Please help me determine length of time needed for this SoCal drive.
 

Hello to all. I tried to figure this out on Mapquest but they take me on the fastest route when I want the scenic route. I want to drive from San Diego to L.A. in one leisurely day along the coast. I've read on here that certain stretches are more worthwhile than others.

So if I leave S.D. early in the A.M., drive PCH 1 to Laguna, then back to the Freeway until Santa Monica, and back to Highway 1 through Malibu, how long would this take me, considering stopping for lunch at some point and, of course, pictures?

Am considering visiting the San Juan Capistrano Mission also, but only if time allows.

Also, I read on here that Mullholand Drive from the sea to West Hollywood offers spectacular scenery. I don't know right now how far past Malibu this road meets up with the ocean, but could I make this part of the drive? I understand there's a stretch of Mulholland that is not paved... can I bypass this section and meet up with it again on the other side? I don't have a detailed map yet, but I'm gonna get one. I'm just looking for advice and opinions from the knowledgeable Fodors crew.

Many thanks!

Sandi

I don't think PCH is continuous out of San Diego-- I tried it once and ended up schlepping through La Jolla (not a bad thing, unless you're in a hurry to get home to Long Beach). Basically, I'd do the following:

-- Take I-5 out of SD into southern Orange County, then head into San Juan Capistrano (45 minutes to an hour, maybe). You can catch PCH out of SJC.

-- Take PCH up through Laguna (NOTE: you may hit car & pedestrian traffic through its downtown), Newport, Huntington and Seal Beaches. You should get your fix of Pretty Ocean Vistas. Head to I-405 in eastern Long Beach-- off of PCH you'll make a right at Second Street/Westminster, and just follow the signs to I-405 North.
This is about an hour drive.

-- Follow I-405 N to I-10 west (toward Santa Monica), and this will turn back into PCH at the ocean. Take this up to Malibu, and you'll have more Pretty Ocean Vistas. I'm guessing roughly 90 minutes for this little jaunt (it's been years since I've gone to Malibu).

This avoids the worst sections of PCH (West Long Beach, Wilmington, Lincoln Blvd). My guesstimate, totalling it up, is 3 1/2 hours of driving.

I haven't done the Mulholland Drive thing. Frankly, I'm not someone who seeks out scenic drives any more-- I spend too much time in the car commuting to really enjoy driving as a hobby!

You can drive from Pacific Beach in San Diego to Oceanside on the coast road, via La Jolla, Del Mar, Solana Beach, Cardiff, Encinitas, Carlsbad. On Mapquest, you need to click on the "avoid highways" button. You have to return to I-5 at Oceanside to get through Camp Pendleton.

I knew Barbara would come through...! :)

How much time would that be up to Oceanside? The rest of the way to SJC couldn't be more than 30-40 minutes....

Maybe about an hour an a half. Of course, it depends on the traffic! There should be some nice coffee places en route, leaving lunch for the OC part of the trip!

Thanks, Barbara and RJW, for the help here, and also for your help in an earlier topic I posted about some hotels. I appreciate so much the personal advice and information on this board.

And I can't seem to locate the Mapquest function for scenic routes vs. the fastest route... am I blind?

Any thoughts out there on the Mullholand Drive section of my route?

Thanks again!

Try freetrip.com...I believe there is a place to mark for avoiding (or not avoiding) scenic routes which MAY help you. I do know it's a great site for planning a road trip when you want to know the hotels along the way!

On Mapquest, get "driving directions", not route planner. You can get them from town to town, you don't have to put in specific streets. I tried it with San Diego and Oceanside. There is a tab "avoid highways" which gives you the route without using the freeways.

i'd head out of san diego via pch 1 up to oceanside. there you will have to go on freeway 5 for a short period. then i'd turn off at dana point/laguna beach and stop for a break in laguna beach (an early lunch maybe). it's a nice place to walk around for a bit.