Ultimate Road Trip on the Pacific Coast Highway
Making all the top 10 ultimate road trip lists is the incredible Highway 1 to Big Sur, California scenic drive. Whether you start your excursion from southern Cali or from the north as we did, you will enjoy some of the most breathtaking scenery this beautiful country has to offer. Miles and miles of stunning coastline will easily make this one of the most memorable journeys you’ve ever been on.
Background story
Our adventure started off in San Francisco as my wife and I flew from Houston to drop off our daughter at the Stanford campus for a summer program. I didn’t really have a plan for this trip other than, let’s just play it by ear once our baby was checked in. Our lodging was booked in Half Moon Bay (about a 25-minute drive from the university), wedding anniversary was the following day, and we had a car rental for 5 days. That was it.
We had just recently returned from our 2-week vacation in Greece (see my posts Greek Sampler, Greek Sampler II, and Greek Sampler III) and here we were taking another trip not 3 weeks later. But this one was different. It was kind of cool and relaxing not having our days set up with activities. From San Franciso we made the ride to the university and waited until 17 texted us that she was registered and with her group and then we drove to Half Moon Bay.
Half Moon Bay – Where we started.
This small city right on the California coast was the perfect staging ground for our soon to be ultimate road trip. It checked all the boxes too. It was charming, not crowded, hotel was right off the beach, and safe! We didn’t want to stay in San Francisco because of all the social problems they’ve been having, and plus, we had already been there before and done all the touristy stuff. Cool Pacific Ocean waves and fresh green forest air was what we were looking for. Half Moon Bay would be our launching point.
It was literally on the drive to Half Moon Bay that we decided to make the Highway 1 to Big Sur expedition the following day. But first, we needed an early dinner and a map to figure out our stops and things we wanted to see. It had been a long day (thanks to United Airlines 4-hour delay at connecting LAX) so we grabbed a map from our hotel and ate at Sam’s Chowder House. Good food, good drinks, and an overcast sky made for a cozy evening.
Ultimate road trip route – Half Moon Bay to McWay Falls
So you’re probably asking yourself, wait a minute, didn’t he say the road trip was to Big Sur? Well I did and it was, but when we were googling some points of interest along the pacific highway, McWay Falls kept coming up. The pictures looked amazing online and with it only being 13 miles further south on hwy 1, I made it the final destination instead. It was every bit as good as advertised! So nice that I made it the featured image on this post. But back to the route, see interactive map below to see ours.
I know that is a lot of stops but they are so worth it, I promise you. If this was a sales pitch I would put the money back guarantee on it, lol. You can do half and still be good. Also, you don’t have to do them all in one direction. We stopped at some in one direction and hit others on the way back. And if you have the time, you can even split it up into days. Speaking of time, you’re probably wondering how long this takes to do round trip. Short answer is all day.
Weather and best time to start the road trip.
This part of California is notorious for thick foggy mornings so do not be in any type of hurry to start your trek. Take your time waking up, have breakfast, get your exercise in, etc. Just don’t take off early like we did because you’re a morning person. That’s not how it works in Northern Cali. As you can see in the above pics from our morning drive, the pics are grey and lacking pop. Leave Half Moon Bay around 10:30 am or so. Check out these pictures from around noon and onwards. Night and day difference!
We were so happy the weather finally cleared up! Unfortunately for us, all of our pics on the way to Big Sur/McWay Falls were overcast but afterwards, we did get an awesome 4- 5 hours before the clouds rolled back in. The sweet spot seems to be 11 am to 4 pm. Another tip regarding weather. In late June when we went the mornings started in the low 50’s and highs only reached 72 so wear a light jacket.
Where to eat in Big Sur – Lunch at Nepenth’s
You’ll work up an appetite from the driving, stopping, and all the getting out at the scenic overlooks. We decided to eat in Big Sur. FYI, Big Sur is not a big town so you won’t find many choices but Nepenth’s pavilion is a good spot to get a well made burger and have a couple of glasses of fantastic California wine. Oh, and the views aren’t too shabby either 😊. Before we caught too big a buzz, it was time to start the return trip.
Ultimate road trip route – Big Sur back to Half Moon Bay
Leaving Big Sur, the weather was so unpredictable the entire way back. As if someone had a light switch with 3 settings for the clouds. Clear, partly cloudy, and thick as molasses were what we got. Mother Nature has a mind of her own in these parts.
Our first stop on the drive back would be the Bixby Creek Bridge. After all, no trip down to Big Sur on Pacific Highway 1 is authentic unless you have a picture of the Bixby Creek Bridge! I mean, you might as well not have gone. Countless car commercials showing the bridge have been filmed here and the entire opening credits of Big Little Lies was shot at this famous bridge.
Once we left the bridge and rounded Monterey Bay, we noticed signs for Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Since we didn’t have any plans for the next day, we made a mental note to come back this way to see the giant redwoods. So many side quests to do on this ultimate road trip on the pacific highway. Oh and before I forget, for all you hikers, there are a bunch of trailheads all up and down this stretch!
Anniversary dinner
That this epic bucket list road trip happened on our anniversary was definitely special. California really does have some of the most stunning coastline in America and we had always wanted to drive it. To experience it with my partner and best friend was memorable. And to celebrate our special occasion we picked a delicious Peruvian restaurant, La Costanera for some amazing food and wine. Our ultimate road trip day was now complete!
California Redwoods off the Pacific Coast Highway
Now that we were pros at the weather over here, we knew to just chill in the morning. We woke up late, had breakfast late, hell everything was late 😂. Today we would leave our hotel around 10:30’ish and headed straight to Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park which we had seen the signs the day before. The route we took was the same Pacific Highway 1 to get there and the drive over there was even more beautiful this day because we didn’t leave as early.
We got to the state park and headed straight to the visitor’s center to get some info and a map. The weather was absolutely perfect and we couldn’t wait to get on the redwoods trailhead just outside. You are immediately floored as soon as you start the trail by the giants lining the walkways. Just incredible trees everywhere you look as if they’re standing guard like the Ents in Lord of the Rings.
Your map will explain every point of interest you visit on the well marked trail. Depending on what part of the country you come from, I can pretty much guarantee you that you have never seen trees this big up close and personal. My wife was literally like “it’s so big”, “I’ve never seen wood this big”, and “how can they grow so much” 😲. Of course there were lots of “that’s what she said” jokes throughout the visit because we’re 12 year olds sometimes. But in all seriousness, this was a worthwhile visit.
Santa Cruz and Twin Lakes Beach
After looking at hard wood most of the late morning/early afternoon (okay I’ll stop), we needed a change of pace and scenery. Close to the state park were the Santa Cruz and Twin Lakes Beach areas so we headed there. The day was still perfect and we were in the mood for some drinks by the water. Some hurricane looking drinks were on tap at the Crow’s Nest restaurant and bar. I don’t remember how many we had but it was enough for us to get souvenir shirts and take home glasses.
I guess we were there for a bit. It was a tranquil early summer afternoon and we were on vacation. Everything was going down smooth. We talked about our ultimate road trip that had just been checked off of our bucket list and what we were going to do the next day. I figured since the drive south on Pacific Highway 1 was so scenic heading south, maybe we should take the drive up north on it now.
My wife agreed! I believe she said, “sure why not, hey can we get another one of these hurricane drinks” or something like that. I looked at our map and found Bodega Bay. It had good reviews, F it, we were going there tomorrow. And that was how our Highway 1 to Big Sur, California scenic drive adventure ended. The Bodega Bay part will be covered in my “Day trips from San Francisco” post coming soon. Thanks for reading!
