A slow coastal return from McMinnville to Kirkland: Cannon Beach in the morning, Astoria for lunch, Aberdeen/Hoquiam for dinner with your Ocean Shores friend, then a rainforest-and-sea-stacks day into Forks before crossing Lake Crescent and the Kingston ferry home.
Use the layer control on the map to show or hide optional stops and lodging fallbacks. Road-routed segments use OSRM when online; the Kingston–Edmonds ferry crossing is drawn separately so the route does not try to drive around Puget Sound.
This plan keeps the pace coastal and relaxed without forcing a late-night drive or turning Day 2 into a windshield marathon.
Leave around 9 a.m., touch the ocean at Cannon Beach, then make Astoria the lunch-and-wander stop. After Astoria, point north and keep optional detours short unless you are well ahead of schedule.
Overnight: Aberdeen/Hoquiam first; Ocean Shores if the beach lodging or friend time matters more.
Use Quinault as a short rainforest warm-up, Ruby Beach or Kalaloch as your coast stop, then visit Hoh late afternoon if you still have energy and the road/parking situation cooperates.
Overnight: Forks first; Sappho or Lake Crescent if you find a better cabin, lodge, or campground.
Make Lake Crescent the last beautiful linger: Marymere Falls, a lake pullout, or a quiet picnic. Then move east across the peninsula, take Kingston–Edmonds, and finish in Kirkland.
Ferry: Kingston–Edmonds unless you specifically want a downtown Seattle ferry arrival.
Times are intentionally soft. Treat them as a rhythm, not a stopwatch. Ferry lines, tides, weather, and Hoh parking can all change the day.
Main stops are built into the schedule. Optional stops are good “bonus” choices only when you are ahead of time, weather is good, or you want to trade driving efficiency for scenery.
Iconic Oregon Coast walk. Keep it concise so Astoria lunch still works.
The best quick viewpoint in Astoria. Great if the sky is clear.
The stronger choice if weather is wet, windy, or not viewpoint-friendly.
Excellent headland views just north of Cannon Beach. Skip if lunch timing is tight.
A worthwhile Oregon detour if you want shipwreck/beach photos before crossing into Washington.
North Head Lighthouse, Columbia River mouth, and big coastal views. Best if you have at least 90 spare minutes.
Use this as a 45–75 minute rainforest sampler, not a full loop-drive commitment.
Ruby is the dramatic sea-stack stop. Kalaloch is more convenient for facilities.
Do one short loop well: Hall of Mosses or Spruce Nature Trail.
Great if Mora Road is open and you have a long evening. Check current NPS conditions first.
The prettiest final-day stop. Choose the falls walk or keep it simple at the lake.
A sunny-side detour after Port Angeles. Only do it if you are not worried about ferry timing.
This is where the trip can flex. The route works best if Night 1 is around Aberdeen/Hoquiam and Night 2 is Forks, but there are good reasons to move either one.
Preferred: Aberdeen or Hoquiam. Best for dinner with your friend and an efficient start toward Lake Quinault the next morning.
Beachier fallback: Ocean Shores. Better vacation feel, but it adds a side-trip feel to Day 2.
Coastal fallback: Westport / Grayland. Good if lodging is better or you want marina/ocean atmosphere; slightly less direct.
Early-stop fallback: Raymond / South Bend. Use this only if Astoria runs late and you are tired before Aberdeen.
Preferred: Forks. Most practical for Ruby Beach + Hoh + an easy Day 3 start.
Cabin fallback: Sappho. Useful if you find a good cabin or vacation rental; closer to Lake Crescent than Forks.
Pretty fallback: Lake Crescent Lodge or Fairholme Campground. Beautiful, but it makes Day 2 longer and usually requires planning/reservations.
Town fallback: Port Angeles / Sequim. Best restaurants and easiest final day, but you should simplify Day 2 to avoid arriving exhausted.
Use these rules on the road so you do not have to re-plan from scratch when weather, traffic, tides, or ferry timing change.
Skip Cape Disappointment, Long Beach, and Fort Stevens. Drive straight toward Aberdeen/Hoquiam so dinner does not become rushed.
Leave earlier on Day 2 or simplify the day. The clean version becomes Ocean Shores → Lake Quinault → Ruby/Kalaloch → Forks, with Hoh as optional rather than guaranteed.
Do a lodge/ranger-station-area stop and a short trail only. Do not rely on completing the full South Shore / North Shore loop unless you confirm it is open.
Do Ruby Beach well, go to Forks, and either skip Hoh or attempt it very early on Day 3. If you do Hoh on Day 3, shorten Lake Crescent to a viewpoint or picnic stop.
Still enjoy the viewpoint and driftwood area, but do not wander around rocks or tidepools when the tide is rising. Consider Kalaloch or Beach 4 only if the tide window is safe.
Check WSDOT before leaving the peninsula. If delays are bad, you can wait it out in Kingston/Port Gamble, route via Bainbridge for the downtown-Seattle ferry experience, or drive around through Tacoma if ferry lines are truly painful.
A tiny checklist for a coast-and-rainforest route.
Use these for final day-before checks; park roads, ferry service, tides, and seasonal lodging can change.