I'm trying to plan a vacation of about 10-12 days driving the coast of CA on Rt. 1. I don't have a lot of ideas on where to stay and what to see. Any suggestions from places to internet sights of interest would be appreciated.

I assume you mean the whole coast - and that's a LOT to see! I do suggest you stop in Mendocino and stay at Heritage House in Little River nearby. Lovely place with a great dinign room. Stop in Carmel and Monterey. There are a lot of B and B's there. Do Hearst Castle and stay in Cambria. Used to be a great B and B there called the J. Patrick House but don't know if it's still in business. If you want, stop at Madonna Inn for the night. The nth degree of funky! Santa Barbara is great. Many good B and B's there and some fine restaurants - our favorite is Downey's. Expensive but worth it. A few suggestions to start you off! Dick

Paul,

You don't mention where you are from and how much of rte. 1 you are willing to drive. It is LONG and SLOW and WINDY.

If you are from New England parts...skip Mendocino. New England by far surpasses this part of California. (In my opinion...I spent 15 yrs. on New England seacoast)

Previous post is right on. Carmel, Big Sur and Cambria are the best of CA coastline! Visit the Hearst Castle if you like castles and showy opulence and incredible views. You could spend years in the Big Sur area alone. After awhile, Rte. 1 starts to repeat itself.

If you have 10-12 days in CA...I would head east for half of it and see Yosemite (if in the late spring or fall)..Kings Canyon/Sequoia. Maybe Pt. Reyes up in San Fran area.

Don't think that you need to spend the whole time on Rte 1. You will get carsick.

Hope this helps!

If you go way up north, go to the town of Trinidad and also go to Patrick's Point State Park--beautiful, rugged, rocks, crashing surf, we loved it.

Try to visit Ferndale in northern CA. Very beautiful, small Victorian town. Just a few miles west of Rt. 1.

Eureka is a nice town and if you're there be sure to cross the bridge to the Samoan Cook House restaurant. They serve breakfast and lunch but I'm not sure about dinner. Make sure you're VERY hungry when you go!

The Hearst Castle is definitely worth a stop (they have a web page, which will give you an idea of what's there/cost/etc. Advance tickets required). And do work in a drive thru the Redwoods - too beautiful for words. North of Mendocino takes you into a beautiful drive.

Above posts are full of good information. If you are interested in State Parks/Beaches, try the State of California web page at www.ca.gov; there are scores of state beaches and parks to visit.

One of my favorites is Big Basin State Park; wonderful redwoods and lots of hiking. Another great place is Point Reyes, with many great day hikes possible. The redwood country in the far north is not on the coast, but is just wonderful. Patrick's Point campground beach is a great beach as well.

Gosh, there's too much to mention! I used to live in Santa Barbara, it's a great town. LA is LA.

Have fun!

Above posts are full of good information. If you are interested in State Parks/Beaches, try the State of California web page at www.ca.gov; there are scores of state beaches and parks to visit.

One of my favorites is Big Basin State Park; wonderful redwoods and lots of hiking. Another great place is Point Reyes, with many great day hikes possible. The redwood country in the far north is not on the coast, but is just wonderful. Patrick's Point campground beach is a great beach as well.

Gosh, there's too much to mention! I used to live in Santa Barbara, it's a great town. LA is LA.

Have fun!