[] about five hours north of Los Angeles and two hours south of San Francisco on Californias Central Coast,the sublime scenery attracts artists, photographers, tourists, and locals, all of whom come for [], [] January, I packed the car and headed north to discover Californias Central Coast and drive iconic Highway 1 from Los Angeles to Monterey County, staying in Cambria, Big Sur, and [], [] boomers road-tripping in the Golden State, Penny Sadler offers Top Tips for Driving Highway 1: Ultimate California Road Trip. While the miles themselves are not overly long, the drive is on many windy roads that will take a while to complete. c. Drive through tree/Chandelier Tree in Leggett: entry fee is $10 to drive through this 1800+ yr old Redwood hollowed out at the bottom. Using Google Maps, just drag the route on the map to Hwy 1 and you'll see the coastal route. A California Highway . Glad to hear the road is clear through Big Sue! Save them for the return trip instead. Its beautiful no matter when! The US is a great place for road trips. In some places, the shoulder is quite narrow and theres not much between you and the sea below. If you are driving Highway One in only one direction, go from south to north if you can. Please be respectful. Would it be safe to just drive and book when we want to stop? Here are all the details for getting to Fern Canyon (a narrow canyon lined with ferns of all kind) and hiking there. Once the home of publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst, the castle is now a state park and a vacation destination in itself. dry season). The two unmissable ones are, Stroll by the Eureka harbor front/marina/boardwalk, Find some amazing murals scattered around 4th street and Old Town. Jillian Dara is a freelance journalist and fact-checker. Although Shelter Cove is a tiny beach town perched on the southern end of the lost coast, there is quite a few things to do and see here. 1:29 pm Sonoma. Have questions? You can purchase this book at the Aquarium or the Steinbeck house in Salinas. First time around, we were only doing this as a daytrip from San Francisco so we turned inland on Jenner. 21780 Highway 1, Jenner; (707) 847-3231 . I was there the first week of the year and it was chilly in the mornings but sunny, and warmed as the day went by. Ocean on one side and mountains on the other? Since 1855, the Point Pinos Lighthouse has been a beacon for ships on the Pacific coast. Now we have nothing booked until we arrived in Downtown L.A (Sat to Sat). Those are exactly my thoughts Mary. Now thats a road trip I could have done without out! Thanks for the additional point of interest. Also, it is actually on an island detached from the mainland. Bungalow at Casa Munras, Monterey, California. Plus, you will find larger crowds everywhere. d. Eternal Tree House: Quirky free roadside attraction with a gift shop on the other side of the road. Any help would be appreciated. Answer 1 of 2: Hi We are driving from San Francisco up the coast to Portland over a few days. [], [] Willow City Loop is one of the prettiest drives anywhere and I should know. When I was in undergrad, I drove that highway from Stanford to L.A. Solo. The day I drove past, there was a backup of cars waiting to get into the parking lot. One of the main characters, Doc, was a real person a scientist- named Edward F. Rickets. You can check out the flights directly into Humboldt county via Fly Humboldt. Hubby drove this, including the Bixby Bridge (XOXOX), in the pitch blackness with no moon and other cars on the two-lane road coming the other way. Pacific Coast Highway Route (Including the Olympic Peninsula) About 1100 miles, roughly 25 hours of driving. thanks for the compliment on the photo. Fun facts about coastal Redwoods in California (Sequoia sempervirens)*. There is also a gift shop and a rest area to explore the surroundings. Mendocino is 169 miles north of San Francisco on Highway 1, a 5 hour one way drive. Note: You can either pack a lunch enroute to Crescent City from Eureka/Arcata or break for lunch at Crescent City itself. Avoid dangerous situations and allow plenty of distance between your vehicle and the one in front of you. You can drive from the north to the south (Monterey to San Luis Obispo), or south to the north. San Francisco Tourism San Francisco Hotels San Francisco Bed and Breakfast San Francisco Packages Flights to San Francisco San Francisco Restaurants It is a bit tricky to get to the latter and access is closed during Spring, the wettest season which is when we visited (best time to go is Summer and Fall, i.e. Thats what it is all about! Youve captured it brilliantly in your photos. Highway 1 through Big Sur is indeed a spectacular scenic drive. Here are my tried and tested recommendations: a. Trillium Falls: If youre bummed out for giving Fern Canyon a miss, then let Trillium Falls make up for it! Back near Garberville, you will drive northwards towards your next destinations, i.e. You can walk down the path near the cafe to see a lighthouse and a fascinating statue of an old fisherman with his net rising out of the water. Years later, Im on a big coach/bus for a comfortably reclined 7-hour ride from Santiago, Chile to the small coastal resort town of La Serena. Between Manhattan Beach and LAX, it's called Sepulveda. However, by 11:12 p.m., the CHP said they were preparing to close the Grapevine again as the snow was starting to stick to the road, causing dangerous driving conditions. This is another good reason to go off-season, or a weekday. I didnt factor 60 miles of switchbacks! Love the look of Carmel, Penny. Again, theres no place to stop, even on the roadside. Hwy 1 splits off from Hwy 101 north of Gaviota, passing through Lompoc and Guadalupe before rejoining Hwy 101 just south of Pismo Beach. After an entire day of admiring the gigantic trees, it is now time for a late lunch plus some rest for those achy feet and for this you gotta make a detour to Ferndale, a charming town with many well preserved and colorful Victorian homes and stores. You are five to ten minutes from Carmel, twenty from Big Sur, and only two hours from San Francisco. This will ensure that the mighty Redwoods are preserved for the enjoyment of future generations as well. Eureka is the largest Pacific coastal city between San Francisco and Portland, Oregon. Youll also find there are more than 5! You can watch it below if you want to see how we explored Pacific Coast Highway. You'll follow the water south to Santa Cruz, a small city with youthful flair. Dress in layers if visiting in Spring because it does get cold, chilly and foggy. This 50-mile section is sometimes called the Cabrillo Highway. Elephant seals on the beach near San Simeon. You can either continue along this same highway or take the more scenic route, aka Avenue of the Giants, a 32 mile stretch of road that parallels the Redwood Highway and passes through Humboldt Redwoods State park with the Eel River meandering alongside of it on the west. I love this beautiful area? You might say the lighthouse provided the lumens I needed to know the best way to make contact with them, thereby reuniting me with my ring. It is great to see yoour photos of the trip. I highly recommend overnight stays in at least two different places (I planned for three) with a week in hand to explore the many beautiful sights and scenes as you drive up the Redwood Highway. Have a great time! Definitely added to my list, thanks for the great tip ! The entire area which includes Big Sur, Carmel by the Sea, Pacific Grove and lots more, is stunning. The famous Lost Coast trail attracts hikers/backpackers every year who start off at the stunning Black Sand Beach at Shelter Cove to hike north towards Mattole campground in Petrolia. I hope to be able to spend most of my summer there. 110,000 acres of old growth forests remain (Oregon-California central coast). This will be my third time going to Monterey Bay, and Ive already made my list of stops to see along route 1. This gorgeous waterfall is an easy detour from the Redwood Highway at Orick and takes you through a relatively easy hike that starts from the parking lot (free parking BTW) into a lush green paradise of ferns and old growth Redwoods on a moderately easy trail. Why it's worth stopping at: See some of California's best beach towns and float the Russian River. drive for about 54 minutes. How many beaches, state parks, and national parks did you visit along your trip? I recommend finishing breakfast at either Eureka or Arcata and packing lunch for the road. Hi Emilia, Unfortunately it is very hard to predict. You can rent a car from either and start driving towards Mendocino and then upwards into Humboldt County. It's 337 miles long and follows the US-101, which will take you around 6 hours to drive without considering bathroom, gas, and meal breaks. All Right Reserved. Hi Dana, Yes I did the drive both ways. Cheers! Betsy has been writing about California for nearly more than two decades as TripSavvy's expert on the state. If you are planning to drive Highway 1 these are my top tips of the day! Either way, once you get to Mendocino take Highway 1 to Leggett, from where the two routes (Highway 1 and Route 101N) merge to become a single highway, aka Redwood Highway, that leads all the way to Crescent City, only 26 miles south of the Oregon border. A Northern California road trip is something that you must experience at least once in your lifetime. I documented all of the stops along the way in a 2 hour video I made for my YouTube Channel. Right across the street is the World Famous Grandfather Tree (an 1800 years old Redwood) and a gift shop. Its rightfully rated as one of the top road trips in the world. California's Highway One is a state highway. From $240. We took many of your suggestions of where to stop, sights to see, and places to lodge and eat. Bixby Bridge is a single-span concrete arch more than 260 feet high and 700 feet long. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. You will definitely need two full days to explore everything in these towns and the natural beauty surrounding them (think beaches, Redwood Parks and hikes) in this 7 day itinerary of your road trip in Northern California. But even a walk in the neighborhood can be an adventure, she says with a laugh. Its definitely one of those places where renting a car makes full sense. 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