Compare On the Road: The Oregon Coast, California Redwoods and Crater Lake by Road Scholar vs California Dreaming: From Yosemite National Park to Napa and Sonoma Valley by Culture Trip

Day 1: Check-in, Registration, Orientation, Welcome Buffet

Meals: Dinner

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Portland Airport (I-205)

Dinner: A buffet dinner will be served in our meeting space at the hotel, followed by a chance to make new acquaintances.

Evening: Take a close look at our plans for the next 9 days. Our group leaders have a wealth of information to share.

Day 2: Lighthouses, Sea Lions & Surf- the Oregon Coast comes alive!

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Driftwood Shores

Breakfast: Enjoy a hot buffet breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Our trek down the Oregon Coast, with it's ever-changing spectacular viewpoints, begins as we travel to Newport, stopping at Yaquina Head Lighthouse.

Lunch: Lunch at Izzy's with a variety of choices.

Afternoon: Prepare for our upcoming beach explorations with a trip to the Oregon Coast Aquarium. Walk through acrylic tunnels surrounded by several feet of sea water and come face to face with large sharks, rockfish and bat rays. Explore the many exhibits and enjoy the charming sea life of the northwest coast.

Dinner: Arrive in Florence and enjoy dinner overlooking the waves.

Day 3: Travel down the Oregon Coast: Lighthouses, Capes and Bays

Meals: Breakfast and Dinner

Accommodation: Driftwood Shores

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Start your morning with a lecture on Oregon's Coastal Geology, then depart the hotel to begin your day's adventure.

Lunch: On your own in Florence.

Afternoon: Take in the view from atop Cape Perpetua, which rises 800 feet above the sea. Learn about the wildlfowers, trees and animals along a 1/2-mile trail on the summit during an interpretive walk led by our group leader, a marine biologist.

Dinner: Enjoy a plated dinner at the hotel.

Evening: Following dinner a lecture on Coastal Natural History will be proved at the hotel.

Day 4: Cruise the Dunes, Explore the Southern Oregon Coast

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Gold Beach Resort

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel

Morning: The Oregon Dunes, the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America, extend 60 miles along the coast from Florence to Coos Bay. You can't see these dunes from the highway, so climb aboard a giant dune buggy for a thrilling ride over the mountains of sand. The ride will culminate in a stop atop one of the highest dunes in North America, a whopping 600 feet high!

Lunch: Lunch at Lord Bennett's restaurant overlooking the scenic Oregon Coast

Afternoon: After lunch travel on to Gold Beach, where the Rogue River meets the Pacific Ocean. Spend the night here in this remote little sea town.

Dinner: Dinner at Spinners in Gold Beach.

Day 5: Oregon's rugged South Coast gives way to towering Redwoods

Meals: Breakfast and Lunch

Accommodation: Best Western Bayshore Inn

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Hang on for a thrilling ride up the Wild and Scenic Rogue River aboard a jet boat. See Osprey and other wildlife as your jet boat captain negotiates the rapids of one of the world's most beautiful river valleys. The jet boat ride will be a dynamic introduction to the southern Oregon Coast's backcountry.

Lunch: Lunch in Agness, a charming town of 75 people.

Afternoon: Travel South continuing with our onboard lecture by our group leader and biologist as you meet the giants of the coast as you encounter the first of the area's majestic Redwoods on your way south. Enter California and see some of the world's tallest trees.

Dinner: Dinner on your own to explore local fare.

Day 6: Walk among the Redwoods, focusing on regional ecology

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Best Western Bayshore Inn

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Our Redwoods expert meets us this morning and continues with us throughout the day. Travel on the world-famous scenic drive, The Avenue of the Giants, 31 miles of redwood groves. It is by far the most outstanding display of these giant trees in the entire 500 mile redwood belt. Take a 1/2 mile loop walk overshadowed by these giant redwoods...a perfect picture taking opportunity!

Lunch: Picnic lunch in the Redwoods.

Afternoon: Continue your exploration of the Redwood forest with our local expert as she points out interesting aspects of this forest of giants. Make a stop at a scenic Victorian village.

Dinner: Dinner at the historic (and rustic) Samoa Cookhouse, where Eureka's loggers and lumbermen have enjoyed hearty family-style meals for generations.

Day 7: From the Coast to the Caves, Voyage to the Oregon Caves

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Oregon Caves Chateau

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel.

Morning: Wind north through the spectacular Redwoods, stopping at the Jedediah Smith State Park, renowned for its beauty.

Lunch: Picnic lunch at the Park.

Afternoon: Venture deep inside the earth to explore a marble cave at the Oregon Caves National Monument. Learn of the geology, history and science of this cave recognized as one of the most geologically unique and botanically diverse in the U.S. The cave walk and return trail require good mobility and a sense of adventure!

Dinner: The Oregon Caves Chateau is one of Southern Oregon's most charming lodges. With rustic rooms, this unique 5 story historic landmark, covered with beautiful bark siding, is one of the West's most intriguing lodges. The Oregon Caves Chateau was featured in the PBS TV special and book "Great Lodges of the American West" for it's old fashioned charm and architectural elegance. Take a tour and then sit down to a great dinner in their restaurant.

Evening: Rest or explore on your own.

Day 8: A Natural Wonder of the World, Crater Lake National Park

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Best Western Newberry Station

Breakfast: Breakfast at the Chateau to get us started.

Morning: Travel to Crater Lake via our motorcoach with lecture en route.

Lunch: Lunch at Annie Creek.

Afternoon: Crater Lake: overwhelmingly yet sublimely beautiful! Take a breathtaking look from the brink of this 6-mile wide caldera, surrounded by a 36 mile circle of cliffs. Drive part of the Rim of the lake which was created by the eruption and collapse of Mt. Mazama almost 7,700 years ago.

Dinner: Dinner at a local restaurant.

Day 9: Discover Oregon's Dry Side, Transfer to Portland.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Accommodation: Holiday Inn Portland Airport (I-205)

Breakfast: Breakfast at hotel.

Morning: Travel to Newberry National Volcanic Monument's Lava Lands Visitor Center for a walk through a lava flow with your group leader and private intrepetive guide. This visit ties together much of what you have learned throughout your travels.

Lunch: Lunch along the way.

Afternoon: Explore the wonderful museum at the Warm Springs Indian Reservation before skirting the flanks of Mt. Hood on your way to the Columbia River Gorge and thundering Multnomah Falls, the state's highest.

Dinner: Enjoy dinner as we share favorite experiences with each other from our journey, and stay to chat just a little longer!

Day 10: Program Concludes

Meals: Breakfast

Breakfast: Hot breakfast at the hotel, followed by independent departures! We wish you a safe journey home and thanks for enjoying our wonderful Pacific Northwest with us! Come back for one of our many other programs!

Day 1: Welcome to the Hotel California

Accommodation: The Stanford Court

Activities Included: Welcome dinner of dim sum in Chinatown

Well, not quite – but your accommodation is just as lovely as the one described in the song. In fact, unlike the actual Hotel California, your hotel puts you on the edge of San Francisco’s storied Chinatown district, which – after you’ve met your group at 6pm – is where your journey starts. Our Local Insider will also accompany the group throughout the trip. A guided tour is followed by an authentic dim sum dinner, before rounding off with a cocktail at a top-secret speakeasy bar.

Day 2: Into the wild

Accommodation: Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort

Activities Included: Tuolumne Grove hike

After a full-American breakfast, you’ll head east towards the foothills of the Sierra Nevadas, stopping at the oldest bar in California, the Iron Door Saloon, for cold beer and buffalo wings. Next up is Tuolumne Grove in Yosemite National Park, where you’ll walk among giant sequoia trees – some up to 300ft (91m) tall – and spy the mountain peaks, El Capitan and Half Dome, from Tunnel View.

Day 3: Hiking, biking and a sunset view in Yosemite

Accommodation: Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort

Activities Included: Guided Yosemite Valley hike, Sentinel Dome hike with champagne

Optional Activities: Bike ride

Pinch yourself. Yes, you really have awoken in Yosemite. Breathe in a lung-full of fresh mountain air and enjoy a hearty California breakfast. Today is all about seeing the highlights of Yosemite. You decide what you’d like to do next: a full-day guided hike in Yosemite Valley, a leisurely bike ride, or an extended session in the eco-spa. Finish the day by ascending Sentinel Dome to watch the multicolored sunset.

Day 4: Sweeping meadow views and swimming in Tenaya Lake

Accommodation: Yosemite Bug Rustic Mountain Resort

Activities Included: Pothole Dome hike, Swimming at Tenaya Lake

Today, you’ll have the chance to beat the crowds and explore lesser-known spots within Yosemite. To start, you’ll take the high road to Tuolumne Meadows, a high-altitude area and the starting point of a short hike to the top of Pothole Dome. You might feel slightly breathless, but the panoramic views waiting at the top make it worthwhile. Later, cool off with a swim in Tenaya Lake, or pick a lakeside spot and lounge around while taking in your epic environs.

Day 5: Wine, wine and more wine in Napa and Sonoma

Accommodation: Best Western Dry Creek Inn

Activities Included: Napa bike tour

Wave goodbye to Yosemite and hello to California’s world-famous wine country. To make the most of your time (and wine) in the Napa Valley, you’ll get around by bike, before a gourmet lunch at chef Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, served alongside the best wines from the region. And if that wasn’t enough, there will be time for more in the vineyards of Sonoma Valley on the way to your hotel in Healdsburg.

Day 6: Towering redwoods and road-trippin’ the Pacific Coast

Accommodation: Best Western Dry Creek Inn

Activities Included: Guided hike in Samuel P Taylor State Park, Road trip to Goat Rock Beach, Farewell dinner

Optional Activities: Swimming at Russian River

Your day begins with a morning stroll among towering redwood trees in Samuel P Taylor State Park, giving you the chance to work up an appetite for lunch at the Marshall Store in Tomales Bay, well-known for its Pacific oysters. The road trip continues after lunch with a drive along the coast and a stop at Goat Rock Beach, before pizza at the Russian River Brewing Company.

Day 7: Return to San Francisco

Activities Included: Lands End Trail hike

Optional Activities: Mission District tour

It may be your final day, but the trip is far from over. Back in San Francisco, there are a few more treats in store, including a hike along the Lands End Trail – a one-way clifftop route with amazing views over the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island. Lunch in the Mission District means one thing: the Mission burrito, popular since the 1960s and a must-eat if you’re in this part of town. You’ll also discover the local street art, which forms the largest concentration of murals in the world, before finally bidding farewell to your travel companions at the hotel at 3pm.