linda

we have 5 days to drive the california coast...how far south of san francisco do we drive to see the best sights?...any suggestions for driving north of san francisco?...how would you divide your time?...we are most interested in enjoying the landscape...not museums, shops,etc ....thanks much.

Meg

Linda, I know there are people more knowledgeable about this subject, but on prior trips to San Francisco, we have gone both north and south - at separate times on long week-end trips there - so, with five days, you may be able to do both. We drove north to Muir Woods, then on to Napa for a day. Spending the night would have been nice, but we wanted to spend some more time in the city. We drove South to San Simeon to see the Hearst Mansion and then up Highway One back to San Francisco with an overnight stop in Monterey to see the Aquarium and tide pool near Pebble Beach. We hope to go back and stay in Big Sur - the most incredible scenery. It's just a great area all the way around - no matter which way you go, you can't go wrong. Have a great trip.

donna

linda, we drove the coast from San Fran down to LA. It was truly beautiful. Carmel and Montery are filled with little shops, great places to eat and many sites to see. We stayed in Big Sur at Vantana, it was wonderful. Then drove to Santa Barbara and stayed at the Four Seasons. It was a great trip. enjoy.

Caitlin

There has been tons of great advice on this forum about driving the CA coast, so you might try doing a "California coast" search to supplement what people tell you here.

Going south, as you're more interested in scenery than in museums, etc., you should definitely go as far as Big Sur, which as mentioned above is spectacular; you might not want to go all the way to San Simeon, as Hearst Castle is a museum-like experience. You'll want to allow at least two days there and back on Hwy. 1, depending on your other plans and how much time you want to spend stopping. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is a worthwhile stop for a couple of hours. It concentrates on the local indigenous sealife, and is a great place to watch otters cavorting. Another possible stop, for a hike, is Big Basin State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains, full of redwoods. There are many more affordable lodging choices in Big Sur, too, if Ventana is beyond your budget.

North of SF, Muir Woods for redwoods and Pt. Reyes National Seashore for hikes, beach walks, and horseback riding, are choices that aren't too far (a couple hours' drive). For scenery, I'd skip Napa and concentrate on Sonoma and Russian River areas (not on the coast), for wonderfully verdant views. If you want to take more time to drive north, I'd recommend going up to the Mendocino coast area. It can be a challenging drive on the way back (curvy two-lane road with steep drop-off on the right side), but is very beautiful and full of great inns and B&Bs. Again, at least two days to go all the way up there and back, and better three, depending on how much you want to stop.

You don't mention when your trip is. Summer tends to be pretty foggy, especially farther north, but it's still quite beautiful (less ocean viewing, though). Late Sept. and Oct. are the very best., nut May is not too bad. In November the rainy season begins.

John

Linda, Calif. Rte. 1 north or south of SF is one of America's most beautiful highways. The southern portion, Monterey/Carmel south to San Simeon, is more heavily visited, but IMO the northern portion offers more variety of scenery, several interesting communities, and the advantage of having the Golden Gate Bridge on one end and the north coast redwood country on the other. With five days, you could, as Caitlin says, take a couple and head down to Big Sur, visiting Monterey/Carmel and Pt. Lobos State Park, for amazing coastal scenery and wildlife, and then a separate 3-day swing north, up the coast through Mendocino and then up to Redwood National Park near Eureka, then south on US 101 back to SF. If you haven't seen the big trees, try to find some way of getting there.

susan

I was disappointed with the drive along the California coast until we got to Big Sur, which is spectacular. I recommend going at least that far. (I thought Monterey, Carmel, 17 mile drive, etc. were overdeveloped and touristy.)

I don't know what your budget is, but Ventana is a wonderful place to stay there. And I think they have half-price rates mid-week. Have a good time!

lisa

I definitely recommend staying at least one night in Big Sur (I second the nomination for Ventana -- pricey but terrific) and would also suggest one night in Cambria just south of Hearst Castle. Hearst Castle is spectacular and the drive between there and the Monterey peninsula is just gorgeous. Allow lots of time. We stayed one night in Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula as well -- weren't as crazy about Carmel and Monterey as we were about Big Sur and points south, but Monterey's aquarium is wonderful. In between the Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur there is a wonderful place called Point Lobos State Park which is well worth a stop for a short hike -- lots of wildlife and beautiful views there (I think admission was about $7 per vehicle).
Toward the southern end of the Big Sur coastline there is another wonderful place for a stop called Ragged Point -- walk out back behind the restaurant for an amazing view up and down the coast.

A few miles north of Hearst Castle there is a "wildlife viewing" sign and if you stop at the beach there, depending on what time of year you're going, you may see elephant seals.

We also saw seals on the rocks on Moonstone Beach in Cambria. There are lots of places to stay there and good restaurants (had a wonderful dinner at Robins).

There have been numerous other threads on this topic if you do a search using the words "California coast."

Michael

The Big Sur area is spectacular. Two spots that really made the day for us were Pfeiffer Beach and the Old Coast Road, which we took on the way back to our hotel in Monterey. Cheap thrills!!

Traveler K

Stop at Julia Pfeiffer Wayside, in the Big Sur area. A 1/4 mile trail takes you under the 101 & views an awesome waterfall! Enjoy your trip!

linda

thanks much for the suggestions!