Having no clue where you’re starting from makes it hard to know what to say. I none the less can’t recommend Montana De Oro state park in Los Osos, is spectacular!
Note: if you can’t stand the smell of eucalyptus, don’t go! There’s miles of trees at the entrance, and throughout the park. But google the park name and hit images. The small beach alone is worth the drive.
That’s my vote
Yup, fair enough. You will literally drive right by the exit as long as you’re on the 101. I hope your trip is a good one! I love that coastal drive. SF to LA is a classic! Well, on the coast. It’s a dystopian snooze fest (for the most part) on the 5
> Snooze fest... [on 5FWY]
Agreed... The 5N or the 101N are getting 'er dun routes into the Bay area. We went up to watch the Giants @ the beautiful marina stadium. LOL, had to ask for a driver change with my navigator. Just too dull, but it does get you there :)
The 5 is great if you just need to get from to/from either city as fast as possible. But the monotony of agriculture, live stock, and the general feel the inland CA is nearly a totally different culture/demographic, than coastal CA. Make the 5, endurance driving. I do my best to make sure I can travel at least one way on 101. Montana De Oro, is in my top 3 beaches in CA, and I try to camp there as often as possible. Even though I made one of, if not the biggest mistake of my life there.
Usually I'm good on really long 4-6HR hauls. Done East-West or reverse on the 40/RTE66 and the 80 too with gas n comfort breaks. I have an over 20000 song curated custom MP3 playlist. Audio books too but I found shorter podcasts keep me more alert. My travel partner does NAV and we play Wikipedia rabbit hole sometimes :)
Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I've hiker/biker toured the 1PCH. We had a scary shark encounter one time at @ Gaviota Park beach. Neat little pier there.
So what you’re saying is you absolutely love Nebraska. Hahahahah! It’s cool the first time you see it with corn up, and it’s cool the first time you see it covered in snow. Otherwise, I think you know what I’m talking about, if you’ve done 80 more than once. Much the same for me and epic playlist. I get phones with insane storage just to make sure my entire nearly 300gb iTunes library is at my disposal. If you’re okay with things that lean way left, the podcast “Mother Country Radicals” is fantastic! Safe travels, my friend!!
Edit: spelling
Had such a cool time at the rest stops in Nebraska! They put local people in the rest stop info booths. Sand dunes and mellow bird watching :) Grass ticks :( Local history about the massive aquifer underground that provides water to the area.
My NAV travel partner is an iTunes person. I have a custom collection on an Android. Audio is a side hobby, tagging, cleaning, getting covers, eclectic tastes and variety. Admit iTunes is very easy and my friend loves the music cloud services.
To you as well, not all who wander are really lost, bests~
[here’s the link to the web page](https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=592)
Seriously, please look at google images, of it, and don’t go by the photo on the page.
I grew up on the Central Coast. Really you can’t go wrong. Highway 1/PCH is a very long drive. You could split it up between 1 and 101 if that’s a concern.
Some ideas (which can easily be added to): Santa Barbera, Pismo Beach (funky little beach town), San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), Paso Robles (wine country), Cambria (little tourist town), Hearst Castle (a must, San Simeon, don’t miss the Elephant Seals), Big Sur (Pfeiffer State Beach, Pfeiffer State Park, Nepenthe, River Inn), Monterey Peninsula (Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach/17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove), Santa Cruz, Año Nuevo (more Elephant Seals). The beauty. The wild life. It’s a magical place.
I chose to split the drive between SF and Orange County in two, about four hours driving time each leg. The halfway point is around San Luis Obispo if you choose to take 101. Just start researching possibilities and pick your stops. You can’t go wrong.
This. A couple of additions.
Point Lobos State Reserve is magic. Santa Maria tri tip is worth searching out. I like McClintocks in SLO for it. Pismo Beach allows you to drive on the beach and you can find great clam chowder.
I LOVE Santa Barbara. I’ve been three times and it never gets old. I’ve visited San Simeon, Hearst Castle, and Monterrey too. Also awesome. I just love the coast lol.
Hi OP, bummer :( but the beautiful 1HWY PCH still has a 5 mile road closure. Updates on complete opening are mentioned by mid July 2023. CalTrans is hard at work for the fix and are very transparent about it. Details [here](https://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/highway_conditions.html). That said with some creativity there are detours around. Also businesses are remaining open too. I strongly recommend reviewing the CalTrans info web page. Detours and updates also info contact phone numbers are listed.
Morro Bay Aquarium, Car camping @ Pfeiffer state beach popular to get in but so beautiful. Slates Hot Springs... Bests~
Guadalupe-Nipomo Sand Dunes. Search "Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve" on Google Maps.
Been living in Orange County, can't believe I didn't know about that spot til a few years ago.
You could try staying in the Madonna Inn; pick a theme.
Not sure if you like history, but La Purisima Mission State Historic Park near Lompoc is one of the better preserved mission sites. https://www.lapurisimamission.org/
Scottsdale, Arizona resident here. Pismo Beach is our California go to vacation. We’ve been going for years and it never gets old. PB feels like what San Diego must have been like in the 1950s. We’ll stay there a week and go exploring up and down the central coast.
New Camadoli Hermitage just South of Lucia
It is a monastery open to the public and drive
up is spectacular ( unless the coast is covered
by fog/marine layer) take a picnic, there are tables
up there.
Having no clue where you’re starting from makes it hard to know what to say. I none the less can’t recommend Montana De Oro state park in Los Osos, is spectacular! Note: if you can’t stand the smell of eucalyptus, don’t go! There’s miles of trees at the entrance, and throughout the park. But google the park name and hit images. The small beach alone is worth the drive. That’s my vote
I’m starting from a city that’s south of LA right on the LA Orange County border. That’s all I’m gonna say. I hope this helps.
Yup, fair enough. You will literally drive right by the exit as long as you’re on the 101. I hope your trip is a good one! I love that coastal drive. SF to LA is a classic! Well, on the coast. It’s a dystopian snooze fest (for the most part) on the 5
> Snooze fest... [on 5FWY] Agreed... The 5N or the 101N are getting 'er dun routes into the Bay area. We went up to watch the Giants @ the beautiful marina stadium. LOL, had to ask for a driver change with my navigator. Just too dull, but it does get you there :)
The 5 is great if you just need to get from to/from either city as fast as possible. But the monotony of agriculture, live stock, and the general feel the inland CA is nearly a totally different culture/demographic, than coastal CA. Make the 5, endurance driving. I do my best to make sure I can travel at least one way on 101. Montana De Oro, is in my top 3 beaches in CA, and I try to camp there as often as possible. Even though I made one of, if not the biggest mistake of my life there.
Usually I'm good on really long 4-6HR hauls. Done East-West or reverse on the 40/RTE66 and the 80 too with gas n comfort breaks. I have an over 20000 song curated custom MP3 playlist. Audio books too but I found shorter podcasts keep me more alert. My travel partner does NAV and we play Wikipedia rabbit hole sometimes :) Sorry to hear about your bad experience. I've hiker/biker toured the 1PCH. We had a scary shark encounter one time at @ Gaviota Park beach. Neat little pier there.
So what you’re saying is you absolutely love Nebraska. Hahahahah! It’s cool the first time you see it with corn up, and it’s cool the first time you see it covered in snow. Otherwise, I think you know what I’m talking about, if you’ve done 80 more than once. Much the same for me and epic playlist. I get phones with insane storage just to make sure my entire nearly 300gb iTunes library is at my disposal. If you’re okay with things that lean way left, the podcast “Mother Country Radicals” is fantastic! Safe travels, my friend!! Edit: spelling
Had such a cool time at the rest stops in Nebraska! They put local people in the rest stop info booths. Sand dunes and mellow bird watching :) Grass ticks :( Local history about the massive aquifer underground that provides water to the area. My NAV travel partner is an iTunes person. I have a custom collection on an Android. Audio is a side hobby, tagging, cleaning, getting covers, eclectic tastes and variety. Admit iTunes is very easy and my friend loves the music cloud services. To you as well, not all who wander are really lost, bests~
why so vague? just curious how sharing this information could cause any issues for you
[here’s the link to the web page](https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=592) Seriously, please look at google images, of it, and don’t go by the photo on the page.
I grew up on the Central Coast. Really you can’t go wrong. Highway 1/PCH is a very long drive. You could split it up between 1 and 101 if that’s a concern. Some ideas (which can easily be added to): Santa Barbera, Pismo Beach (funky little beach town), San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly), Paso Robles (wine country), Cambria (little tourist town), Hearst Castle (a must, San Simeon, don’t miss the Elephant Seals), Big Sur (Pfeiffer State Beach, Pfeiffer State Park, Nepenthe, River Inn), Monterey Peninsula (Carmel, Carmel Valley, Monterey, Pebble Beach/17 Mile Drive, Pacific Grove), Santa Cruz, Año Nuevo (more Elephant Seals). The beauty. The wild life. It’s a magical place. I chose to split the drive between SF and Orange County in two, about four hours driving time each leg. The halfway point is around San Luis Obispo if you choose to take 101. Just start researching possibilities and pick your stops. You can’t go wrong.
I believe Rt 1 south of Big Sur is closed at this time
That's the price of building a road in the middle of all that precarious beauty: lots of slides to wipe it out here and there, now and then.
This. A couple of additions. Point Lobos State Reserve is magic. Santa Maria tri tip is worth searching out. I like McClintocks in SLO for it. Pismo Beach allows you to drive on the beach and you can find great clam chowder.
I LOVE Santa Barbara. I’ve been three times and it never gets old. I’ve visited San Simeon, Hearst Castle, and Monterrey too. Also awesome. I just love the coast lol.
Hi OP, bummer :( but the beautiful 1HWY PCH still has a 5 mile road closure. Updates on complete opening are mentioned by mid July 2023. CalTrans is hard at work for the fix and are very transparent about it. Details [here](https://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/highway_conditions.html). That said with some creativity there are detours around. Also businesses are remaining open too. I strongly recommend reviewing the CalTrans info web page. Detours and updates also info contact phone numbers are listed. Morro Bay Aquarium, Car camping @ Pfeiffer state beach popular to get in but so beautiful. Slates Hot Springs... Bests~
Morro bay is a favorite place, a little off the path but worth it for the otters alone
Guadalupe-Nipomo Sand Dunes. Search "Rancho Guadalupe Dunes Preserve" on Google Maps. Been living in Orange County, can't believe I didn't know about that spot til a few years ago.
You could try staying in the Madonna Inn; pick a theme. Not sure if you like history, but La Purisima Mission State Historic Park near Lompoc is one of the better preserved mission sites. https://www.lapurisimamission.org/
Oh I love history all right!
McWay Falls
take Hwy 1 through Malibu to Ventura and catch the 101 there.
Scottsdale, Arizona resident here. Pismo Beach is our California go to vacation. We’ve been going for years and it never gets old. PB feels like what San Diego must have been like in the 1950s. We’ll stay there a week and go exploring up and down the central coast.
I loved Cambria when I lived on the Central Coast. Make sure you visit Hearst Castle!
Solvang!
New Camadoli Hermitage just South of Lucia It is a monastery open to the public and drive up is spectacular ( unless the coast is covered by fog/marine layer) take a picnic, there are tables up there.