Highway 1, The Pacific Coast Highway, on the western coast of the United States, California, running along the Pacific Ocean shoreline, offering stunningly beautiful scenery mile after mile. Along the route, you’ll find beautiful and legendary coastal towns, breathtaking viewpoints, surf waves, and beautiful natural landscapes. At the stops, you can marvel at nature, elephant seals, and sea otters.
The Pacific Coast Hwy, or Highway 1, runs from the town of Leggett north of San Francisco all the way to Los Angeles. The most popular and interesting stretch of the road is between San Francisco and Los Angeles, covering approximately 800 kilometers. This is the section we drove on our trip.
We drove the highway for a couple of days, as our travel time was tight. In this time, we managed to make plenty of stops and see many places, but I would easily recommend adding 1-2 extra days to explore more leisurely.
Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz is located near San Francisco, at the northern end of Monterey Bay. The city is known as a surf town and offers excellent opportunities for surfing along with long sandy beaches.
The city is beautiful, charming, cozy, and has a pleasant beach town atmosphere. You could easily spend a few days here. There’s also an amusement park on the beach, so entertainment is guaranteed!
Monterey ja Del Monte Forest
Monterey is a beautiful city at the southern end of Monterey Bay, offering a pleasant small-town atmosphere. The Old Fisherman’s Wharf is a cozy area to stroll around. The city also boasts beautiful and colorful old wooden houses, lovely parks, and the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
In Del Monte Forest, be sure to take the scenic drive, offering numerous stunning viewpoints such as Pescadero Point and Lone Cypress. Additionally, there are beautiful and grand homes to admire here. The road is about 27 kilometers long, and there’s an $11 entrance fee per car.
After Del Monte Forest, you’ll come across the town of Carmel-By-The-Sea, where you’ll find beautiful old buildings like the Carmel Mission Basilica Museum in the downtown area.
Big Sur ja Bixby Creek Bridge
The Big Sur area offers some of the most breathtaking scenery along the entire route, and one of the highlights is the Bixby Creek Bridge, a stunning bridge spanning a canyon in a coastal setting. There’s a viewpoint here offering breathtaking views.
Anderson Canyon
A viewpoint with stunning views, featuring beautiful cypress trees on the edge of a steep cliff.
Big Creek Bridge
Another impressive bridge along the way, with the best viewpoints located south of the bridge.
Elephant Seal Vista Point
At Elephant Seal Vista Point, you’ll find a beach full of elephant seals lounging side by side and on top of each other. These seals are massive, and there are a lot of them! Their sound carries far, especially when one of them raises its head and bellows. Elephant seals are truly impressive, with some reaching up to 5 meters in length and weighing over 2000 kilograms.
Morro Bay
Morro Bay’s relaxed atmosphere easily draws you in, making it a pleasant place to visit. Morro Bay’s landmark is Morro Rock, a roughly 170-meter-high rock at the end of a sandy beach peninsula. It’s a very impressive sight, a solitary rock surrounded by water.
On our journey, we spent the night in the city of Santa Maria. We opted for the Best Western Plus Big America hotel, a reliable choice that didn’t disappoint.
Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara is a Spanish-style and peaceful beach town near Los Angeles. We were here on Independence Day, and we saw how the locals celebrate this holiday. The city was bustling with people, and there was an Independence Day parade, which was a really enjoyable experience. The city had a festive atmosphere, and there were celebrations at the harbor pier.
From Santa Barbara, we headed towards Los Angeles in the evening, specifically Hollywood, which was about a two-hour drive away.
The Pacific Coast Hwy (Highway 1) is a true experience, offering stunning scenery throughout the journey. There’s plenty to see along the way, but the most important experience is experiencing Highway 1 as a whole, the feeling of driving in stunning and majestic coastal landscapes, with the Pacific Ocean crashing against the rocky shores.
