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Pacific Coast Highway questions....

post #1 of 9
11/4/11 at 6:11pm
Thread Starter 

One of the most enjoyable times in my life

was traveling the Pacific Coast Highway

between San Francisco and Los Angeles.

 

Done it twice, both in a period of two days.

 

I am going to be in San Francisco next week

and for a short day trip, I would like to spend

4 hours driving that highway again.  The plan

is to drive 2 hours south or north from San

Francisco and then turn around.

 

Really don't want to spend more than 4 hours

total driving.

 

Now, I could go south.  However, I don't think

there is really much to the highway until you

hit the Big Sur, which is a 4-hour drive south.

 

Would I be better off going North for 2 hours?

 

I am really interested in the winding roads in

the cliffs that give you a nice ariel view of the

ocean.  Not certain if you get that in the first

2 hours south.  Perhaps going North towards

Fort Bragg would be the better option.

 

Anyone familiar with the highway drive have

any advice to offer?

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post #2 of 9
11/4/11 at 6:36pm

$.02:  If it were me, I'd definitely go north this time.  I'm not intimately familiar with the views along the highway up there, but you can see Point Reyes and Bodega Bay (Hitchcock and John Carpenter country), and on the way there or back, you might also have time to drive Mt. Tamalpais, Muir Woods, etc., all very beautiful and very dramatic. 

 

I have no idea about traffic considerations.

 

But you're right, going south you'd barely make it to anywhere decent before using up the time.

 

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post #3 of 9
11/4/11 at 7:52pm
Come on guys? confused.gif ( smile.gifsmile.gif ) Devil's Slide, Half Moon Bay, Pescadero...Santa Cruz! Ya don't think those are even decent? confused.gif

But you're right. If you've already done South then go North! The Golden Gate Bridge (don't forget the $6), San Quentin prison, Mill Valley, Mt Tamalpias, Muir Woods, Stinson Beach, Point Reyes Station, Tomales, Bodega bay. 4 hours won't be enough. Rent a convertible.
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post #4 of 9
11/5/11 at 5:36am
I'm with Chas. The drive north of Stinson Beach is gorgeous. Tomales Bay, which runs alongside the highway, is the most visible part of the San Andreas fault in that area.

If you go to Bodega Bay make sure you drive out to Bodega Head. It was cool to stand on another plate and we got to see whales migrating.
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post #5 of 9
11/5/11 at 6:14am
Thread Starter 

Thanks for the help, guys.

 

Looks like within a 2-hour one-way timeframe

I can make it up as far as Bodega Bay and drive

out to the head.

 

That may be the game plan.

 

Gene mentioned San Quentin, but that's on the

opposite side of the map from Route 1.

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post #6 of 9
11/5/11 at 9:28am
Ya, San Quentin is a bit off HWY 1 but everyone who goes up the coast seems to be interested in where it is so I thought I'd toss it in there.

And when I said 4 hours isn't enough it's because if you make it to Bodega Bay you're going to want to keep going. I've made the drive all the way up to near Portland Oregon several times using hwy 1 to 101 and it's a beautiful drive all the way there. And I retrack my "rent a convertible" statement. The best weather in the Bay Area is Sept. through Oct. so you've missed it by a couple of weeks. Been getting a bit chilly (for us anyway blush.gif ) around here lately.

And if anyone ever finds their way to Portland Or you need to take a drive through their wine country and out to their coast. Absolutely beautiful. But do it in the summer months.
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post #7 of 9
11/5/11 at 1:45pm
Much of southern Marin county is very built up - it's a rich person's bedroom community for San Francisco. The section of Hwy. 1 north of the bridge up to around Stinson beach can be a traffic jam on many occasions, although maybe not at this time of year. If you are limited by time, you may do better sticking to Hwy 101 for a few miles north and then cut-over to the coast highway later on. You could cut over at Novato or Petaluma. To me the scenic part is mostly along the Sonoma county coast anyway. Stop by for dinner in Occidental on the way back at the Union Hotel.

I suggest you google image search on "sonoma coast".
Edited by Dennis Nicholls - 11/5/11 at 2:16pm
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post #8 of 9
11/12/11 at 9:32am
We have friends that live in Cambria and family that lives in Monterey. We have open invitations to visit any time. On average, we drive the section of PCH between Morro Bay and Monterey about 3 times a year. Usually, we do it in a top down convertible (Mazda Miata). We've driven tens of thousands of miles in our little roadster, including the full length of Route 66 and some of the most scenic spots in America. When it comes to drop-dead gorgeous scenery mixed with a bit of twisty road, Pacific Coast Highway is at the top of the list. We feel very lucky that the start of the experience is only about 5-6 hours away!

Way back in 1982, Cathy and I honeymooned in Carmel, CA and then drove down the coast with stops in San Simeon, Morro Bay, and Solvang. For our 30th anniversary next year, we've decided we want to drive PCH and visit those towns yet again, plus more. We plan to take two weeks, if not three, and drive at least as far north as Bodega Bay. We won't have any set timetable. We'll spend as much time as we want, where we want, and reserve the next night's accommodations one day in advance. I offered to take Cathy on a cruise or visit a foreign land but she said she'd rather drive up and down California's beautiful coast and enjoy the many restaurants, shops, and nice hotel rooms or B&Bs with a view of the ocean. Her wish is my command! smile.gif

Mark
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post #9 of 9
11/12/11 at 2:03pm
Thread Starter 

Dennis,

 

I should have followed your advice.

 

The trip along coastal highway 1 was wasted for 

a good portion of my trip this morning due to the

fact that I chose to stop off at Murien Woods and

Stinton Beach.

 

Don't get me wrong, both those stops were amazing.

However, those trips caused me to stick to the 

coastal highway which from Stinton Beach on up to

Point Reyes, was just boring inland winding roads

through forrest areas.  

 

It wasn't until just beyond Point Reyes where the

coastal highway hugged Tomales Bay, which was

absolutely gorgeous.  I stayed on that route up until

Tomales, where the highway moved inland and I 

decided to pull off.

 

However, looking at the map now, if I had stayed

on Highway 1 for another hour, I would have come

to Bodega Bay and Sonoma Beach, which I think 

is the areas you said were the nicest along that route.

 

Next time I will take Highway 101 to Petaluma and

then cross over, cutting out all the unnecessary 

traveling on the coastal highway and hitting the points

that I missed.

 

Thanks for the advice.  Wish I had fully taken

advantage of it.

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