Travel time: Pacifica to San Simeon
 

Hello !
On Thursday, June 21st, we will be driving from Pacifica to San Simeon (Hearst Castle), what would be a reasonable amount of time this would take condisering traffic along hwy 1 and that the only stops we would be making would be to eat/get gas/and some scenic areas....(I would make reservations for the castle, the latest one available is at 3:20) Thanks !

According to maps.google.com (which I find to be very reliable) it is 220 miles and 4 hours to San Simeon from Pacifica via Monterey and Big Sur (and without Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay).

Hmmm...4 hours is _very_ conservative. And there are sooooooo many wonderful places to see along Highway One -- I'd suggest you give it at least 6 hours.

They don't call it a "scenic route" for nothing! 8-)

Time your drive to allow for lunch at Nepenthe in Big Sur. Great food, good service, and awesome views.

--auntie maria
www.mele.com

220 miles on hwy 1 would take mere humans more than 4 hours w/o any traffic. I would give it a <b>minimum</b> 6 hours if you wanted to stop anywhere at all. It really should be an all day drive if you want to see anything along the way - but 6 hours is reasonable w/ a lunch break and a few stops for photo ops.

If you can spare the time, I would try to just do the drive on one day and visit the castle the following day when you're not as tired from the long trip.

I would say to allow 5 to 6 hours. It's a beautiful drive, so do stop at intervals to take some pictures/see some vistas/etc. Although much of the drive will often seem remote, please observe the 55mph speed limit as it is heavily patrolled by California Highway Patrol, various county sheriffs divisions, and even state conservation/state parks enforcement. Use your headlights at all times for safety -- it's mostly just 2-way (single lane each way), sometimes going in and out of fog, with lots of tourists doing unexpected things! Of course the drop-off on your right side is something you don't want to go over! Watch out for bicyclists also. If you want to stop and look at something, get <b>completely</b> off the roadway as quickly as possible (not the shoulder, not where there are &quot;no stopping at anytime&quot; signs). Be especially careful when you leave Pacifica and go through Devil's Slide -- the driver needs to really concentrate but the passenger(s) will have an awesome view.

The information I gave about distances and driving time is correct for the stated routing; poohing-poohing it doesn't change the facts.

The drive time is not for 220 miles on Highway 1, and it does not include unknown amounts of time that may be spent for dining, sightseeing, etc.

Lets break it down using speed limits:

Pacifica to San Jose, if you take Hwy 280 to 85 to 17, roughly 40 miles assuming no traffic and 65 mph, - 35 minutes.

San Jose to Santa Cruz - Hwy 17, 22 miles at 50mph - 25-30 minutes.

Santa Cruz to Monterey - Hwy 1, about 40 miles, at 60 mph average (some parts are 65, some are 55) - 40 minutes

Monterey to San Simeon - Hwy 1, about 90 miles at an average of 40 mph (not sure what the speed limit is, but an average of 40 mph sounds right) - 135 minutes.

Grand total: Exactly 4 hours

Hey Happytrails, I guess you DO know what you are talking about :)

And I think the no traffic assumption is ok. This will be middle of the week, so if they leave after say 9 am, they shouldn't hit any commute traffic. There may be a little going through Santa Cruz, but it should be minimal. They may hit some slowdowns through Big Sur - not sure how the road work is coming along near Lucia. Last time I went through there, there were 1 way traffic controls. We were stuck for awhile, but everyone just got out of their cars and enjoyed the view. What a horrible place to have to stop for awhile ;)