Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) – Part 1

Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is a major North-South state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At a total of just over 655.8 miles (1,055.4 km), it is the longest state route in California. The Pacific Coast Highway is well known as one of the most scenic drives in the world. Starting from San Francisco and stretching all the way down to Los Angeles, this route takes around ten hours to complete. When it comes to America’s best road trips, it’s hard to beat the Pacific Coast Highway. Driving Highway 1 means hours cruising along stunning bluffs overlooking the Pacific, plus designated vista points for sparkling ocean views.

I have driven the entire PCH couple of times – the first time not knowing all these spectacular places. So when I drive the second time, I made sure I stops in all the important places. It was one of the magnificent drive. Unfortunately, when I went there for the second time, it was foggy, so couldn’t able to enjoy/view much of the ocean. Let me tell  you the important stops while driving the PCH.

Malibu and Ventura:

Started driving from Los Angeles at around 3’o clock in the evening of Friday. Malibu is a beach city in Los Angeles County, California, situated 30 miles west of Downtown Los Angeles. Along the coast of Malibu, there are some best beaches, state parks and nature reserves. The very famous beaches are Point Dume, Zuma and El Matador.

Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California. Ventura lies along PCH between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. Overlooking the city of Ventura stands an old rugged cross with a history that dates back to the founding of the city itself. A Short winding road (1 mile) leads up to the cross and the fabulous views over the town and coast. It’s very peaceful and quiet up there far from the noises of the city.

Solvang is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. It is located in the Santa Ynez Valley. Initially, most of Solvang’s buildings were built in the same style as others in the area. The Lutheran church was the first to be based on Danish architecture and bears a close relationship to Danish equivalents. But after World War II, interest grew in the concept of a “Danish Village”.  You can see a Danish inspired ‘windmill’ in Solvang in the below picture. Its a very beautiful small city that you can at least spend a day or two. There are some nice wine tasting area that you can try. Solvang celebrated its centennial in 2011.

After 4 hours of driving and seeing all those above places, I reached Santa Maria where I stayed. There are some nice hotels and restaurants in Santa Maria. Went to bed early so that I can wake up early next day and start my road trip as early as possible.

Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, in the Central Coast area of California.

Dinosaur Caves Park is a family-friendly park in the Shell Beach area of Pismo Beach, CA. The park has open grass areas, picnic tables, walking paths, ocean overlooks.

San Luis Obispo (SLO) is a city in the U.S. state of California, located roughly midway between Los Angeles and San Francisco on the Central Coast.  Bubblegum Alley is a tourist attraction in downtown San Luis Obispo, California, known for its accumulation of used bubble gum on the walls of an alley. It is a 15-foot (4.6 m) high and 70-foot (21 m) long alley lined with chewed gum left by passers-by. It covers a stretch of 20 meters in the 700 block of Higuera Street in downtown San Luis Obispo.

The Madonna Inn is a motel in San Luis Obispo, California. Opened for business in 1958, it quickly became a landmark on the Central Coast of California. The Inn was created by Alex Madonna, a successful construction magnate and entrepreneur, and his wife Phyllis. The well-known motor inn, which includes a restaurant and bakery, is prominently located on the west side of US Route 101 and situated on the lower eastern portion of Cerro San Luis Obispo.

Morro Bay is a waterfront city in San Luis Obispo County, California located along California State Route 1 on California’s Central Coast. The town’s most striking feature is Morro Rock, a 576 foot high volcanic plug which stands at the entrance to the harbor. Originally it was surrounded by water, but the northern channel was filled in to make the harbor. It was quarried from 1889 to 1969, and in 1968, it was designated a Historical Landmark. Due to fog, I couldn’t able to take a proper picture. There are opportunities for fishing, sailing, golfing and hiking in Morro Bay State Park.

San Simeon is a town and census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. Its position along State Route 1 is approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each of those cities being roughly 230 miles (370 km) away.  Elephant seals on the beach, north of San Simeon.

I had a Lunch at this Mexican Restaurant – El Chorlito. Ordered Chicken Pollo Cilantro and it was awesome. The ocean view was amazing on the backside of this restaurant. BTW, that one is my car..)

Hearst Castle is a National Historic Landmark and California Historical Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan, between 1919 and 1947, as a residence for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1954 it became a California State Park. The site was opened to visitors in 1958. Since that time it has been operated as the Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument where the estate, and its considerable collection of art and antiques, is open for public tours. Despite its location far from any urban center, the site attracts “millions of travelers each year”.

Ragged Point: Drove to Ragged point to stay after an eventful day.

Big Sur/Carmel: The coast is frequently praised for its rugged coastline and mountain views. As the “longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the [contiguous] United States,” it has been described as a “national treasure that demands extraordinary procedures to protect it from development” and “one of the most beautiful coastlines anywhere in the world, an isolated stretch of road, mythic in reputation.” The stunning views make Big Sur a popular tourist destination.

Monterey is a city in the U.S. state of California, on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on California’s Central Coast. It stands at an elevation of 26 feet (8 m) above sea level.

Explore Paso Robles wine country with the wineries of Highway 46 East – a Consortium of 21 wineries located along Highway 46 on the east side of PCH in Paso Robles, California.

I still didn’t see some of the famous spots on the PCH, especially McWay Falls, Carmel-By-Sea and some portion of the Ragged Point as there was a landslide on PCH and they closed some of the state parks. Still need to cover Santa Cruz, Half Moon Bay, Redwood National Park and Mendocino. Hopefully, I’ll cover these places soon.