Just booked a week long cycling tour in early March that finishes in Santa Barbara CA. We have decided to tack on a few days to the end of our tour to explore the PCH area from Monterey CA down to LAX.
Interested in must sees in this area. We have 4 full days before we have to fly out and we are renting a vehicle for those days.
If I understand you correctly, you're starting your drive in Santa Barbara then driving 4 hours north to Monterey, then 6 hours back south to LAX, all on the PCH? We went from San Francisco to Laguna Beach via the PCH in September. For us, the scenery from Carmel to about Morro Bay was the must-see, especially the Big Sur area, beautiful forest and coastal views as well as twisty roads that are fun to drive. The Monterey Aquarium is nice but getting really expensive and so I'm not sure it's worth it anymore at that price. We stayed a couple of days in Carmel and spent one day driving the 17 mile drive through Pebble Beach which has some great coastal views. Heading south, I never get tired of stopping for a tour at Hearst Castle. Just north of Hearst castle is the Elephant Seal Vista Point, it's worth a half hour stop to stretch your legs. Great White Sharks like to hang out in this area and I see why when I saw all the plump seals hanging out on the beach. One was pointed out to us that had quite a large bite-mark scar on his belly but lived to tell about it. Santa Barbara is worth an overnight stay as well just to wander.
We've made that trip a number of times--from the north and from the south. I agree with Allan's posting. But remember there are relatively few places to stay when you get north of the Hearst Castle. It's also just a 1 day drive. We usually just stay in Monterrey on the north end.
U.S. 1 is one of the premier drives of the world with the highway getting as high as 2,000 ft. above the Pacific.
Thanks for the tips. I know it’s not a long drive distance wise but from what I have read so far there are lots of places to stop along the way so it can easily be made into a 4 or 5 day drive. And there’s wine tasting opportunities nearby if we run out of things to do.
Could you clarify your post? Where are you renting the car from and where are you dropping it off? How many miles do you plan on covering in those 4 days? It seems like enough time but it's really a crunch for such a beautiful stretch of coastline and so many stop-off possibilities (any way of extending your trip to about 7 days?). Driving on PCH is a lot slower than cutting through the interior on I-5. I would try to do less than more (it's about 330 miles from LAX to Monterey one-way).
This is an excellent site for planning (https://www.visitcalifornia.com) and there are also great Welcome Centers on the ground from which you can pick up maps and more info. I used to live in SoCal and there are so many books out there on CA that already have sample itineraries - just hit your local library and check out Lonely Planet, etc.
Renting the car from the Santa Barbara airport and dropping it off at LAX 5 days later.
We don’t really have a defined mileage we want to cover. In fact the less driving the better. We are more interested in seeing the sites so that will “drive” how far we need to travel.
At this point I am trying to determine which sites appeal most to us and then we can try to develop a travel plan.
Since you're from Canada, you should check out some SoCal beaches and beach cities (in addition to lovely Santa Barbara). My personal favorites are Santa Monica (wide beach and very walkable/ bike able city with great vibe and restaurants - great place to stay overnight before your flight out of LAX because it's super close), Laguna Beach (in Orange County, south of LA), and La Jolla (San Diego). Those are always on my must see list when I go visit. Between Santa Barbara and San Diego, there are weeks' worth of things to do, so you won't run out (the hardest part is prioritizing). If you want to include northern CA (where the coastline is truly spectacular and rugged), I would try to add more time than 4 full days (it's just too tight).
hey hey mike
you can take a drive up to avila beach, stop at avila beach farmers market, down to pismo beach spend the night. walk out onto pismo pier, check for wine tasting in town, stop at The Splash Cafe for chowder in a bowl or fish and chips. It's a must, line may be out the door around the corner, we waited and enjoyed a sit down dinner inside. down to buellton, famous for pea soup anderson. over to solvang, a small danish town, spend the night and walk the streets, a christmas wonderland all year, known for their aebleskivers traditional danish desserts, maybe spend the night here. they may have some wine tours, just ask. took the chumash hiway (154), the chumash casino is on the way, san marcos pass to foothill road (make sure roads are open after flooding and washout couple years ago). we really like the ride thru old homes, rich homes, people's garden, farms, old time living since lots of people have been there long time. down to 101. (above santa barbara and montecito). down 101 to carpenteria onto ventura, maybe spend the night. it's the ventura hiway, well known song, and along the beach with surfers and RV's parked along the hiway. ride into la and stay where need be to catch your flight home. really enjoyed our 5 days of holiday just roaming aroung the area, wine tasting and seeing the coast. hope this gives you a clue and help you to enjoy your time there.
i did a bomber bi-plane ride around pismo beach with my bomber jacket, hat and glasses. what a riot and had so much fun. we also did a dune buggy ride thru the dunes. HOLD ON with that ride. check out the rock&roll diner in oceano nearby pismo.
you'll have a great time and a nice road trip. let's know how your trip went. have fun
aloha
I live in Santa Barbara and I would take 101 north to get to Monterey fast and then head down PCH to Carmel, and San Simeon where Hearst Castle is.
I’m not fond of the restaurant in Pismo mentioned above nor Split Pea Anderson’s in Buellton. Solvang, right next to Buellton is worth a stop.
PM me and I can certainly help!
Look for McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in the Big Sur area south of Carmel and Monterrey. Park on the east side of hwy 1 and walk under the highway so you are above the beach to see the falls. Yeah sure, you can find a gazillion photos of it on the internet but there is nothing like having one that you can claim as your own. Enjoy your trip.
Many good suggestions here. I do think the Monterey Bay Aquarium is worth the price if it interests you. And consider a stop at Point Lobos.
Don't forget the incredibly beautiful and historic missions!
Mike,
I live in the San Francisco Bay Area and the PCH from Monterey to LA is one of my favorite drives. There is a lot of hours on the road and a good portion of your 4 days will be driving. I agree with Diane to make the most of that route, shoot up 101 to Monterey. It takes 4 hours (with light traffic). While you can stop part way up to visit places like Pismo or Solvang, you risk getting stuck in traffic, so I would recommend going straight up and hitting them on the way back if so desire.
Monterey & Carmel: there is so much to do depending upon your interest.
- There is a world class aquarium, Monterey Bay Aquarium: https://www.montereybayaquarium.org/
- You can visit Carmel and take the 17 mile drive
- Whale watching: you are almost at the end of the migration season for grey whales, dolphins, and killer whales
- I have gone wine tasting in the Monterey Bay area, not my favorite place to wine taste, but there are some nice tasting rooms. if you need recommendations, PM me.
You can then drive down highway 1 south the next day and either stay in Big Sur or go further south and stay in Cambria. In Big Sur, if the weather is nice, there is great hiking. If you go further south and stay in Cambria, you can visit Hearst Castle, cycle, and just relax.
The next day, you can then decide whether you want go further south and instead of staying in Santa Barbara, you can stay north in either Solvang or Buelton and go wine tasting. If you ever saw the movie Sideways, you will know that this is Pinot country, but there are also some fine Chardonnay. You also have the option of staying in Pismo and you have some good recommendations from the board.
The last day, you can take your time going to LA (as you will hit traffic, stopping in Ventura or even hitting Malibu. Stay your final night in LA area before you take your flight. My personal favorite is to stay near the coast in Santa Monica.
Hope this route gives you some additional ideas. The one thing you will need to plan for is the weather. Sometimes it is beautiful (cool, but sunny), other times rainy. Have a plan B for rainy days.
Sandy
SandyO just reminded me about the weather! It’s our rainy season and PCH can be closed at a minutes notice due to frequent landslides that can happen if we get significant rains.
Thanks for the great suggestions. Now on to the planning trying to incorporate all these wonderful suggestions. I fee l more prepared to tackle this task now.
hey hey mike
you are so welcome, there is so much to see and do with sooooooo little time. everyone posted has their likes and dislikes, but that's what i like to give you options about people places and things to see and do. we don't always agree. different strokes for different folks. have fun enjoy and have a glass of vino for all of us. come back and tell us how you loved it. cheers
aloha
Hi Mike, I guess I can toss in a little local knowledge! First, you probably know that early March is right in the “rainy season” of the Central Coast of California. Some years that means no rain at all, but others it can involve heavy rains, even floods, and sometimes mudslides and closures (temporary or months-long) of Highway 1. So, follow the weather and maintain some level of flexibility. I don’t know your budget but there are a modest variety of lodging possibilities between the Carmel area and the Cambria area. Rates might be lower in March than other times. At the top end is the elegant but rustic Post Ranch Inn in Big Sur, often listed among the best resort hotels in the country. After that, nearby Ventana Inn is very nice, a little further south are more quaint River Inn and Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn. Also a lodge at Ragged Point further south, and a few others. Various campgrounds as well, if that’s your thing, in March.
In Monterey, the Aquarium is excellent, but yes has become quite pricey, so if you go, dedicate enough hours to it to justify the expense. You can have lunch inside there. You might find that some local hotels or inns have special offers that include aquarium tickets, or they might have guest passes or discount coupons. At least ask.
They charge quite a bit now to enter the private 17-mile drive, but if you eat at one of the very good restaurants at the Lodge at Pebble Beach or Spanish Bay, or play golf there, I believe they still refund your entry fee, ask when you pay the fee. It’s a lovely drive especially if you are a golfer, as you can stop and see Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Cypress Point, Spanish Bay, and other courses, and stop at the pro shops, etc., along the way.
And yes, Point Lobos just south of Carmel is a beautiful state park, right on the coast. Ansel Adams called it the world’s most spectacular meeting of land and sea, or similar words.
Hearst Castle is over-the-top, but a unique and fun experience, also requiring a pricey ticket and a number of hours. They offer 3 different tours at the visitor center, I think one is most indicated for first time visitors, and they all include bus transport from the visitor center up to the “Castle”.
Yes, the views down the Bug Sur Coast can be wonderful, at different times of day and in various weather. So stop at many, or all, of the view point areas. They are cracking down on the dangerously congested parking in some areas not suited for parking, such as near Bixby Bridge.
Here’s a local’s tip, a stop most of my visitors find especially memorable. Driving south, about 11 miles south of the Carmel River Bridge, and just past the entry to the Rocky Point restaurant, take the left (away from the coast) on Palo Colorado Canyon Road, with the idea of driving slowly east a couple of miles, then turning around where the road finally widens with a bunch of mailboxes nearby. This is a very surreal experience, a dark, curvy residential road, lined with redwoods and other large trees, houses up on stilts, very different than the bright light of the coast. There are no food or shopping stops possible in there, maybe a few photos, and it should be maybe a 20-minute detour along your coastal drive.
General comments:
With a stop for lunch and for short hikes we found it took more than 9 hours to drive Monterey to Santa Barbara. Nonstop it must be close to 6 hours, so doing one direction on faster 101 makes sense. Is backtracking to LAX a good use of time?
Hwy 1 in Carmel and Monterey has remarkable rush hour traffic. The rush hour traffic is onerous also in the long stretch from San Luis Obispo to Santa Maria, so plan for that. Note that there are private homes all through the scenic Big Sur areas, I didn’t expect that.
I followed Larry’s advice above, loved the short drive detour recommended.
It’s good you are driving outside the summer season when it must be unpleasantly crowded.
Something Tom mentioned about the long stretch between San Louis Obispo and Santa Maria is important in my eyes. Once you hit Moro Bay, it would be wise to not try and do the coastal route from there. You will just end up back on 101. Just stick to 101 south at that point. It’s * mostly* ugly along that stretch. Using 101 from there is very fast down to Santa Maria (not worth a stop). There are a few wineries along 101 but a lot more off 101 in the Buellton, Solvang area.
I just moved from LA, if I may throw in my local suggestions as well:
There is a bike path that runs along the beach for about 40 miles, the South end is at Miramar Park in Torrance, it is a great ride. If you didn't get enough cycling in the first part of your trip, then "the strand" is a great ride.
Kogi tacos is a restaurant/food truck that locals go nuts for and I love. It's been featured on several foodie TV series, and it lives up to the hype. If the food truck is near you or you will be near the restaurant I highly recommend it.
The La Brea Tar Pits are very cool and free the first Tuesday of the month (except July and August).
Solvang would make for a fun morning or afternoon from Santa Barbara, it's cute and the aebleskivers are delicious and cheap.
A good budget Beach destination: the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium. There is Beach, tide pools, and a small Aquarium with very interesting creatures. Very hands on. Their website can tell you when low tide is, and parking is only $1 an hour and there is lots of it! Driving around LA really sucks, it just does, but Saturday and Sunday mornings before 9AM are much lighter traffic, after 9PM on any given day it tends to ease up.
You'll likely have very uncrowded beaches as my experience was that the locals stayed away until June! You'll have a great time, the coast is really beautiful.
