were too strong, so after our short walk we decided to continue along in hopes for winds to calm down a bit, or if they don't, we'd head inland for a bit. Luckily after a short drive we arrived at a gorgeous view point of Gold Beach and one of the most beautiful views of Sisters Rock. Since it was getting late and everyone was getting hungry we decided to stop here and make dinner and then take our time finding a place for the night and I'd have to say it was a great decision.

After dinner we hit the road again and just wanted to find a place to park and sleep after a long day. Luckily we found Humbug Mountain State Park, so we pulled right in and were able to snag a campsite for the night. I feel like Oregon State park amenities are just so much better than California so we were definitely grateful for them and looking forward to some incredible morning views.

Day 3:

Woke up today to gorgeous weather and no winds! Yay! Made a delicious breakfast that included hash browns, turkey bacon, eggs, cut up fruit and yogurt cups and had a little dance party and headed out to continue our route to Olympic National Park. First stop was the Umpqua River Lighthouse where you can reserve a tour for a small fee. Considering we didn't have much time, we decided to skip the tour but enjoyed the view point from here especially as it's considered to be a great destination for spotting whales and seeing the Oregon dunes. We spent the day taking our time along the coast and enjoying and taking in all the gorgeous views despite the winds. I then drove inland a bit to devils lake campground and called it a day. We enjoyed a walk to the lake, spent some time playing games, chalk at the campsite, dinner and s'mores.

Day 4:

I set the alarm for 5:30 am because it was going to be a long drive from Devils lake to Olympic National Park and I wanted to get in at least 3-4 hours while the kids stayed asleep and so that's what we did. I started driving around 6 am and the Kids woke up around 9 am right after we crossed the bridge into Washington. We pulled over, had breakfast, got changed, and hit the road again for about another 3 hour to our next campground which was the highlight of this whole trip! As we continued our drive to Hoh Rainforest, we were greeted by the most breathtaking views of the coast and had to try and snag a campsite at Kalaloch Campground and I'm so glad we did because this was the best 7 star spot I have camped at! Wait is there even something called 7 star? Well, in my opinion tent and van camping beats any 5 star hotel! I mean I'm still in awe that I was actually there and slept and woke up to dreamy views like this!

Day 5:

It was so hard leaving Kalaloch campground, so we decided to just savor the campsite and short trail access to a most stunning beach, especially at low tide, where we found all kinds of rocks, sand dollars and jellyfish! Just a short hike away was the tree of life which is definitely not to be missed. Since we arrived Washington, we really wanted to smothered by the beauty of Olympic Peninsula and National Park as it's truly awe-inspiring. When we took our early morning walk that day, it was a wonderful low tide that created this little pool which my toddler was having the time of his life in despite the cold. We soaked in that full morning until high tide came in and then we packed up and continued on to our next stop.

Just 1 hour from our campground is Hoh Rainforest! A rainforest in Washington?! YES! and not just one but theres actually 4!

-Hoh

-Quinault

-Queets

-Bogchiel

We explored Hoh before, and Quinault for the first time and I honestly loved it more than Hoh. The trail was truly magical and not as popular which in my opinion always makes for a better adventure. Did you know that Hoh is one of the largest temperate rainforests in the United States? It has 24 miles of low elevation forests all along the Hoh River and gets 14 feet of rain per year! But guess what these are not the only rainforest in the US. There are also Rainforests in Puerto Rico and Alaska! We stopped at Quinault and did the Rainforest nature trail and completed the hall of mosses, nature spruce and a part of the river trail. We were hoping to camp at Hoh but unfortunately the elk were acting very aggressively due to rutting season so one of the of the campgrounds was closed and they were moving campers that already had reservations to other campgrounds. After finishing the trails we made sandwiches on the go and headed to get our hot spring soak on! Just about an hour from Hoh is the Sol Duc hot spring resort and it's the perfect spot to enjoy a good soak as you continue to explore the area or on your way home. I personally prefer hot springs out in nature and less developed but if you have kids and want to just go and not have to search and get on a trail, this is a great option. For 5 people we paid $58 to soak for 1.5 hours. There are pools ranging from hot, warm and cold temperatures. After this soak I was too tired to go anywhere so we snagged a site at the Sol Duc campground and called it a night.

Day 6 :

We woke up to moss dripping trees surrounding our campsite. We couldn't see much of where we parked our camper the night before but that's always exciting when you first wake up in the morning. Due to our late night soak session at Sol Duc hot springs the night before everyone had a good night's sleep and slept in a bit and that was nice because I usually love waking up earlier than the kids and enjoy a bit of quiet coffee time plus a fire and watch them wake up. I enjoy doing this so much. Once everyone got up, enjoyed the fire, had breakfast, and roasted s'mores we headed out to hit the Sol Duc waterfall trail. If you are in this area this is an absolute must. You can drive up to the furthest parking lot after the campground until the road ends and start the trail there for about a total roundtrip of about 2 miles. This trail is so kid friendly with many rewards not including one of the most gorgeous waterfalls of the PNW.

After the trail we needed to start heading back in the direction of Seattle as we had to drop off our camper back there the next day by noon. But we had time for one more stop at the glacially carved freshwater Lake Crescent as the temperature was in high 80's and I just couldn't skip out on this stunning lake. We had a quick lunch break, spent some time exploring the lake and taking a dip in its crystal clear waters.

After Lake crescent it was about a 3-4 hour drive to Seattle, and I had no idea where I would sleep for the night. The kids really wanted to go the gum wall and explore pike place and after brutal traffic and maneuvering the streets of downtown we finally arrived to a closed downtown! Who knew everything in Seattle closes on Wednesdays! The kids were pretty disappointed so I decided to take them to see the Fremont troll we skipped out on last time we visited Seattle. They loved climbing and seeing this touristy spot and we continued to the troll trail that takes you to some gardens. Even a world famous Pho place we loved to visit when in Seattle was closed so that was a real bummer! At this point, I just wanted to find a place to have dinner and park the van and many times we thought we would end up crashing at Wal-mart! I even drove there but then decided, decided against it and started researching places on my phone. Luckily I found a state park only 20 minutes away! As tired as I was, we picked up some ice cream and goodies from Wal-mart and the Dollar Tree and headed to Salt Water State park! Did you know theres a state park that close to downtown?

I was so happy upon arrival because we were able to catch a gorgeous sunset on the saltwater shoreline on Puget Sound. It was so close to the city but felt so far away, however we were quickly reminded how close we were due to the passing airplanes since its close to the airport. At the state park there was a playground, picnic benches overlooking the water and clean bathrooms and trails. If you are looking for a place to camp for that one night while waiting for a flight or car rental pick up, skip Wal-Mart and head here just don't forget your ear plugs!

Sometimes it seems hard to grab your kids and go camping or hit the road not knowing where that may take you and how you'd be able to handle the difficult situations, but honestly some of the best moments we have had as a family were the ones where we just went with the flow without planning every last detail. At first I was nervous going solo without my husband because I wasn't sure I would be able to drive the van or go to the dump station and refill the water tank etc. But you'll never know what you can do if you don't push yourself, and I was so proud of myself and the kids for being able to complete the journey and have one of the most memorable trips.

Please email or drop a comment below if you have any questions or ideas about what the next trip should be.