We will be driving up the coast (via Hwy 1) after our stay in LA on our way up to Napa. We will have one night to stop somewhere on the way up. Since we have one night and there is quite a bit of driving - will we be able to stop anywhere along the way? I've been told we really won't have time. I'm not sure the total drive time via Hwy 1...We had hoped to visit Hearst Castle or perhaps visit Carmel but that might be too much...Suggestions? We are flexible as to where we stay that night.

It would be possible to stop in the vicinity of Hearst Castle the first night and take an early tour and then head up SR 1 to the Bay Area and then Napa. San Simeon to Napa would be about six hours.

There are alternatives from Monterey to Napa, basically through SF or through East Bay, East Bay would probably be the fastest. :-B

If I understand you correctly, you are basically taking 2 full days to drive from LA to Napa, with one night on the road. This represents something like 10 hours of driving (via Hwy 1), so I think it should be no problem to pick one stop along the way.

The problem with Hearst Castle is that it is fairly close to LA, leaving you with the bulk of the driving on the 2nd day. I think spending the night in Monterey/Carmel would make for a more pleasant trip overall. You can have a lovely dinner, then spend a half day the next day as you like before heading up to Napa.

ctscottula,

Just re-read your post. Sounds as if you want to see the most scenic part of highway 1. Given your limited time I would suggest taking highway 1 up to Monterey and from there taking scenic highway 17 to 280 then 680 to 12 into Napa. A morning of Hearst Castle seems reasonable followed by a leisurely drive up highway 1 to Monterey. You could stop off in Monterey or Carmel for lunch on the way to Napa.

Just to follow up since our trip is soon approaching...if we take hwy 1...my understanding is that it can take approx. 8-9 hours to get to carmel/monterey from LA. Is that correct? If so, would it be better to stop in Cambria for the night and then the next day stop in carmel on our way to napa? We can do the 8 hour drive (if that's what it is). I'd really like to see Carmel.