Hi friends! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday with your friends and family! We actually spent Christmas with my in-laws up in Portland, Oregon. Since my husband had some extra time of work, we decided to take our time driving instead of flying. So, last week we set out on the ultimate California road trip! We took the coast up, which is a little longer then driving direct, but the Pacific Coast Highway is one of the most iconic and scenic drives in the US. It was totally worth it! Since this is such a popular drive and we have done it a few times, I put together this guide of our favorite places to stop along the entire coast.
Southern Coast
1. Laguna Beach – Raise your hand if you were a fan of the MTV show Laguna Beach. Me!! It’s a great place to walk around with a ton of cute boutiques, art galleries, nice beaches, and hidden coves. Stop by The Victoria Beach Pirate Tower at low tide.
2. Crystal Cove – Also, a few miles towards Newport Beach is Crystal Cove which has a 40s-style chain diner right one the sand, a great stretch of beach, and even super affordable tent/RV camping.
3. Huntington State Beach – This is one of our favorite beaches in all of Southern California! It has expansive white sandy beaches, a pier, and a great main street full of surf shops and restaurants. You could easily spend an entire weekend here, which we often do!
4. Santa Monica – The Santa Monica Pier is a 100-year-old landmark featuring restaurants, shops, an arcade, aquarium and amusement park. I love taking a ride on the iconic Ferris wheel, known as the Pacific Wheel. It’s the world’s only solar-powered Ferris wheel and offers a panoramic view of the coastline from more than 130 feet above the pier.
Central Coast
This is the best part in my opinion! This stretch of Highway 1 has officially been designated as a scenic highway, meaning that there are substantial sections of highway passing through amazing landscapes with no visual intrusions. Yes, please!
5. Santa Barbara – Another one of my favorite beach towns. If you have time, stop by Stearns Wharf, State Street, and The Mission Santa Barbara. Enjoy some Mexican food on the patio at Carlitos before heading to the world-famous McConnell’s Ice Cream. If you stay overnight, I recommend Hotel California or Hotel Milo.
6. Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach – Find out why this award-winning café in the heart of Pismo Beach serves more than a whopping 30,000 gallons of clam chowder in a single year. Come hungry and indulge in some of the best homemade bread in the state!
7. San Luis Obispo – This is one of my favorite towns and we actually just visited a few months ago. I wrote an entire guide on it here. Be sure to pop into The Madonna Inn overnight or for a drink, this unforgettable hotel is pink, pink, and more pink.
8. Hearst Castle – This National Historic Landmark is the 165-room former personal estate of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. This castle also features 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways. Tours are available and I recommend booking in advance! We really enjoyed it when we stopped here a few years ago.
9. Bixby Bridge – It is one of the most recognizable landmarks along this stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway and by far one of the most photographed spots. We parked on the north side of it, then off a little dirt road on the East side.
10. Sand Dollar Beach – The largest crescent of sandy beach in Big Sur. Protected by tall bluffs, it is great place to hang out even on windy days. There are picnic tables and restrooms. Also, there is an additional trail from the parking lot heading south along the bluffs above the beach that has great views and ton of photo ops!
11. McWay Falls – This stunning waterfall drops about 80 feet onto a pristine beach in an enchanting cove. It is a short 0.6 mile round trip hike to a viewpoint, which can be reached directly from Highway 1 or from parking areas within Julia Pfieffer Burns State Park. About 37 miles south of Carmel.
12. Cafe Kevah – Views. Views. Views! We always stop here to grab a quick bite to eat. They have everything from a full brunch menu to home made baked goods all served on their terrace which offers expansive views of the coastline. Up above is the Nepenthe restaurant which is also excellent!
13. Carmel By The Sea – This storybook town is full of fairytale cottages, powdery beach, and cypress trees. We love driving through the neighborhood to look at the cottages (most worth well over $1m), but there are also restaurants, boutiques, art galleries, and wine tasting rooms. It’s enchanting and whimsical and worth the stop!
14. Monterey Bay Aquarium – If you are traveling with kids, this aquarium is a must! It sits in the bay, pumping 2,000 gallons of seawater each minute into the aquarium, making it possible to sustain sea life you wouldn’t be able to see elsewhere. It features exhibits that include many different native species like jellyfish, stingrays and sea otters as well as touch tanks, so you can feel the rough surface of a starfish or the soft skin of a sea cucumber. My girls loved it! Also, check out Cannery Row and Fisherman’s Wharf while you are here.
15. Santa Cruz – The boardwalk is famous (especially if you’re a fan of The Lost Boys) full of bright colors, rides, and one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the nation that has been running since 1924. There are also plenty of surf shops to browse around in, along with the infamous Santa Cruz Skateboards shop (where I got the shirt above).
16. Half Moon Bay – This charming town is full of small-batch craft breweries, family farms, and sandy beaches. It is a popular weekend escape for those living in San Fransisco. It is also home to the legendary Mavericks Beach which is known as a destination for serious big-wave surfers. And if you get lucky, you might spot some grey whales.
17. Golden Gate Bridge – We visited San Francisco last year and I wrote an entire guide about it here if you are planning to visit. But if you are just passing through, definitely drive across the bridge! It’s actually part of Hwy 101 so not out of the way. The views are phenomenal and there are a few viewing points on either side of the bridge to stop for a photo. Note: There is a toll if you are driving South, but if you are headed North it’s free.
Northern Coast
The rest of California feels much different from the Southern parts. There are some giant forests, blustery beaches, and tons of hiking. You’re technically off the Pacific Coast Highway by this point, but it’s still worth seeing how the scenery changes and the massive redwoods.
18. Glass Beach in Fort Bragg – This beach is made up of thousands of small, smooth colored pieces of sea glass. It actually was the city dump back in the late 1800s and as the pounding waves cleaned the beach it broke down everything but glass and pottery, resulting in the beautiful tiny pieces that cover it today.
19. Shrine Drive-Through Tree – Just four miles south of the park visitor center in Myers Flat is the famous Shrine Drive-Thru Tree, where you can literally drive your car right through a massive tree. There’s also a gift shop onsite.
20. Humboldt Redwoods State Park – This national park is home of the world’s largest remaining contiguous old-growth forest of coast redwoods. I recommend checking out Founders Grove & Avenue of the Giants, where some of the tree trunks are wider then our van! We camped overnight in Burlington Campground since it’s within Avenue of the Giants and open year round. I also heard Mill Creek and Jedediah Smith Campgrounds are great options as well.
Tips For First Timers
When To Go: Spring and Fall will have the fewest crowds and great weather. If you go during the winter, SoCal will stay warm but will be colder as you go north. Keep this in mind if you plan to camp. There is also higher potential for mud slides in the Winter which will shut down parts of the road.
Be Flexible: You never know what area you’ll discover and love. Make a plan on how many days you want to spend on the road, but give yourself flexibility in case you want to spend more time in a specific area. If you have more time, we highly recommend staying more than a day in San Diego, LA, Santa Barbara, SLO, Big Sur, and SF. Other spots you can more or less get the gist of the area in one day.
Consider Driving North to South: That will keep you on the side of the coast and makes it easy to take advantage of pullouts.
What To Wear: Dress in layers. It can get windy on the coast and it also helps to have waterproof layers in case it rains. Be comfy, it’s a long drive!
I hope you found this guide helpful! It really is a once in a lifetime experience and there are so many additional great places to stop along this California road trip. I have a few Instagram stories saved to my highlights if you want to check out video footage from our drive.
Have any favorite stops not featured on this list? Leave them below!