OT: Pacific Coast highway drive

[Randal7]

I'm doing the Pacific coast highway drive this June with my wife. We're starting in San Fran and going south to San Diego and we're giving ourselves Friday-Tuesday to do it (we're really gonna take our time and soak in that golden coast, stay overnight during the trip)

Any suggestions for stops along the way that you guys found unforgettable? Towns, beaches, parks, other stuff off the beaten path of the pacific coast highway?

In terms of our interests, we're fairly straight laced people in our "normal, working, everyday lives". Late 20's, live in NYC (but, we kinda hate the people here), prefer pubs to bars, hate crowds -- but above all we don't take ourselves seriously. We're sorta looking for that Jack Kerouac road map, but we want it to be natural, the LAST thing we're looking for is some synthetic, phony experience where we're being "try-hards" about it. We're looking to just -- soak it in, man.. Throw inhibition to the wind for a couple of days and explore. We're the kind of folks that really loved the road to Hana in Hawaii, and were out of the car every half hour exploring. We also love good food joints -- the smaller and less pretentious the better.

Big Sur looks pretty great, as does Carmel. There are like a billion websites on this topic, but i'm looking for the jersey-centric perspective -- the "I grew up in Weehawken and didn't know a place with this spectre and beauty existed" kind of thing. Can't get that perspective just anywhere :).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

 

[RU4PA]

I proposed to my wife in Carmel. It is a beautiful area and there are a number of great spots to pull over and do a little exploring right next to the ocean. My advice...take your time while driving and make sure to make many stops along the way.

We stayed at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands which overlooks the ocean. Quite expensive, but a beautiful hotel and the views are amazing. Also, I recommend going to the Carmel Aquarium.

 

[ho26rus]

the guidebooks cover it all but must it be sf to sd rather than the other way

Why? the s un rises in the east when you drive south from 11-3 you have the sun in your eyes going north its at your back

Hearst castle you may still need to secure time spots prior to getting there and, at least a few years ago, there were no many motels there

The Monterey area is a great lunch destination with a superior aquarium

Carmel is very pretty but does nor require a great deal of time

The Santa Barbara Mission, 10 minutes inland, is one of the nicer of its type. Then drive onto Stearns wharf for seafood dinner or any of 20 great restaurants

When you get to Malibu TheG etty Castle requires a timed parking pass in advance

The street theatre on the beach walk in Venice is spectacular on Saturday, and Sunday Afternoons

I will watch what others suggest and add to this later

 

[Caliknight]

Second Hurst Castle. It's an awesome experience. Carmel is a couple of hours at best. I wouldn't spend too much time there. Big Sur is beautiful. Anywhere you stop will be amazing.

Post Ranch Inn is a must for a night. It's expensive, but well, well worth it. I would do a night in Big Sur, a night in Paso Robles where you can do a winery or two and see Heart's Castle, hit Santa Barbara after that and finish up in LA. I would skip San Diego. It's perfectly fine, but after driving the coast, it offers nothing you won't have already seen. The beaches in Malibu and County line are every bit as beautiful as any you will see there, and that is all that there is there.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

Second Hurst Castle. It's an awesome experience. Carmel is a couple of hours at best. I wouldn't spend too much time there. Big Sur is beautiful. Anywhere you stop will be amazing.

Post Ranch Inn is a must for a night. It's expensive, but well, well worth it. I would do a night in Big Sur, a night in Paso Robles where you can do a winery or two and see Heart's Castle, hit Santa Barbara after that and finish up in LA. I would skip San Diego. It's perfectly fine, but after driving the coast, it offers nothing you won't have already seen. The beaches in Malibu and County line are every bit as beautiful as any you will see there, and that is all that there is there.

Or right across the street is The Ventana Inn, which is a little less expensive (about $500/night) versus $800 or so at the Post Ranch Inn, and both are phenomenal places for a guy to get to know his girl (TRUST me on this). My suggestion is to stay in either one of these places for two nights rather than doing a microwave tour of the coast. South of Big Sur is Santa Barbara, and there are lots of places to stay there (the Four Seasons is essentially right on the water) and it has a cool downtown (State Street).

South of there is Laguna Beach, which is a great place to hang out (the Laguna Beach Inn is right on the water and will probably run about $350/night). Laguna Niguel is about a half hour south of Laguna Beach and has two wonderful properties on the water (actually, they're both above the water, but accessible with a five-minute walk or courtesy golf cart). As wonderful as all of those places are, including the hotels/properties, nothing even comes close to either The Post Ranch Inn (check out their website) or The Ventana Inn. Make reservations way ahead of time regardless of where you stay, but for the love of everything holy, stay at least two nights in Big Sur.

 

[theRU]

jersey guy living in Socal. All the recos above are great but i'd take San Diego over LA anytime.

I HATE LA--- its crowded, and its sprawling. Based on your commentary that you hate crowds, you will love SD.

if you must start in SF, i'd start in napa and work my way down. Napa for a night, SF for 1-2 nights, Big sur 1 night, Santa Barbara 1 inight, Laguna Beach 1 night, San Diego for balance (san diego zoo, gaslamp district, beaches, you might want to skip the midway if you toured the intrepid)

And if you make it to Laguna beach, give me a call. I'll be happy to take you to some great spots with the wife.

 

[Rutgers25]

If you want an adventurous drive...try Nacimiento Ferguson Drive near Big Sur.
You can pick it up from 101, and take it through the mountains to PCH. Switchback after switchback up the mountain, and then as you start your descent, you suddenly see the beautiful Pacific Ocean down below. Amazing experience. The ride is a little nerve wracking...steep drop offs with no guard rails, but if you take it slow it's fine. My wife and I did the PCH drive 5 years ago and the Nacimiento is still one of the highlights.

I second what some of the others said...drive it South to North....

 

[fischy5000]

Consider stopping off in Solvang for a bit (a little north of Santa Barbara). It's a small Dutch community where you can walk around town and go to a bunch of spots for wine tasting in town or a bit away at the actual vinyard(s). They're also known for chocolate.

 

[DANTHEMAN]

A place you ( at least I ) don't hear much about, but a fav of mine, is San Luis Obispo. But hard to go wrong it seems, anywhere south of San Francisco (never Frisco or San Fran ).

 

[RU Husky]

After a day at San Simeon I concur that a stop in the Paso Robles wine area is worth it. I would also go to Cambria which is right on the ocean due west of Paso Robles.

 

[Ajwich]

We did the same drive 3 years ago over 2 weeks. You will find 4 days is not enough. Agree with most of what has been said. Stayed at Ventana which we loved, Carmel-Monterrey beautiful, Santa Barbara well worth the visit. We particularly love Laguna Beach where we have spent 5 weeks each of the past 2 winters. You must can't go wrong- but if possible give yourself more time.

 

[Caliknight]

jersey guy living in Socal. All the recos above are great but i'd take San Diego over LA anytime.

I HATE LA--- its crowded, and its sprawling. Based on your commentary that you hate crowds, you will love SD.

if you must start in SF, i'd start in napa and work my way down. Napa for a night, SF for 1-2 nights, Big sur 1 night, Santa Barbara 1 inight, Laguna Beach 1 night, San Diego for balance (san diego zoo, gaslamp district, beaches, you might want to skip the midway if you toured the intrepid)

And if you make it to Laguna beach, give me a call. I'll be happy to take you to some great spots with the wife.

I must be going to a different San Diego. Every time I'm there I comment how bad the traffic is. Worse than LA.

 

[Virginiarufan]

Drove San Francisco to LA years ago. Monterey was nice and I second Hearst Castle. It was probably less traveled 35 years ago and to this day is one of the most scenic ocean drives we ever took. We camped on a beach one night and woke up the next day with a sea lion outside the tent.

 

[PatrickRU92]

Definitely spend a night in Carmel, hang out on the beach at sunset, lots of great restaurants for dinner.

http://www.hikinginbigsur.com/hikes_partingtoncove.html.
do this short hike just off the road on Hwy 1 on the Big Sur coast. Very very cool

Julia Pffefer Burns state park. Short walk to an overlook with the only waterfall in the continental US that goes directly into the ocean

I must be going to a different San Diego. Every time I'm there I comment how bad the traffic is. Worse than LA.

Damn straight. You have the 5 , and THATS F***ING IT. Once that gets crowded, which is 7 days /week, there is no where else to go, until you get to the 8 which brings you exactly to the middle of no where.

 

[rbled]

To reiterate what others have mentioned, Monterrey Aquarium is a must. Carmel is nice with a great beach but unless you have incredible beach weather or are a fan of overpriced shops and restaurants it's doesn't rate more than a few hrs. San Simeon is another must. Big Sur is incredible. You can spend days exploring the area.

One area that is a bit off the radar is tha Santa Cruz Mountains. There are some amazing hikes in Portola and Big Basin redwoods state parks. There is a beautiful 10 mile hike in big basin past redwoods and several waterfalls. This is also a very underrated wine region. If you only visit one, check out Ridge. Beautiful setting and great wines. The Zinfandel (in Tahoe drinking a bottle as I type this) is a great value and definitely taste the Monte Bello Cabernet, twice voted the #1 cab in the world in a blind test in France against top producers around the globe. Another fun stop in the area is Mount Hermon adventures where you can zipline among old growth redwoods.

Recently moved to SF and have been enjoying exploring the area. The coast is simply gorgeous and hard to go wrong. There are tons of nice little beach town in which to stop. Enjoy!

 

[PhDKnight]

jersey guy living in Socal. All the recos above are great but i'd take San Diego over LA anytime.

I HATE LA--- its crowded, and its sprawling. Based on your commentary that you hate crowds, you will love SD.

if you must start in SF, i'd start in napa and work my way down. Napa for a night, SF for 1-2 nights, Big sur 1 night, Santa Barbara 1 inight, Laguna Beach 1 night, San Diego for balance (san diego zoo, gaslamp district, beaches, you might want to skip the midway if you toured the intrepid)

And if you make it to Laguna beach, give me a call. I'll be happy to take you to some great spots with the wife.

Ha! I just moved from NJ to SD this past year and could not agree more. I don't mind driving up to LA area for a UCLA or USC game or a weekend in Santa Monica, but you can keep everything else. SD is by far a better place to live! And Laguna is the only place worth stopping in the OC.

If you want to truely feel what it is like to live here, finish your trip here in SD with a bottle of wine and a bonfire on the beach in Coronado or La Jolla Shores.

 

[_dave_]

To reiterate what others have mentioned, Monterrey Aquarium is a must. Carmel is nice with a great beach but unless you have incredible beach weather or are a fan of overpriced shops and restaurants it's doesn't rate more than a few hrs. San Simeon is another must. Big Sur is incredible. You can spend days exploring the area.

One area that is a bit off the radar is tha Santa Cruz Mountains. There are some amazing hikes in Portola and Big Basin redwoods state parks. There is a beautiful 10 mile hike in big basin past redwoods and several waterfalls. This is also a very underrated wine region. If you only visit one, check out Ridge. Beautiful setting and great wines. The Zinfandel (in Tahoe drinking a bottle as I type this) is a great value and definitely taste the Monte Bello Cabernet, twice voted the #1 cab in the world in a blind test in France against top producers around the globe. Another fun stop in the area is Mount Hermon adventures where you can zipline among old growth redwoods.

Recently moved to SF and have been enjoying exploring the area. The coast is simply gorgeous and hard to go wrong. There are tons of nice little beach town in which to stop. Enjoy!

Jealous. I'm in Tahoe but in an operating room. So far over an hour into a patella case and still a long way to go. Overtime here I come tonight.

 

[FELONIOUSMONK]

Just get in the car and go . Worked for us..You will day trip your way into one of the great drives in this country.In this world
. Surprise yourself. FYI In June expect a little June gloom weather in the morning and at night.. Thick marine layer of clouds. Bring jackets!!! Keep her warm..!!!! Enjoy!!

 

[ho26rus]

Just reread your post and I really need to say something
A lot of lodging suggestions while extremely well intentioned are presupposing enormous disposable income.

What you need to know if you are budgeting is a room in California , especially LA County, comes with quite a few tax add ons

In Santa Monica, for example, as best as I remember 3 years ago
Town of Santa Monica tax
LA County tax,
City of LA tax
Homeland security tax
state tax

So , by memory, each 100 becomes 128 .That might not be everywhere in the state but these stealth taxes, of which you would certainly be unaware add up dramatically.

If you go to Santa Barbara ideally you would like to be in a pricey motel on the beach
But if budget sensitive you can drive 1 to 2 miles up State Street and find lodging at half those prices or less

If in Santa Barbara you might like to spend an hour driving through Montecito and glimpsing the houses of the absurdly rich. If you drive up the hill to the mountain road, where there are walking trails, you can see down into these compounds. Anyway a thought

Someone touched on it earlier but extending past Los Angeles to San Diego is an extremely aggressive schedule. and you will need to sacrifice a lot of things to make that fit.

IE Hearst castle is a bus from the parking lot and guided tour and it is nearly a 3/4 day tour that includes a lot of walking.
You will be tired.
If the past holds true you need to book in advance

While you may pencil in Carmel as a 5 block by 6 block quick walk with lunch.And that is doable. But a lot of people fall in love with the town and need to be dragged away

Monterrey has an eclectic dining experience and as stated a great aquarium it comes with a scarcity of parking spots

If you are artsy there are two Getty museums in LA . One inland at route 5 is high with a 360 degree wrap of LA. Terrific cafeteria . a grouping of 6 buildings comprising museums, media centers and , I think a college. Stunning simplicity of sculpted limestone
That's the getty museum

The Getty Vllla is on the PCH in Malibu. This houses the Greek, roman, Etruscan, and egyptial collections in a , I think, Etruscan villa
If you have not prepurchased a parking pass with approx. time you will not be allowed in. Minimal parking available
Also not many street alternatives

 

[RutgersSam]

Stop for champagne at a place called Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, right off PCH.

Thank me later.

 

[newell138]

Did this drive in the 70s and again in the late 80's and will be doing it again when I retire in 7 years. Some of the best memories and most beautiful landscapes and views. I would recommend stopping in Yosemite, there is nothing like it.

 

[Randal7]

Thanks alot for ALL recommendations so far. I'm going to compile this info in an excel and try to plot my course.

As noted, we only have Thursday late afternoon through to Tuesday, so maybe the most challenging part is going to be efficiency in time. But one of the goals here is to be whimsical to an extent and not beholden to a schedule. But there are themes here that seem like "must dos" so those will be tier 1 on the list and then I'll develop some tertiary activities

 

[jmg75]

Try to find Pfeiffer Beach. Very pretty. Has the purple sand you often find on the west coast beaches. Stop at Nepenthe for lunch or just a glass of wine. Incredible view. Would also recommend the Ragged Point Inn for a night's stay. It's perched on a 300 foot cliff and the view from the rooms is amazing. Not much else around it when we were last there, but we found that peaceful. Enjoy your trip. That is my favorite drive in the country. Have done it a number of times, the last trip from Jenner at the mouth of the Russian River on down. Never gets old.

 

[The_Senator]

Try to find Pfeiffer Beach. Very pretty. Has the purple sand you often find on the west coast beaches. Stop at Nepenthe for lunch or just a glass of wine. Incredible view. Would also recommend the Ragged Point InnBT for a night's stay. It's perched on a 300 foot cliff and the view from the rooms is amazing. Not much else around it when we were last there, but we found that peaceful. Enjoy your trip. That is my favorite drive in the country. Have done it a number of times, the last trip from Jenner at the mouth of the Russian River on down. Never gets old.

Stop at the Nepenthe for lunch or a drink and weather permitting sit outside. Incredible view a few hundred feet above the ocean.
The Hyatt Carmel Highlands is a great place to stay and/or have dinner but it isn't cheap.
BTW-if your wife has any issues with your driving get ready to 'hear about it' on the drive south.
Going north is a lot easier.

 

[albanyknight]

South to North is much better.

There is a difference between living in LA and visiting LA. lot oAf great things to do in LA.

Don't overplan. A lot of the fun of the trip is winging it.

Do Sonoma over Napa. Much less crowded and just as good plus it keeps you along the ocean.

 

[RutgersRaRa]

jersey guy living in Socal. All the recos above are great but i'd take San Diego over LA anytime.

I HATE LA--- its crowded, and its sprawling. Based on your commentary that you hate crowds, you will love SD.

if you must start in SF, i'd start in napa and work my way down. Napa for a night, SF for 1-2 nights, Big sur 1 night, Santa Barbara 1 inight, Laguna Beach 1 night, San Diego for balance (san diego zoo, gaslamp district, beaches, you might want to skip the midway if you toured the intrepid)

And if you make it to Laguna beach, give me a call. I'll be happy to take you to some great spots with the wife.

@theRU, if you live in Laguna, this is a longshot, but do you know a couple named Karla and Jeff M.? They are from South Dakota originally, have two kids that would now be in their early- to mid-twenties, and live about a mile inland in Laguna Beach.

 

[theRU]

@theRU, if you live in Laguna, this is a longshot, but do you know a couple named Karla and Jeff M.? They are from South Dakota originally, have two kids that would now be in their early- to mid-twenties, and live about a mile inland in Laguna Beach.

RaRa- no sorry i don't know them.

 

[jmg75]

Stop at the Nepenthe for lunch or a drink and weather permitting sit outside. Incredible view a few hundred feet above the ocean.
The Hyatt Carmel Highlands is a great place to stay and/or have dinner but it isn't cheap.
BTW-if your wife has any issues with your driving get ready to 'hear about it' on the drive south.
Going north is a lot easier.

Hear about it? I still have visible marks on my right arm from my wife's fingernails digging into me on every curve. :)
Can't really blame her though. I would not want to sit in the passenger seat for the ride south either.

 

[Johnnyinmumbai]

Hell yea! Great choice. I've done this a few times and loved it.

Go from san fran to SD. Def cruise over golden gate bridge. hit up hate and ashberry st for a kool cultural experience.

Try to hit red wood forest in muir woods.

Def go to the hollywood sign in LA. It will blow your mind and it's situated where you will over look all of LA. And visit venice beach during the day.

Hit Sea World in SD. It's worth every minute. Hit the beach tour in SD but def have a sweater.

God bless

 

[Caliknight]

To reiterate what others have mentioned, Monterrey Aquarium is a must. Carmel is nice with a great beach but unless you have incredible beach weather or are a fan of overpriced shops and restaurants it's doesn't rate more than a few hrs. San Simeon is another must. Big Sur is incredible. You can spend days exploring the area.

One area that is a bit off the radar is tha Santa Cruz Mountains. There are some amazing hikes in Portola and Big Basin redwoods state parks. There is a beautiful 10 mile hike in big basin past redwoods and several waterfalls. This is also a very underrated wine region. If you only visit one, check out Ridge. Beautiful setting and great wines. The Zinfandel (in Tahoe drinking a bottle as I type this) is a great value and definitely taste the Monte Bello Cabernet, twice voted the #1 cab in the world in a blind test in France against top producers around the globe. Another fun stop in the area is Mount Hermon adventures where you can zipline among old growth redwoods.

Recently moved to SF and have been enjoying exploring the area. The coast is simply gorgeous and hard to go wrong. There are tons of nice little beach town in which to stop. Enjoy!

Didn't know you made the move. Welcome to the west coast!

 

[srru86]

I really liked Hearst Castle. And very close by you might think about an overnight stop, or meal, in Cambria. Look for a hotel along Moonstone Beach Drive. They have a great boardwalk but not quite like what we are used to in NJ.

 

[tsare]

All the places suggested are great. However, I would second Santa Barbara as an over night stay. Stop in the Solvang area which is in the heart of Santa Barbara wine country and then head down Route 154 into Santa Barbara. Amazing views. Good luck

 

[YoucancallmeRay]

Agree with staying in Cambria, which is about halfway down the coast. Nice little town with the Nitt Witt house, made of "odds and ends". Motels line the road facing the beach.

 

[RU'70]

FWIW, one of my favorite movies is Same Time Next Year with Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. It was filmed at Heritge House near Mendocino. I always dreamed of what you and your wife are going to do with an overnight stop there.

 

[rucoe89]

I'm doing the Pacific coast highway drive this June with my wife. We're starting in San Fran and going south to San Diego and we're giving ourselves Friday-Tuesday to do it (we're really gonna take our time and soak in that golden coast, stay overnight during the trip)

Any suggestions for stops along the way that you guys found unforgettable? Towns, beaches, parks, other stuff off the beaten path of the pacific coast highway?

In terms of our interests, we're fairly straight laced people in our "normal, working, everyday lives". Late 20's, live in NYC (but, we kinda hate the people here), prefer pubs to bars, hate crowds -- but above all we don't take ourselves seriously. We're sorta looking for that Jack Kerouac road map, but we want it to be natural, the LAST thing we're looking for is some synthetic, phony experience where we're being "try-hards" about it. We're looking to just -- soak it in, man.. Throw inhibition to the wind for a couple of days and explore. We're the kind of folks that really loved the road to Hana in Hawaii, and were out of the car every half hour exploring. We also love good food joints -- the smaller and less pretentious the better.

Big Sur looks pretty great, as does Carmel. There are like a billion websites on this topic, but i'm looking for the jersey-centric perspective -- the "I grew up in Weehawken and didn't know a place with this spectre and beauty existed" kind of thing. Can't get that perspective just anywhere :).

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Depending on time and your interests, here are places to track on your way down:

1. Half Moon Bay - Half Moon Bay Brewing Company, Half Moon Bay Golf Course (for views)
2. Santa Cruz - quirky and fun town; boardwalk is fun if you like true beach amusement park
3. Monterey - Cannery Row and the Aquarium (second to none)
4. 17 Mile Drive/Pebble Beach -- unbelievable views
5. Carmel - artsy town of which Clint Eastwood was Mayor
6. Big Sur stretch -- this is the iconic PCH views you often see; stop at Nepenthe for a cool view above the clouds
7. Cambria/Morro Bay - Hearst Castle - William Hearst and family estate
8. San Luis Obispo - quaint college town; nice break - just north is Paso Robles on 101, which has some fun breweries
9. Pismo Beach -- Bugs Bunny anyone?
10. Slovang - Danish enclave in California; pretty cool site;
11. Buellton to Santa Barbara -- big area of wine makers -- this is area made famous by movie Sideways
12. Santa Barbara -- outstanding town about 2 hours from LA
13. Malibu -- where the Hollywood actors have their homes
14. Santa Monica - UCLA and more
15. Long Beach -- if you want to take a boat out to Catalina Island for the day
16. Newport Beach / Dana Point - fun Orange County beach area
17. Carlsbad - northern San Diego
18. San Diego - tons to do there including walking over to Mexico (but may need passport)

Have fun!

 

[GoodOl'Rutgers]

If you have not been to the Redwoods.. start by driving NORTH across the Golden Gate along the coast to Muir Woods and maybe along 1 to Stinson Beach and the overlooks (though Big Sur is about the same). There is something special about Muir Woods and it is only 18 or so miles away.

You should probably keep an eye on sites like this for news..

http://caltransd7info.blogspot.com/search?q=PCH&max-results=20&by-date=true

http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/

 

[UltimateRU]

Have lunch/dinner and drinks at the Lodge at Pebble Beach.

If going to Solvang, go for breakfast. Pancakes are insane.

Traveling further south, SD over LA anytime. Dinner in La Jolla (just north of SD) overlooking the ocean is priceless.

Trip from SF to Monterey is breathtaking. Makes you wonder why you live in the East.

 

[ru66]

great ride and the smell of fresh vegetables is amazing--garlic farms, etc

 

[needmorecowbell]

My wife and spent 10 days and drove from San Diego to San Fran a few years ago. It was primarily a wine trip, staying in the three of the major wine regions, but did some hiking at big sur and spent time in the 3 major cities as well. We liked Paso Robles for the stop in central Cali. Very good wine region with some nice restaurants and beautiful scenery. If you are a beach person, get your fill in southern Cali. My favorite coastal drives were in northern Cali above San Fran.

 

[needmorecowbell]

Have lunch/dinner and drinks at the Lodge at Pebble Beach.

If going to Solvang, go for breakfast. Pancakes are insane.

Traveling further south, SD over LA anytime. Dinner in La Jolla (just north of SD) overlooking the ocean is priceless.

Trip from SF to Monterey is breathtaking. Makes you wonder why you live in the East.

Yes. Sunset Bag pipes at turtle bay are awesome.