11 Amazing Pacfic Coast Day Trips That Are Worth The Drive

The rugged western coast of America, from San Diego through Portland and on to Seattle, has a plethora of phenomenal destinations within three hours of the airport. From the San Diego Zoo to the Sea Lion Caves in Florence, Oregon, to Olympic National Park in Port Angeles, Washington, the natural, historic, and cultural attractions within these coastal towns and cities encourage people to return again and again from all over the world. Here are eleven of the most awesome Pacific coast day-trips that are a three-hour or less drive from the nearest international airport.

San Diego Zoo - San Diego, California

The San Diego Zoo, inside stunning Balboa Park, has a variety of great attributes for all ages. From Wildlife Explorer’s Basecamp, with fennec foxes and desert tortoises, to Northern Frontier, with polar bears and red pandas, a vast array of natural habitats is available to explore. They even have an Urban Jungle, which houses zebras, giraffes, cheetahs, and the laughing kookaburra.

Some other attributes of the San Diego Zoo include several shopping and dining options. The Safari Gift Shop is situated quite close to the entrance, while a multitude of different cafes are scattered throughout the Zoo, including Busy Bee Cafe and Albert’s Restaurant. Plus, if you are flying into San Diego International Airport, it is only a ten-minute drive to the zoo.

Monterey Bay Aquarium - Monterey, California

The Monterey Bay Aquarium, in stunning Monterey, has a plethora of attractions worthy of a casual day trip down the central coast of California. Around two hours from San Francisco International Airport, this phenomenal venue is considered to be one of the best of its type. This is undoubtedly because of its living Kelp Forest exhibit, with its giant green anemones, red octopi, and hermit crabs.

Other amazing animals at the Monterey Bay Aquarium include the African penguin, the Balloon worm, and the California barracuda. Several attractions make the journey through the Aquarium even more comfortable. The Aquarium restaurant, under executive chef Matthew Beaudin, offers everything from shrimp and crab rolls to rockfish tacos and a bottle of fine wine.

Columbia River Gorge - Portland, Oregon

Fifteen minutes east of the Portland International Airport, the Columbia River Gorge and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area are definitely worth the drive for the entire family. With exciting activities like hiking along the Latourell Falls Loop through lush forests, photographing stunning waterfalls like Multnomah Falls, and kayaking the fierce Columbia River, everyone can experience their unique outdoor attraction.

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area also offers an almost fifty-mile scenic drive along Highway 14, passing by the 1917 Vista House, a memorial to the pioneers of Oregon, and Ainsworth State Park, which offers guests several attributes, including the Waterfall Corridor, an eight-mile stretch that covers at least a dozen magnificent waterfalls.

Whidbey Island - Port Townsend, Washington

Located in Puget Sound, Whidbey Island has numerous attractions encouraging visitors to drive from Seattle International Airport. Driving across the Deception Pass Bridge, guests can stop at Deception Pass State Park, which has several great hiking trails, like Goose Rock Trail, fifteen miles of shoreline, and three beautiful lakes, for some of the best fishing on the West Coast.

Another fabulous attribute of Whidbey Island, in case you choose to take a ferry from Mukilteo to Clinton, is the South Whidbey Island State Park, close to the quaint town of Freeland. It offers several trails, like the Ridge Loop Trail and the Ancient Cedar and Wilber Loop. It also has some of the best camping options in the entire area, including on the mainland.

Clear Lake - Kelseyville, California

Home to several great outdoor attractions, Clear Lake is considered the largest natural freshwater lake in the state of California. At almost 68 square miles of surface area, this beautiful lake offers its share of attributes that will cater to any outdoor enthusiast, including water skiing, sailing, and fishing for everything from channel cat to bass to hitch, a fish native to Clear Lake.

Clear Lake State Park, in the quaint town of Kelseyville, is another great attraction for the family if you visit Clear Lake this year. Only slightly under a three-hour drive from Sacramento, Clear Lake State Park offers swimming, fishing, boating (especially sailboats), and several camping options. Plus, there are several great trails in the park, including the Dorn Nature Trail.

Sea Lion Caves - Florence, Oregon

Considered to be the largest sea cave in the United States, the Sea Lion Caves are a phenomenal attraction that draws thousands of people annually from all over the world. From the cave itself, formed 25 million years ago and now about 150 feet in height and about 350 feet deep, to the Stellar Sea Lions and their cubs, who shelter within the caves year-round, these caves are spectacular.

There are two natural entrances, a main cave entrance and a north cave entrance, as well as an elevator, first installed in 1961 and maintained regularly with specially constructed parts. The elevator descends just over two hundred feet, holding a maximum of 23 patrons and dropping the entire distance to the cave floor in less than a minute.

Santa Barbara Zoo - Santa Barbara, California

The Santa Barbara Zoo is an hour and a half up the Pacific coast from the Los Angeles International Airport. It is within walking distance of the waterfront and fifteen minutes from Leadbetter Beach and Stearns Wharf. A phenomenal attraction for the entire family, the Santa Barbara Zoo features everything from the Chinese Alligator to the Capybara to the Slender-tailed Mercat.

Some other awesome attractions within the zoo include habitats such as the Amur Leopard Habitat, the African Savanna, and the California Condor Aviary. Plus, for those who plan to spend the day at the zoo, the Ridley-Tree House Restaurant is across from the gift shop, close to the entrance, and offers a delicious Angus Beef Burger.

Bainbridge Island - Bainbridge Island, Washington

Bainbridge Island, just over an hour's drive from the international airport in Seattle, has several natural and historic aspects. If you arrive from the airport via the Seattle-Bainbridge Ferry, a half-hour ride across Elliot Bay, the first stop is the town of Bainbridge Island, home to the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art and the Bainbridge History Museum. The museum of art has some phenomenal exhibits, including Dia de los Muertos and Beyond II, which will be there during October.

Some other attractions on Bainbridge Island include Bloedel Reserve, located at the north end of the island, which offers guests and residents alike the opportunity to explore 150 acres of lush gardens, and Hall’s Hill Lookout & Labyrinth, overlooking Blakely Harbor, south of the town of Bainbridge Island. Hall’s Hill Labyrinth is 36 feet wide and styled after 13th-century French labyrinths.

Yosemite National Park - El Portal, California

Just over three hours from the international airport in San Francisco, Yosemite National Park is well worth the drive. From El Capitan, one of the largest granite monoliths in the world and one of the most popular rock-climbing locales, to the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias, with over a thousand mature Sequoia Redwood trees, the outdoor attractions within Yosemite are phenomenal.

Several attributes within Yosemite National Park cater to kids even more than to their parents. Along with the stunning majestic qualities of the giant Sequoias, children can enjoy hiking along the Lower Yosemite Falls Trail, which leads to the base of Lower Yosemite Fall, or biking along numerous trails in the Yosemite Valley.

Silver Falls State Park - Silverton, Oregon

Less than an hour and a half drive south of Portland International Airport, Silver Falls State Park has a plethora of great outdoor activities, whether you are visiting with friends, family, or even alone. One of these, for those who love to hike, is the Trail of Ten Falls, a seven-and-a-half-mile loop beginning just before South Falls, one of four with the path going behind the waterfall, and ending just after Winter Falls.

Silver Falls State Park offers guests many other natural attributes as well. From mountain biking, horseback riding, and hiking to camping overnight at the Silver Falls campground, this state park is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts. There is also a story about the owner of South Falls, even before the park was officially established, and how he shoved old cars off the top of the almost 180-foot waterfall in the 1920s for money.

Olympic National Park - Port Angeles, Washington

Olympic National Park, within the Olympic National Forest in the northern part of Washington state, has a plethora of fun and exciting attributes. Some of these include boating, paddling, kayaking, and fishing around several lakes, including Ozette Lake and Lake Crescent. Ozette Lake is not only the largest unchanged lake in the state but also has some fantastic beaches, making it well worth the drive from Seattle International Airport.

Visitors and guests can also enjoy hiking one or several of the many hiking trails in Olympic National Park. Hurricane Hill via Hurricane Ridge is perhaps the best in the park, as it offers steep inclines and sightings of a variety of wildlife, as well as truly spectacular views of the entire region and the Strait of Juan de Fuca. There are several “much shorter” hikes in the park, like the Hall of Mosses trail.

From the southern end of California to one of the northernmost points of the state of Washington, the natural, historic, and cultural values of the coast of the Pacific Ocean offer spectacular day-trips for anyone and everyone. Whether it is the natural beauty of Whidbey Island in Washington, the historic aspects of Bainbridge Island, just out of Seattle, or the cultural attributes in the zoo in San Diego, California, visiting one or more of the eleven amazing Pacific coast day-trips above is worth the drive, no matter what time you choose to visit.