Hello
My wife and I are interested in flying into LA and out of SF. Our goal is to take a leisurely unhurried drive up the Pacific Coast highway to see as much of the natural scenery that we can find in a week. We plan on taking about 4-5 days for the drive and spending the last two days in SF area. We have no fixed itenerary and would like to just ramble along at whatever speed we choose. Of most interest to us is the Big Sur area , Monteray penninsula and Santa Cruz area. We would appreciate any recommendations on things to see , things to avoid and the viabilty of just wandering up the road and spending the night (without reservations) at whatever lodging we may find. We would like to go either before or after the summer rush - before June or after August. Any insights - and restaraunt reccomendations - would be greatly appreciated

Personally, I think driving PCH in the southern direction is better - view wise. When you drive from LA to SF, you've got the other direction of traffic always kind of in your view. If you can do it the other way, you should.... As for places to stop off - you sound more interested in stuff closer to NoCal and I'm more familiar with stuff south of Central CA. I would advise though, that even going before June or after August, that you should inquire about reservations... A lot of us CA locals do the same thing in the off season and most places do get booked up on the weekend. If you're traveling M-F I wouldn't worry, but any F-S nights you should have booked ahead of time, or you might find yourself in a ratty Super 8.

Outside of LA, I would want to spend some time in Cambria or Paso Robles - beautiful area. If you can rent a convertible, it would be great to take the top down when it's nice out. Don't forget the sunscreen!

Gosh, there have been tons of discussions on this topic lately. I see that you are a new poster. Welcome to the forum! You have chosen a beautiful drive. Since there has been so much chatter on the destinations you mention, you'll probably have good luck if you search for info, then post back with specific questions that haven't been answered through your research.

Try typing any of these words in the search box near the top of the page (it says "search this forum") - Carmel, Santa Cruz, Cambria, Monterey, Big Sur, Pacific Coast Highway, Santa Monica, Santa Barbara - and you'll probably find out more than you ever wanted to know!

Hint: just type in one place at a time, or you will surely be overwhelmed by information! Also, be careful with spelling to be sure you maximize the hits.

Once you've gotten a more specific idea of what you want to do, post back with questions. There are lots of friendly people here who have lots of experience and will be glad to help you out!!

One word, however, the coast is still pretty busy in both June and September. October might be a better month for travel if you are wanting to be totally loose about your travel plans. Otherwise I'd suggest a reservation or two along the way. I'm not saying you couldn't find a place to stay, but you may not get your first or second choice!

Good luck and post back with your itinerary.

As others have said, May & Sept is when the locals hit this area - better weather & fewer tourists. There are not many hotels between the Hearst Castle area and Carmel - so reserve ahead for Big Sur to make sure you are not disappointed. On weekends in Carmel, most places have a 2 night minimum.

Also, there is no such thing as the Pacific Coast Highway north of the LA area. Up here (Northern Calif) it is called the Cabrillo Highway.

Make sure you have dinner or lunch at Nepenthe in Big Sur - the food is marginal, but the ambience & views are fantastic.

Stu Dudley

Thanks for your replies . Its not that I favor the north part of the Hiway over the South - I dont know enough about either one, I totally open to starting in LA . I would just like to enjoys the scenery , do a little hiking and enjoy the trip , Going north to south works just as well for me . I appreciate all the repsonses , Are there some hotels along the way that you could recommend , or anything special that I would want to plan a part of the trip around ? Ill follow your advise and search the thread further . I apprecaite the feedback from those of you who are familir with this area

Start in San Francisco and drive south. You will get better views, and will also have an easier time driving into the many "viewing spots" along the road. These parking places are all on the ocean-side of the road. If you drive from north to south, you will be able to very easily pull into these places on the spur of the moment. This is not true if you drive from south to north.

Do not go in June. I took this trip once in June, and the coast was so totally fogged in, I could not see the ocean at all. It was hard to see more than a few inches ahead of my windshield! If it wasn't for the sound of waves, I wouldn't have known the ocean even existed. I had previously driven this route in March, which was a fantastic time to visit.

I'm one of the few who thinks the views are better driving south to north. It seems that when I do, I see some bluffs, white cliffs, bridges, that I didn't notice going south. Also, if you drive from Sept to May, the sun will not be in your eyes as much.

Mid Sept & October are my favorite months for this drive - less chance of fog & rain.

Stu Dudley

Hi there, My husband and I did this from LA to SF back in early November. We got lucky and had the most beautiful weather and uncrowded roadways. We rented a convertable and it was perfect. Click on my screen name and scroll down for my trip report.

One must for me, would be to stay in Cambria again at the Moonstone Landing. Check out the elephant seals just north of there on Hwy 1.

as a number of people have said, rte 1 between LA and Sf is a favorite of many. I just reurned from a month in Pacific Grove, which as you may know is close to Monterey.

There are lots of interesting places. There is the nesting ground for the elephant seals mentioned by a previous poster--adn there is a place to stay clsoe to there where one can stay in a "yurt"--a circular tent, with a deck, etc. I have not stayed there , but it sounds interesting.

As you go up ste 1 from there, there is a beautiful monastery around Lucia at the top of a hill. a spectacular spot to look around and read a book.

Esalen is a bit further north--they offer retreats of various types.

as you get to Big Sur, the Julia Pfieffer State Park has a very pretty waterfall that is close to the road--and a camping are where you can almost see the falls.

Big sur has some very expensive and wonderful hotels--Post Ranch Inn is the most famous. others are significantly more funky and cheaper.

the drive on rte 1 has a number of spots that are terrific for merely stopping and reading, hiking or picnicing.

ONe of my favorite places to stay is the HIghlands Inn in Carmel HIghlands. Just before you get there there is the Rocky POint REstaurant which is located at Rocky POint, not surprisingly. The view from there is, in my opinon, even better than from Napenthe.

Whale watching boats from MOnterey are fun, if you are there at a time when whales are migrating.

Stop for a night in Santa Barbara and stay at one of the hotels on the beach. It's a beautiful place not to be missed.

Stay another night in Cambria, stay on Moonstone beach - it's a quaint little town with lots of great shops (make sure you stop at the town of Harmony a few miles earlier with population 14 last time we were there).

Cambria is a short distance from the Hearst Castle. Depending on your tastes this is a good tour destination.

We actually flew into San Diego and drove up to SF. We didn't like LA but San Diego was wonderful.

We weren't too crazy about Santa Cruise, I'd skip it...

Big Sur was great too!! As was Monteray and Carmel. Try to stay in Monteray on a Tuesday night as they have a street long farmers market every Tuesday. Try an Olallieberry Pie.

Try to get to SF with a day or so to spare so you can visit wine country (we like Oakville).

PS: I would also drive South to North. Sometimes the road gets a bit narrow and you are pretty high up on a cliff. I felt a little safer on the opposite side of the road.

I agree w/ Stu - driving south to north is actually better for anyone not familiar w/ the road. Going N to S puts you on the ocean side -- meaning the cliffside. I have actually had mid westerner friends/relatives panic (as passengers no less) because we were so close to the drop off. Going south the driver has basically no chance to see the views (except at turnouts) because it is a two hands on the wheel/eyes on the road 100% of the time route.

But driving north puts you on the mountain (inland) side of the road. The driver can at least breathe and enjoy the views a bit easier. And crossing the road to get to the overlooks isn't very difficult. Driving north still demands attentive driving - but you don't have the cliff and ocean right off your right shoulder.

I'm one of those who prefers the drive south to north. As other have said, the other way is pretty scary in places.

Sept. and Oct. are my favorite times on the CA coast. Less fog chances, and usually mild to warm. Hwy 1 is pretty either direction, although I was one of those North to South people. Great for the passenger, not so good for the driver, LOL.

Well first of all I want to thank you all for your recommendations and advise - it has been invaluable. I have some tenative travel plans and a few more questions.
We are arriving in LA on 5/20 - we decided on driving north so I could enjoy the view and my wife would feel safer ;-) . Our current (tenative) plan is to l spend saturday night in Santa Barabra. Then drive to Cambria and spend the following 2 nights there. tuesday night would be in Big Sur , wednesday night in Monterey , thursday night in Half Moon bay or a small beach community just north of that , and finally friday night in San Fransisco.
Our main interests are walking the beach and hiking the parks - we are not really driven to see the sights of the towns.
I stll have questions about lodging though - I have researched the forums here and there seems to be a fair amount of info on Santa Barbara and Cambria but I am looking for more recomendations for the Big Sur/Monetery/San Fransisco parea art out trip - can anyone offer some advice?
Also any comments about lenght of stay (ie cambria)would be appreciated - only thing set in stone at this point is the arrival and departure dates and the covertible we rented ;-) thank you all for your recommendations

We drove from LA to SF several years ago in August. It was beautiful. We made two mistakes - 1. not booking our hotels in advance, thinking we were not sure where we wanted to stop - BIG MISTAKE, hard to find a hotel on the spur. 2. Not eating lunch in San Luis Obispo because there is no where to stop and eat after San Luis Obispo until you are close to Carmel. I would love to go again! Enjoy!

Actually, there are several places to eat between San Luis Obispo and Carmel. Cambria, Ragged Point, Lucia, Nepenthe, Big Sur.

But yeah, you will never find lodging without reservations in summertime.

I don't understand you request about recommendations for Monterey (& Carmel), and San Francisco. There is probably more travel info written about SF than any place in the US - except for maybe NYC. Lots of info about Carmel/Monterey also. What are you looking for???

Stu Dudley

Blue Whale Inn in Cambria and Vagabond's House in Carmel are exceptional B&Bs. I have posted trip reports with photos on both of them on www.tripadvisor.com

Just one thing - many places along the coast require 2-night stays on weekends. So you may have to hunt for a place in santa Barbara that will let you stay just the one night.