Driving from LA to San Fran-must do stopovers.Have a week to do-have looked at forum until cross-eyed but quick list would be appreciated.

Santa Barbara and Monterrey(Carmel).Paul

A week is a good amount of time for this trip. Must-do? Well you must do what you want to do. Santa Barbara is a laid back beach city, I don't know much about it but I've been through many times, never really stopped to check it out, but it's about your last stop in Southern California.

A lot depends on what time of year you're there... Winter, our winter, can be chilly, too chilly for beach going. 'but summer is Baywatch time.

Anyway, get up farther north, north of San Luis Obispo and you'll see the Big Sur coast, wonderful any time of year, you may even have the good fortune to get stuck there by landslides over the highway and have to remain there and really find out what it's all about.

The Regan Presidental Library in Simi Valley is interesting, as is Hearst Castle.

If I was doing the coast from LA, I would include:
Carpenteria Beach/Santa Barbara
Los Olivos/ Santa Ynez area (maybe Solvang)
Pismo Beach
San Luis Obispo
Morro Bay
Cambria/ Hearst Castle
Big Sur
Monterey/ Carmel/ Pacific Grove
Half Moon Bay
Optionals would be Moss Landing, Capitola & Santa Cruz. I have been to all of the places I've listed.

>>'but summer is Baywatch time. <<

Not in the San Francisco Bay Area or most of the coast north of San Simeon. Only exception might be Santa Cruz.

Stu Dudley

As Stu Dudley says -- Summer on the mid coast is more likely jacket and hot chocolate time than Baywatch time.

This is one of those questions the answer for which soooo depends upon your interests/style, etc. Personally, I find the Hearst Castle completely unnecessary, but that's me! I'd also probably skip Pismo Beach, even though I do agree the place has its own charms. I wouldn't miss Big Sur for anything. Los Olivos is really pretty, too. There just isn't a lot you can go wrong with on this drive, imo!

The other factor is which route you're taking. If you're going 101, you're not going to be on the coast the whole way. If you take 1, you're going to see breathtakingly beautiful scenery, but you're not going to be making time, to put it mildly! Since you seem not to be in a rush, I'd recommend taking 1, but be aware that some of those mountain roads are pretty hairy to some people (I happen to love them myself!)

Santa Barbara is laid back, as sequoia says, but it's also very sophisticated, it's no hick town. Beautiful architecture, interesting shopping, really pleasant.

And as for weather: the winter is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful times on the coast! Cold, but crispy clear. Much less likely to have fog in the winter than in the summer!

You've got a great drive ahead of you...seriously, one of the most spectacular pieces of geography on the planet. I've lived in California all my life, have driven up and down the coast more times than I count -- and I never, ever get tired of it!

Be sure and have lunch at Nepentha, atop Big Sur. One of the best outdoor cafe/world class view places in North America.

Great suggestion, stump! My only modification to that would be: try to have dinner, and time it so that you're there for the sunset. You will never forget it, ever ever ever!

I think seeing as many of the Calif. missions as possible is also very interesting.. Almost every city has one between SF and LA...and each one is different. I'm sure AAA would have information on the missions. If you drive N. from LA, you will be on the land side of Route #1, and its a beautiful drive. I would certainly do it if I were you.

Don't dismiss Pismo Beach! At this time of year, you can be bundled up for stormy surf (chowder at Steamer's!) or sitting in your shorts addressing holiday cards enjoying a fish taco from Tio Albertos. Pismo is more laid back and affordable than Santa Barbara.

My faves in Pismo Beach are Brad's, Splash Cafe, Harry's Bar, and Mo's for BBQ.

In some sections 101 and Hwy 1 are the same hwy. Anyway, I would take 101 to either Hwy 1 at San Luis Obispo (SLO), or 101 to Hwy 46 West just before Paso Rolbes. Then you connect to Hwy 1 going north just south of Cambria. That gets you going through Big Sur, reaching Carmel/ Monterey area. I think you aready have ideas on where to stop for the night along the way.

Okay, planning time...
I'm thinking about stopping in Carmel for one night and Morro Bay for the other. Any thoughts/ suggestions? I've driven the coast several times, but want to slow down a bit. Walk on a beach, take a short hike, see more/ drive less, etc.

DH and I will being driving the coast from San Diego to Monterey in a week. We've got 10 days. At first I wondered if it was too ambitious but after reading all of the replies it sounds about right.

Itinerary includes: Queen Mary tour, Cambria/San Simeon, missions, Big Sur/Monterey, whale watching (?), redwoods, etc.

I'll post when we return in late Jan to let you know how we fared.

Pismo Beach/Arroyo Grande is nicer for beach walking than Morro Bay.

bookmarking...

Thank you.

I have to disagree with the poster who preferred Pismo to Morro Bay. Morro Bay has six miles of beach to the pier at Cayucos. In addition, there is a new boardwalk from the Embarcadero to Morro Rock. Just a few miles southwest of Morro Bay is The State Park at Montano de Oro, which has miles of hiking trails along the rocky coast - maybe not "beach walking", but incredibly beautiful.