Hello, My DH and I are planning a trip to California in September with three friends from Australia. We are seniors, and somewhat timid drivers. We have a 7 day bus tour planned, beginning and ending in San Francisco. However, it does not include Hearst Castle which we would all like to see. We thought we would ditch the bus tour in Monterrey, the last day of the tour, rent a car and drive to Hearst Castle and then drive back to San Francisco. However, a lot of reviews have mentioned that although it is a gorgeous drive, it is a bit treacherous. One review mentioned driving along the edge of the cliff! We don't mind winding roads, but not too keen on high narrow bridges or cliff edges!! Our guests are the same age as we are, and also accustomed to driving on the left side of the road so no help there. Just how scary is this road?
Monterrey to Hearst Castle, timid drivers?
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If you want to see Hearst Castle but care less about the precipitous scenery you can go around via Hwy 101 and up from Cambria, very near the Castle.
How long do you have on this excursion from Monterey (only 1 "r")? Will there be an overnight before you need to be in San Francisco? There are some nice oceanfront places in Cambria on Moonstone Beach.
I drove it a few years ago and was not scared (I'm 85). There are guard rails as appropriate, and plenty of turnouts where you can stop and look at the ocean.
However, you don't have to take the scary route. Just take US 101 to Paso Robles and cut over to the coast from there. And it's faster.
My husband is a "senior", age 60 and wasn't scared at all. The road is fine, just slow. As others have suggested, you can take US 101 to Paso Robles, then 46 over to the coast.
I don't think the road is "scary," but I'm a California native and have driven the coast many times.
It's a 3-hour drive from Monterey to Hearst Castle, and then a 4-hour drive to San Francisco. The Castle tours are 45 minutes long, and you'll likely want to take two or more covering different aspects of the Castle. There's also a movie that's about 45 minutes long. You should make tour reservations about 7-8 weeks before your date. Taking into account your concerns, I wouldn't recommend driving in the dark. Sunset will be shortly after 7:00 p.m., so I recommend you spend a night somewhere.
If you do this drive, make a point of stopping at Piedras Blancas to see the Elephant Seals. The turnoff (west side of highway) is about 5 miles north of San Simeon.
FYI, Monday, Sept. 2nd, and the weekend prior are a very popular national holiday with lots of people making driving trips. The coast road and the Castle could be very crowded from Friday to Monday or Tuesday. Many hotels along the coast may have a 2-night minimum stay requirement in September between Friday (sometimes Thursday) and Sunday, so making this trip between Sunday and Wednesday would be best. The closest town to the Castle is San Simeon.
http://www.hearstcastle.org/tours
http://www.elephantseal.org/Rookery/where.htm
I agree with all the other respondants about taking Highway 1.
No problemo. The drive is not treacherous at all. Just stay on the right and all will be fine.
As with all drivers that aren't used to driving on a different side of the road, DO NOT trust your instincts.
BTW: Monterrey is in Mexico. Monterey is south of San Francisco.
Return to San Francisco via highway 101 by going south to Cambria and then Paso Robles where you will join 101 to drive north. Keep in mind that you may have an extra fee for returning the car to a different city.
If you are returning to San Francisco just to fly back home, consider staying in Monterey and taking the shuttle from there to the airport.
http://montereyairbus.com/ride/index.php/rates
Incredibly beautiful drive through Big Sur - and as noted - the traffic will probably be moving fairly slowly - and you can pull out/off frequently if you want to take a break, admire more of the scenery, etc.
Thank you all so much. I think we will definitely take the scenic route. Thank you also for the additional tips and information. And the spelling
Make sure you stop at Nepenthe- nice lunch or coffee spot. Fabulous views and there is a pretty nice gift shop too for a little "retail therapy"
http://www.nepenthebigsur.com
One of the biggest headaches can be being "stuck" behind some slow-moving vehicle and having to wait a long time to finally pass (overtake) them. I have found the traffic is not as heavy if you are willing to travel early in the morning and I realize that option doesn't always fit in with people's plans/destinations.
One of the biggest headaches can be being "stuck" behind some slow-moving vehicle and having to wait a long time to finally pass (overtake) them
The OP would be in the slow category. There is a rule in CA that when going slowly at the head of the line one should pull over when more than 5 cars are behind.