Other cool attractions include Hurricane Ridge (a popular hiking spot), Elwha River Valley, and Olympic Hot Springs. There are a few restaurants in town and 17 miles of beautiful beach to explore. Planning a trip on PCH last week of July 2020. We will only have 7 days. There are plenty of things to do in Long Beach for more than an overnight stop! 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?) Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Continue south along U.S. 101 to Crescent City always stick to the coast! Its worth it! Pacific coast highway road trip with kids. My wife and I are planning an 18 day trip in the coming months to fly into San Diego and then make the drive up to Seattle. Unfortunately, I dont have suggestions for Santa Barbara as I havent been there in nearly a decade. So nice to hear from you, Silvia! I see we can head to Mendocino and then over to a larger highway to San Francisco or.drive all the way down the PCH to Point Reyes Station & then head over San Francisco but that would be a lot of driving. I dont plan to change any of my travel plans based on the Coronavirus unless there are required quarantines. My husband and I are planning a Spring Break trip with our girls March 2020. The most commonly driven part of the . Thanks for the great ideas! We are just wondering if you have an estimate on how much it would be to travel the PCH! This will be a great resource for the trip that we are planning. The only places you can fly would be Crescent City but itll require changing through San Francisco anyway. Explore the route. Highway 1 Self-Driving Audio Tour (Pacific Coast Highway) 11 Adventure Tours from $24.99 per adult Monterey, Carmel and 17-Mile Drive - Full Day Tour from San Francisco 310 Bus Tours from $105.00 per adult Yosemite National Park and Giant Sequoias Day Trip from San Francisco 584 Full-day Tours from $199.00 per adult (price varies by group size) So heading east eventually to round out the trip. Technically, it starts in Washington State, but it's best known for the stretch through California from the stunning redwood forests and wild, rugged coast down to the sun-drenched beaches of San Diego. Let me know if you have any other questions while planning or on the road! Making a Pacific Coast Highway road trip is a popular bucket list experience - for good reason! You could see Canada and the river valley. My problem is going to be deciding what not to do because Ill only have so much time (and money). Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Follow CA-1 south its a meandering route, but if you follow it all the way until Muir Beach you can make an optional stop at Muir Woods if you want. At low tide, you can hike down into the hole or go tide pooling; at other times you can have a picnic while trying to spot whales off the coast. 99. Any other advise you could give us. Sea the possibilities. Im also a not-so-secret space nerd and speak fluent emoji! Thinking of maybe making this where we would b me somewhere different for 4th of July. 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. Plan accordingly when you design your PCH itinerary. It sounds like youll have an awesome trip, and happy early birthday to him! If youre considering a drive down (or up) the western coast of the U.S., look no further. Day 3: Bodega Bay to Point Arena (62 miles) The highway continues north, skimming the Pacific Ocean for the entire length of today's journey, with several diversions along the way. Once inPortland, its easy to spend a few days exploring; I have been to Portland repeatedly and there are so many experiences that can more than fill a stop on your road trip. If you do decide to spend an overnight in the area, I recommend stopping in the town of Mendocino first for late lunch, walking around the Mendocino Headlands, then continue driving south to spend the night at the beautiful Little River Inn for dinner at the Whale Watch Bar. When in doubt, stay on the coast. Though I have visited a few cities in California over the years, I (we) are looking forward to that California coastal drive. The majority of this California road trip will take place on Highway 1, AKA the Pacific Coast Highway, AKA the PCH, AKA Cabrillo Highway, AKA Shoreline Highway, AKA The Prettiest Highway in the World. Stop 3: Monterey and its aquarium. Travelling from Auckland to Napier, you'll experience lakes, wildlife, vineyards and a tranquil lagoon. Well, now we will have to wait to see how this Covid-19 progresses. Your second choice is where to start your road trip. I hope this helps. From there we are planning on 4 days drive/stop on high 1 (PCH) up to Santa Monica/Malibu then flight out LAX. Extremely informative. Thanks! We want to spend 5 days for PCH and not sure where to fly in or out of. Follow the highway south as it winds inland and along the coast. What time of year would be best to do this. It includes so many things each person in my family wants to see and do! My husband are I are planning 20 days to do the PCH(starting in Seattle and ending in San Diego) We are using your the ultimate pacific coast road trip itinerary as a guide. For the California portion, I recommend September & October! While the glass is technically part of MacKerricher State Park and you cant take it home you can still spend time out of the car searching for different colors and shapes of beautiful sea glass that wash up from the Pacific Ocean. I would like to follow the route on the map. We live in Colorado, so more interested in Ocean more than hiking, so 101 is ideal. 5 Beds. 20520 Pacific Coast Hwy, Malibu, CA 90265 - $540/sq ft larger lot 23 years older SOLD JUL 12, 2022 $1,830,000 F Sold Price 4 Beds 3 Baths 2,446 Sq. I love to do a Pacific Coast Highway drive at some point in my life. Thanks for reading, Dale. I hope this helps! We will go from Seattle to San Diego using your itinerary as our planning guide. Have a great trip!! Located in the heart of Washington's Olympic Peninsula, Hurricane Ridge is an iconic spot to stop and stretch your legs on a Pacific Coast Highway road trip. Pacific coast highway road trip with kids. Your email address will not be published. I love road trips & he tolerates them so I am looking forward to all these sights to see! Do you have a version that is just typed up not with pictures? Thank so much for putting together a wonderful and comprehensive itinerary of the PC scenic drive. 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. Very nicely done thanks ever so much !! Sounds like a great trip, Rudy! We always wanted to do an RV trip, but maybe the PCH is not the one to do that on?? For bigger cities, there are probably enough options that you can wait until you arrive to book, even during that time of year. Also being from Colorado, we would love to camp oceanside, do you have any recommendations on campsites? Thanks. I appreciate any help you can provide. I dont remember providing that advice but off the top of my head, I wouldnt go bigger than a Tesla Model X (swoon! Let me know how it goes! If I were youI would do a leisurely drive from San Francisco to Los Angeles/San Diego. The Pacific Coast Highway is arguably one of the most famous drives in the entire world. Day 4: Redwood State Park, CA to San Francisco, CA. Want to avoid the summer crowds, but still enjoy nice weather. Regarding I recommend an automatic car with a low center of gravity but skip the convertible! Technically, Seattle is not on the Pacific Coast Highway, but you can fly into Seattle and drive one hour south to Olympia to start your PCH road trip. Youll see signs for Hoh Rainforest, a left turn that takes you inland to the forest. I am going to plan for at least a 10 day trip, its once in a lifetime and truly dont want to rush it I cant wait to see his face when I announce at his local birthday party in July that I have saved for and planned this fantastic trip for September 2021!! I do not care to get into the Los Angeles areaHowever, the Sequoias are a must. My car is a convertible (BMW 3 series) so I am not sure if it can take on the road during Dec end Seattle and portland area mainly ? Sounds like a great trip either way drive safe! That gives you a lot more to do each day to wear the kids out and much more suitable for an RV. But there's something extra special about driving the Pacific Coast Highway as it approaches its southern end. Crater lake was amazing!! (If you decide to fly to SF, heres a recent post I wrote: https://www.valisemag.com/california-coast-road-trip/). Great name btw . I hope you can make this trip someday (hopefully soon!). Great question So Crater Lake is pretty far inland. Again, thank you so much!! Also, I will have 3 weeks to do this, I like small towns, Vegan food, and too out of shape for extended hikes. An unanticipated problem was encountered, check back soon and try again 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. Thanks for your comment, Anthony! For accommodation, try a small hotel like the. I hope you have a great trip! This 20-mile (one way) detour will take you out on Point Reyes, and has a stark and beautiful landscape because its so far out at sea. Additionally, youll get a sense of the magnitude of the San Andreas fault line, which comes inland along the northern part of Point Reyes. Looking to travel with your recommendations southbound! The best way to enjoy southern California is by diving straight into the beachside culture. We both have a lot of vacation all the time, so 10 days or more would be fine. Here, California Highway 1 carves a sinuous path along steep cliffs; the road is beautiful at a price, since mudslides arent uncommon along this stretch of highway, and can close the highway for months. I am beginning to plan a family trip and loved all the recommendations. I did a bit of research into this seems like its a Los Angeles thing to drop the the but as I lived up in Northern California, we use the the. Since my post is referring to a much larger area than just SoCal, Im still going to keep the the. Thanks for providing me this opportunity to learn about a quirky bit of California lingo! I was reading for the road trip from Seattle to San Diego. Pacific Coast Highway Directions: Follow CA-1 south out of L.A. to avoid the citys notorious traffic as you make your way along the coast. While driving southbound, youll approach Marshall first. Make sure you have enough guidance resources. "Golden state of mind." 3. What a great and comprehensive post! I have no idea what the case will be for forest fires next year, unfortunately! After Crater lake we headed back to 238 towards HWY 101, we took an off road to hit the coast right at Brookings. The rest of time will hopefully be in small towns all along the coast. Do you highly recommend the LONG route OR is thru Mendocino only enough? Located on a beautiful crescent-shaped bay, Crescent City is along part of the PCH where California Highway 1 and U.S. Highway 101 overlap hence this guide refers to both Highway 1 and Highway 101 as the PCH in the different states.