We basically spent a full two months on this route a few summers ago, after we quit our corporate jobs in February of …whoops and lived in a converted Honda Odyssey for the better part of two years, and it was every bit as memorable, beautiful, and amazing as you might imagine.
Since then, we regularly drive it because our families are located in San Francisco and Seattle, respectively. And we live in Portland, Oregon now, so many of the stops on this itinerary are basically in our backyard. There are a nearly unlimited number of route combinations you could take to get from San Francisco to Seattle, but which is the best?
The point is that we have plenty of personal experience to draw from to help you plan an amazing road trip from San Francisco to Seattle. Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post, like hotel links, are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, we make a little bit of money if you click through and book.
We first did this road trip in our Honda Odyssey, and fell in love with short term campervan living. This one is far less complicated. Flying into San Francisco can be a bit of a nightmare thanks to weather delays caused by the infamous fog that flows in and out of the city in the morning and afternoon. We lived in San Francisco for almost a decade, and experienced those delays firsthand. The guide below is written with a two week trip in mind.
This route has a total of 24 hours of driving — split up between days when you follow our recommendations below. That could be more time than you have. Believe us, there are plenty of options, and we want to help you make the best choice for your interests. The fastest and most direct route is to hop on I-5 south in Seattle and take it alllll the way down to San Francisco. Which I do not recommend.
