California Route 1 Roadtrip Itinerary

Ever dreamed of driving California’s magnificent, cliff-hugging Pacific Coast Highway (sometimes referred to as ‘Highway 1′)? Then look no further than this guide of the stops you can’t miss when driving the scenic route through the state.

The following recommendations are listed as you drive South on the highway starting in Pacifica, which is a town directly southwest of San Francisco.

Stop 1: Tacos and surfers in Pacifica

If you start your journey in Pacifica, you should stop for breakfast at the most scenic Taco Bell in the world. Yes, kind of a weird thing to mention, but this Taco Bell has a beautiful fireplace AND is literally on the beach with perfect views of the locals surfing at Pacifica State Beach. It’s number one on this Taco Bell list of most scenic!

Stop 2: Brews at Half Moon Bay Brewing Company

Pull off the highway and take a pit stop in Half Moon Bay, an unassuming town along the coast. Half Moon Bay is famous for it’s annual Mavericks surf competition, which brings out the best of the best in the surf world. It also has a fog horn that sounds every 10 seconds, so maybe don’t spend the night if you are a light sleeper. Half Moon Bay Brewing has a splendid patio with a large menu of brews and American fare. Also, they have a dog menu!

Stop 3: Ano Nuevo Elephant Seal Sanctuary

There are only a few Elephant Seal sanctuaries in California, and this is one of them! You do need to make a reservation to take a docent led tour to the beach, however, you will get very close to these amazing animals and walk away amazed with knowledge from the local volunteers. If you can’t get a reservation or don’t have time for the 1-2 hour tour, then you can wait until you get to Cambria (later in this post) to see some elephant seals. The best time to see the seals is in the winter, as this is when they mate and give birth so you can see lots of pups and angsty males fighting!

Stop 4: Santa Cruz West Cliff Drive and Humble Sea Brewing Co

There’s a lot to do in Santa Cruz, but for some quick highlights on a road trip I recommend 2 things:

• Park in the neighborhood and walk along West Cliff Drive, taking in the beautiful views of the sea as well as the surfers!
• Not far (though you probably want to get back in your car), pop by Humble Sea Brewing Co for some of the haziest IPAs you can find in the USA. Grab a couple growlers for later (please don’t drink and drive!).

Stop 5: Elkhorn Slough and Moss Landing

If you have the time, Moss Landing has a quiet inlet where you can rent kayaks and see some amazing wildlife up close, including sea lions, sea otters, herons, and much more.

Stop 6: Walk around downtown Carmel and down to the beach

Carmel beach is one of the most pristine, white sand beaches in Northern California. While you are in town, meander the adorable, if not posh, downtown and admire the million dollar homes between the beach and the main drag. I recommend Pangaea Grill for lunch.

Stop 7: Entering Big Sur at Bixby Creek Bridge

Now we get to the really good stuff. A lot of the appeal of Route 1 is the section through Big Sur. It’s the California you dream of when you dream of driving a convertible, top down, hugging cliffs and trying not to look down the drop! One of the most famous pullouts in Big Sur is the Bixby Creek Bridge. it’s a beautiful piece of architectural engineering and also features famously in the hit TV show Big Little Lies. The pullouts to snap a photo are on the north side of the bridge, so try not to miss it!

Stop 8: McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Another classic Big Sur spot is the waterfall into the sea at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. You can park on the road (North of the park) or in the park itself if you get lucky (there’s about 10 spots). You can then either view the falls from the road or walk into the park and take a short, 0.25 mile roundtrip trek under the highway to a trail that offers amazing views of the falls. There’s also a clean restroom at the park which is good since there aren’t a ton of places to stop south of the park. Sadly, many of the trails in this park are closed due to wildfire damage (as of January 2021).

Stop 9: Esalen Institute

This is just an ‘if you do’t know, now you know’ little tidbit – the amazing Esalen Institute offers weekend, weeklong, and month long programs (for a steep price). Esalen is known for their hot springs, but the only way to access the hot springs is by participating in one of their retreats. If you can’t afford it (or don’t want to), they make their hot pools available to the public every night from 1am-3am (of note, they are not open during the COVID-19 pandemic). These pools can be accessed via a reservation system and allow you to soak to your hearts content, in the middle of the night, watching the moon and stars and listening to the pounding surf below. I highly recommend the experience, and if you happen to already be exploring Big Sur, this is a great, once in a lifetime thing to do!

Stop 10: anywhere you can find a safe spot!

The rest of the road until you get to Cambria pretty much hugs the coastline carefully, with a couple of un-named pullouts. Enjoy the views but be safe when you park to make sure you are out of the way of cars and that you aren’t in a rockslide area!

Stop 11: Elephant Seal Vista Point and Cambria

If you missed the elephant seals in Ano Nuevo, you can check them out with ease here at this pullout on the side of the road. There is a short boardwalk where you can observe the elephant seals below, snoozing and making all kinds of weird noises! Grab a meal or drink in cute downtown Cambria when you’re done.

Stop 12: Morro Bay

This beautiful beach is famous for Morro Rock on the southern tip, which makes for great photos!

Beyond Morro Bay, there are many beautiful seaside towns you can visit including:

• San Luis Obispo – great main drag and shops with the Mission in the center of town
• Pismo Beach – great place for beach tacos!
• Santa Barbara – with a historic downtown and classic mission settler architecture
• Malibu – intense cliffs, beautiful homes, and surfers!
• Santa Monica – beautiful pier and beach with shops, restaurants and hotels nearby

Route 1 stops a the southern tip of LA. It also goes all the way up the coast north of San Francisco for a little over 200 miles, but that’s a post for another time. Enjoy your roadtrip!