Road Trip Destinations for High-Spirited Adventure

It’s finally spring in the Pacific Northwest, and summer is right around the corner. After months of being cooped up inside under threat of rain, snow, and hail, you’re finally ready to go out and see the world again, supplemented by our favorite recreational herb. But where should you go? What should you do?

There’s a whole world out there of new experiences and beautiful locales, so we’ve decided to highlight several that are within driving distance. Keep in mind, you should never smoke and drive, or drive when you’re already stoned—that’s against the second rule for

staying safe while enjoying cannabis

. When it comes to these road trip recommendations, it’s more about the destinations than the journey, and we’ve picked out some truly marvelous ones to share with you—so long as you arrive there safely.

Whether you’re just taking a day trip to see the sights around Portland or you’re willing to go out of state and stay overnight, there are a lot of places to visit and things to do across the Pacific Northwest, and we’ve grouped them by distance from our headquarters in Portland. Everything on our list is located in either Washington, Oregon, or California, so you can be confident that recreational marijuana will still be legal when you get there. Just make sure you’re following local laws when you consume—stick to private property, avoid driving while intoxicated, and keep all of your cannabis products out of the reach of children. Also, federal law prohibits crossing state lines with marijuana, so make sure you don’t have any with you when you do.

If you live in Portland, congratulations! You’re in our delivery zone, and we can help you load up on supplies before you even leave! There are also plenty of places to go and things to do without even leaving the city limits, if you’re looking for a local experience.

The Jupiter Hotel is a party hotel on East Burnside that captures a stunning vision of Portland’s unique arts and music culture. With restaurants, a cocktail bar, and a music venue all right there, it’s like a microcosm of everything we love about Portland. And, thanks to a partnership with the nearby dispensary Oregrown, you can book a room that comes complete with an “

Everything But the Weed Kit

” including a custom stash jar, rolling papers, and other cannabis swag to enhance your stay. The only catch is that you’re not legally allowed to consume marijuana at the Jupiter Hotel. Sorry folks, OLCC rules.

Remember what we said about not driving? The Potlandia Experience is a psychedelic bus tour like no other, offering a full 420 adventure to some of Portland’s best marijuana dispensaries (besides Pot Mates—we bring the weed to you ), microbreweries, and food carts for the munchies you will inevitably acquire. It’s a four-hour tour unless you and a bunch of friends want to rent the whole bus for a private party, and if you want to get farther out of town without needing a designated driver, their

Weed and Waterfalls

tour will wake you down the Columbia Gorge National Scenic Byway to see some of the most majestic views the Pacific Northwest has to offer.

All right, so you’ve done everything there is to do in Portland, and you’re ready to put the city in your rearview mirror. While Mt. Hood isn’t going anywhere, there are some other places you might like to see for a unique excursion with some of your favorite buds.

It’s everything you want from a wilderness resort—full-size houses built around real, living trees. Located just south of Cave Junction in southern Oregon, they have small tree cottages if there’s just one or two of you and full-on two-story tree mansions if you’re traveling with friends. If you’re thinking, “wait a minute, but could I actually smoke weed in a tree house?” the answer is yes—but only if you go to

420 Treehouses

instead.

In eastern Oregon, the John Day River Basin presents four distinct geologic layers that perfectly preserve 50 million years of earth’s history between layers of siltstone and sandstone. The Painted Hills northeast of Prineville are gorgeous, unbelievably colorful natural formations, while the Thomas Condon Paleontology Center showcases some of the fossils that have been uncovered here over the years. The best way to experience the fossil beds is to hike them, but make sure to bring plenty of water and pack out anything you pack in.

For those of you willing to venture farther out of your comfort zone, there is some magnificent natural beauty just waiting for you north of the border. Recreational cannabis is legal in Washington, but remember that it’s still illegal to cross state lines with it, so buy local instead of traveling with bud in your car. Both

WeedMaps

and

Leafly

can help you find a good shop.

The longest continuous lava tube in the continental United States resides just south of Mount St. Helens in Washington. Formed almost 2,000 years ago, this tunnel-like cave was formed by streams of lava rushing away so fast that the outer layers hardened before the inner molten lava drained away, leaving a two-and-a-half mile tube to walk through the earth’s crust. If you turn off your lights deep within the cave, you can experience total darkness—and see what your mind fills it with.

If you like being near the water, you’ll want to make the trek to the San Juan Islands near Bellingham, Washington. There’s some incredible biodiversity on display here, and you could spend days gorging on the awe-inspiring scenery. The San Juan Islands offer a refuge for countless species of mammals, birds, and insects that can’t be found anywhere else and a variety of ways to experience them. We might recommend booking a

kayak tour

to get up close and personal without disturbing anyone.

Heading the other way, there are several exciting ways to stimulate your senses just waiting for you in California. Like with Washington, make sure you’re not carrying any Oregon weed with you when you go, or a routine traffic stop might turn into a real bummer.

Eureka

is the first place to find a dispensary if you’re driving down the coast.

Located in the Marina district of San Francisco, the Wave Organ is an acoustic musical apparatus driven by the lapping waves of the San Francisco bay itself. As waves crash inside the pipe ends and drain back out, you can hear haunting, reverberating tones that sound like a Blue Man Group concert in slow motion. The best time to visit is at high tide, so you can use this

handy tool

to plan your trip. San Francisco is also home to

Urbana

, a classy cannabis lounge where you can chill out and light up with a variety of smoking apparatuses.

The western monarch butterfly is making a comeback, and they migrate all along the west coast in early spring, with some making it as far as the Pacific Northwest. In the fall, they return to the warmer coasts in the south to weather the winter. The

Western Monarch Trail

comprises a long stretch of iconic Highway 1—a road trip in itself—and offers breathtaking views of

millions of brilliant orange butterflies fluttering by

. Is there anything more magical?

Wherever you end up, you should know that you have options for a 420-friendly lodging experience. Sites like

Bud and Breakfast

and

InnDica

let you search for rooms, houses, and entire estates that support the lifestyle choice we have in common. Rules for consumption vary by location and local law, so be sure to reach out to your host before you go, so you know what to expect.

We love discovering new and exciting places, so if you find something awesome, tag us on

Instagram

, so we know where to go, too!