First time visitor to Southern Cal. Traveling alone with a free weekend before business in LA Monday afternoon. I would like to see as much as possible, and like driving. Any info on the following would be appreciated.

1. Is it worth staying south of LA Friday, such as in Laguna and then driving up the PCH early Saturday. Is it feasible to drive as far north as the Pismo Beach area and still have the afternoon free? Would the traffic be horrendous? Is the scenery different enough along this route to go this far north?

2. Leaving early Sunday, could I drive back into LA, and spend the day driving around areas such as Hollywood, Beverly Hills, and then spend the night in the Santa Monica area?

Since I'm by myself I don't mind all the driving, but I don't have a sense of whether weekend traffic would make this a nightmare.

Thank you for any information/opinions.

The PCH through greater LA isn't going to win any beauty contests. Not even qualify, actually.

What you suggest is probably marginally doable, provided you leave really early and don't stop anywhere for more than a nature break en route. However, starting in Laguna and aiming for Pismo means having to transit the entire LA basin. Doing so on surface streets (using PCH - SR 1 - all the way) is probably not on, so you'd need to hop on the freeway at some point to speed your trip.

The PCH between Malibu and Oxnard is a good ride, then through most of Santa Barbara County it's decent. Pismo is cute and a good turn-around point.

Leaving early from Laguna you'd probably get to Pismo around 1 or 2 PM. If that qualifies as leaving the afternoon open, so be it. Personally I think you'd find the drive to be too long.

I'd personally shoot for Laguna to Santa Barbara on the freeway (around 3 hours) and spend any extra time exploring SB, which is a lovely town with much to see.

Thanks Gardyloo. This is very helpful. I will scale back by plans. Do you think its worth spending an afternoon and night in the Laguna area, or for a coastal experience, would I be better leaving from lax (10 am arrival) and driving directly up to the Santa Barbara area, with maybe a stop in the Malibu area for lunch? In other words, skip the Orange Co area completely?

I would choose one or the other. Go to either Laguna Beach for Friday and Saturday night or Santa Barbara direction for Friday and Saturday night. That gives you part of Sunday to see LA.

I don;t think it is too ambitious as you say you are willing to drive and as a first time visitor it will give you a good lay of the land. (Husband loves to drive too and we usually spend much more time driving than others like on trips) However I would do it in reverse...

What about Leaving from LAX (Fri at 10 am, right?) and going up PCH to Oxnard stopping at Neptune's Net (I usually take out of town guests here for a "surfer" lunch) at the county line for lunch. Hop on 101 in Oxnard up to Santa Barbara.


Sat. morning you could hop on 101 South to 405 south getting off on Seal Beach Blvd and cut over to PCH. This would take you through several beach towns (Seal Beach, Huntington, Newport, Corona Del Mar)on your way down to Laguna. Perhaps stop in Huntington Beach for a late lunch to get a feel for it and compare it to Laguna (totally different IMO).

Sunday morning you could get breakfast in Laguna befor heading up to LA. I am not sure how much you will be able to take in driving around BH and Hollywood (or how long you want to put up with it) so I would tend to overplan this day and cut out stuff if you get tired, Maybe plan a drive up to Griffith park, to Pasadena or accoss Mullholland?

Sorry for typos in above post...typing with baby in arms.

I think what I would do is stay overnight in Laguna. For a day trip drive south to the Torrey Pines State Beach near Del Mar, north San Diego County (it has the same feature as Pismo of a long beach which you can jog or run along). You can also hike a loop up thru the State Park and back down the beach. I don't think Pismo is worth the long drive through LA on a weekend.

If you want to add another scenic day you can drive from either Laguna or San Diego to the desert (Coachella Valley) and back into LA. This time of year the weather in the desert is very good and since many of the golf courses are closed, you can often find a good hotel deal. I was just there for a day and checked out the new Indian Wells Resort clubhouse, which is has spectacular views from the dining areas although the architecture is way over the top.

I should add...make sure there aren't any fires going on at Camp Pendleton if you're going to San Diego!!!

Many thanks for the advice. I will review my map with these recommendations in mind.

Flinn