Ann, thanks so much for your comment. Hi there, I am thinking of taking a solo trip down the PCH from Long Beach, WA to LA? WOW! Can you share with me how long this should take us?? Santa Barbara marks the threshold to the southern California section of the pacific coast. Would you have any other suggestions since I am using 4 more days and not going south to Sa Diego and strarting in Vancouver? Use them in commercial designs under lifetime, perpetual & worldwide rights. Valerie, valuable tips ! Maybe worth checking another site thats more expert in RV travel! AI TRAFFIC - for Pacific Coast (0.95) 0.85. Karen, great question! We are planning to do Northboundfrom Ventura to Wine country but only have 5 days returning on the 5th day. The Point Reyes Lighthouse is only open to visitors from Fridays to Mondays (weekends) from 10am-4:30pm. Thanks for reading, Kay. From here on south, it's miles-upon-miles of beautiful sand beaches, palm-lined streets, and thriving coastal cities. We figured booking hotel in Seattle for 1 or 2 days for arrival and checking the college. Awesome, Tim! Which Direction to Drive the Pacific Coast Highway? This was a 6 day trip. Thanks for reading, Brian. Have you seen these two posts? This is great information and very helpful! You can choose the spots you want to stop at that way . 9. But, we need to go the opposite way; starting in San Diego and heading north. If you go as big as a Suburban or Tahoe, youll be way to big and clunky to enjoy the road! These seem to be the hardest parts to figure out for this type of trip! I want to fly out to the NW and drive to Crescent city, then go inland to see the redwoods, Bend, and Mt. If you see an error, please contact me. Great article. Thanks again! Thanks for reading, Teena! We've driven sections of this coastline twice, between LA and San Francisco. The Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip While many travelers begin in Los Angeles and head north, driving the Pacific Coast Highway from north to south keeps you in the lane closest to the ocean. I would hate to plan a trip only to find out that things are shut down or there are big restrictions placed on free movement. This is a great itinerary! The incredibly scenic California stretch is known for its oceanfront locales, rugged cliffs, hidden coves, and numerous beaches, making it one of the nation's most popular road-trip routes. I have 22 foot van camper are their any length height(9.5 ft) restrictions I am hoping their are amp sites along the way? I also agree that Point Reyes (and the lighthouse) is spectacular and my top place to go when in North Ca. But never mind those technicalities, because equally bewitching ribbons of Hwy 1 and Hwy 101 await all along this route. If you dont have the time, plan an overnight stop and make a late start after brunch at one of Portlands many amazing restaurants. Any thoughts on this as it pertains to weather? We were 70s teenagers all around! Have a great trip!! Sorry about the delay, Scott. Day 3: Cape Kiwanda, OR to Redwood State Park, CA. The 17-Mile Drive between Carmel, Pacific Grove, and Monterey You may encounter some rain up north near Portland and Seattle, but you shouldnt experience any snow! Our partners offer one-way rentals from multiple locations in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Pacific Coast Highway Directions: From Aberdeen, continue south along U.S. Highway 101. I have one question where is the best place to fly into? What do you think of Coos Bay/North Bend or better places for overnight, seemed a good split between Seattle and San Francisco? I know we wont see everything, but its the only time frame we have. It'll take you about three hours to reach Big Sur from San Francisco, and by then you'll be ready to stretch your legs. Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Continue south along California Highway 1. Have a great drive! Thank you again for all of your information. Amazingly great article. It depends a lot on how long you plan to make the drive do you know how many days youll be driving? You can look out over beautiful sea stacks that dot the northern part of the Pacific Coast and stroll along the sand covered with huge driftwood formations and seafoam. Thanks for your comment, David! Thanks so much from a couple of Canucks! Thanks for your amazing feedback, and Im so glad to help! Tim and Janice. Adrian, great to hear from you! Just south of the Bay Area, Santa Cruz is a laid back, quirky hippie town. As this post is over 6,000 words long, I typically dont provide extra additional itinerary services for free. We always wanted to do an RV trip, but maybe the PCH is not the one to do that on?? Now let me break down a few itineraries to choose from, based on how much time you have to do your Pacific Coast Highway road trip. The Pacific Coast Highwayalso known as PCH or, more commonly, Highway 1runs north-south along most of the United States' West Coast. Thank you so much for creating this itinerary! Route 1 is fine its twisty turny but its the best route by far. Sonja, glad to help! I will definitely use all the info youve provided. I have looked up the different uses of the word and grammatically correct samples, and I believe you needed to use it in past-tense. Before you hit the road, youve gotta figure out your car situation! Be sure to plan your trip on a day the lighthouse is open for tours, so you can climb the steps down to the lighthouse and lookout beneath the clouds across the sea. If you are planning to cruise along that part of the Californian coastline, then here's our magnificent seven! These stops are numbered to match my Roadtrippers map and trip above (click here to open the trip in a separate window). My best advice is to take a look at the app Roadtrippers and start plugging in where you might want to go to get a sense of travel time then you can decide whats must-do, what extra you have time for, and what needs to be cut.I hope that helps! Portland has loads of great hotels, but my favorite is the, For vacation rental options, consider this. I would love to receive the PDF version of this, please. Also known as Big Sur, the route winds along the rugged California coastline (from Cape San Martin to Ragged . Donna, thanks for your comment! I was born on the East Coast and currently live in the Midwest but my heart will always be out West. Have a safe trip!! Feel free to comment back here if you have questions while planning your trip . Have you heard any issues with the Covid and being able to rent places on the way down? From Ventura. Hood, Crater Lake, the Redwoods in much greater depth than I advise above you could also spend some time at Lake Tahoe, Yosemite, or elsewhere in the Sierra Nevadas! https://www.valisemag.com/pacific-coast-highway-guide/ https://www.valisemag.com/california-coast-road-trip/ Both include info on the area between San Diego and Santa Monica. Have a great drive! The longer you spend, the more youll get to see and enjoy. San Diego is known for its Zoo and was made Instagram famous for Potato Chip Rock. Thanks, Larissa! On your stop here, be sure to walk out along the pier and keep an eye out for surfers working the breaks along the beach. Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks so much for sharing your experience for others to know its worth doing!! I am heading to LA in March and have a day to drive around and wanted to drive from LAX up HW 1 to around Malibu, maybe further! Newport is a great destination to stretch your legs for a few hours once you arrive back on the Pacific Coast (you can also drive straight down Highway 101 from Cannon Beach if you decide to skip a stop in Portland). Thanks for reading, Brianna! If you would like a customized itinerary, I offer that for a fee to help cover the time it takes me to put those tips together. Be sure to stop at Nicks Cove in Marshall, CA for a meal or Hog Island Oyster if you love oysters! San Simeon Drive for 45 minutes and start the day with a 15-minute excursion inland to San Simeon to tour the elaborate Hearst Castle. Crescent City! I recommend researching/contacting each one individual to confirm theyll be open. We planned to start in Seattle and drive to San Diego. I love all the details that you are recommended here. Great read! Dreamstime is the world`s largest stock photography community. In fact, we serve over 15 000 different locations worldwide. Great content here, thank you! Booking this trip for late Oct. Id like to fly in ( from East Coast) somewhere north of San Fran. After Crater lake we headed back to 238 towards HWY 101, we took an off road to hit the coast right at Brookings. Pacific Highway Route information Existed 1913-1926 [a] Major junctions South end San Diego, CA North end Vancouver, BC Location Country United States States California, Oregon, Washington, (also Vancouver in British Columbia) Highway system Auto trails Pacific Highway is the name of several north-south highways in the Pacific Coast region of the Western United States, either by . Well be camping out at most stops except for SF. Thanks again for this excellent resource. Hi Valerie- What is the best time of year for this 10 day trip? We plan a trip to San Jos, California because of its diversity, beautiful scenery, and exceptionally high outputs. lol. Seeing some nice beaches is also of interest. We will start in Portland, Or and drive to Las Angeles, CA. Im nervous go excited. Youre all set to start filling in the gaps! Pacific Coast Highway Directions: If you are on a shorter Pacific Coast Highway road trip, continue south along I-5 to Grants Pass, then turn southwest to Crescent City (#11).If you are taking a longer PCH drive, turn west out of Portland along Oregon Highways 99W and 18 to connect with U.S. 101 near Lincoln City. Its impossible to reduce all of the amazing things to do in San Francisco down to a small paragraph or overnight stop on a Pacific Coast Highway road trip. I do not plan to do any shopping at stores, so our money would be spent on a rental vehicle, hotels, gas, and food. It was just gorgeous with a 360 degree view. Should be pretty good it might be a bit rainy up in the Pacific Northwest, but the weather once you reach California should be great! For each spot, I share whether I consider it an Overnight stop (where you should spend a night) or a Waypoint stop (where you should stop to stretch your legs and/or see the sights). Such a thorough guide! Yes, Id recommend flying one-way to Seattle, and flying one-way home from San Diego. do you have a printable version of this? Read more in my Privacy Policy. You did a fantastic job with this giude, everything is straight to the point but provided in a fun and educational way. Have a great drive! The best time of year to do this will be in the summer (June/July/August), probably sooner in the year rather than later. Also, about how many miles a day are you traveling on your 10 day itinerary? We were planning on a 7day road trip with our 8, 6 and 20 month olds in June. Were taking the 5 to Seattle with a few stops on the way then PCH from Port Angeles to SD. By the end, youll be ready to plan your own Pacific Coast Highway road trip itinerary. taking my 13 and 17 year old with my wife. Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Continue south along U.S. 101 to Crescent City always stick to the coast! Did you drive it alone and what do you think about being able to see well driving north to south? This We live in Colorado, so more interested in Ocean more than hiking, so 101 is ideal. Hurricane Ridge. Youve put together one awesome road trip! Thanks for reading, Tony! The jagged coastline, infinite blue water, sunny days, gorgeous sunsets these are just a few of the reasons California Highway 1 became a popular route in the first place! Related posts: Stop 1: San Francisco. is booking hotels on the day or maybe the day before likely to be OK, or should we book well in advance? Is this possible?? Question, if we were to add a stop, possible one night stay at Crater Lake, where would you suggest doing this from without missing much, (or any?) My favorite place is Mendocino if the skies are clear! Thanks for your comment, Terri! The huge sweeping beach is admittedly not warm enough for a swim but its great for a stroll in the surf. We just booked Patrees room! I am saving this to research more of the places you mentioned !! Pacific Coast Highway Directions: None! Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Continue south on U.S. Highway 101 along the Oregon Coast to Newport. 1 question: weve booked hotels at both end (Seattle and LA) and would prefer not to book hotels until were on route and know how far were along and how long we want to stop in each place. BIG SUR, Calif. A section of California's scenic and iconic Pacific Coast Highway that collapsed during a winter storm in January reopened to traffic on Friday. Hoping to do this mid Sept 2020. Also, its not exactly the most stimulating view its a bit better for older kids than younger ones. Theres a link to that at the end of the post. These make perfect Instagram captions for dreamy sunsets or foggy mornings on the Pacific. Maybe Im AAAA ? I appreciate all the information! My wife and I have been to Cali a couple of times, our daughter once from Diego to Fran (Berkeley) and loved it, and just us once to Seattle and Portland, but flying in and out only. Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Continue south along U.S. 101.