Planning a drive down the PCH can seem overwhelming. See below our itinerary for a week along the PCH with the highlights and the locations we would skip.
Highlights:
Point Lobos State Nature Preserve
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Stops along 17-mile drive (touristy but beautiful)
Moonstone Beach
Belle Notte in Santa Cruz
Marina Beach Hotel in Santa Barbara.
Capitola – cute little town along the coast. Worth a stop for a meal.
Walking around Hermosa and Redondo beaches
Mother/daughter shopping at the Grove
Skip it:
Warner Brothers studio tour. Not worth it unless you are a huge fan of the related TV shows/movies.
Visit to Hollywood Sign. Overrated although we did enjoy Griffith Observatory.
Santa Monica Pier. Crowded, difficult to park, and not worth it.
Santa Barbara whale watch. Not really their fault but no whales (go whale-watching when you visit Maine)
Kayak trip in Morrow Bay. Supposed to be beginner-friendly but it was not. We are experienced kayakers and we were so focused on keeping up with the leaders we couldn’t enjoy the wildlife. One woman ended up getting towed by the leaders.
Ano Nuevo State Park. Long, hot, not very interesting trail to try to see some sea life. There are much better options further south on the PCH.
Itinerary:
Fly to San Francisco
Night 1: Hotel Caza |1300 Columbus Avenue, San Francisco CA 94133
San Francisco to Santa Cruz via Felton
Pier 39, Fisherman’s Wharf
Golden Gate Bridge
Ano Nuevo State Park (Skip it)
Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
Night 2: Belle Notte | 21304 East Cliff Drive, Santa Cruz, CA 95062 (Highly recommend!)
Santa Cruz to Monterey
Monterey Kayaks (not a beginner’s tour!)
17-mile drive
Night 3: Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa | Conf # 153034490 | 400 Cannery Row, Monterey, CA 93940
Monterey to Big Sur/Ragged Point
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Pfeiffer Beach
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park – easy trail to McWay Waterfall
Night 4: Ragged Point Inn| 19019 Highway 1, Ragged Point, CA 93452 (Good stopping point, beautiful but difficult trail down to water behind inn)
Ragged Point to Morro Bay
Elephant Seal Vista Point (TONS of elephant seals)
Moonstone Beach Drive
Cayucos Pier
Estero Bluffs State Park
Cayucos State Beach
Embarcadero
Morro Rock, Morro Bay State Park
Night 5: 456 Embarcardero | 456 Embarcadero Blvd, Morro Bay, CA 93442
Morro Bay to Santa Barbara
Montana de Oro State Park, Spooner’s Cove, Natural Estuary
Night 6: Marina Beach Motel | 21 Bath St, Santa Barbara, CA 93101 (Highly recommend!)
Santa Barbara to LA
Whale Watch: Santa Barbara, Condor Express (Fun, but no whales)
Santa Monica Pier (Skip it)
Beaches (Redondo, Hermosa, etc.)
Warner Bros Studio Tour (Skip it)
Night 7: The Portofino Hotel & Marina | Conf 1T46V1 | 260 Redondo Way, Redondo Beach, CA 90277
RETURN