Here’s a pdf file of California State Highway #1 - California Pacific Coast Highway Road Map Travel Guide

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A trip to Monterey, Gilroy, Cambria, Big Sur, Santa Barbara and Newport Beach… a beautiful, leisurely drive along the scenic California Highway 1. Visit Drive Along California Highway 1.

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This is a recent article from MSN’s homepage detaling the best scenic drives in the country. Our California coastal drive ranked number 3.

“California’s State Route 1 (aka Highway 1) skirts the Golden State’s glorious Pacific coastline from “So Cal” near San Luis Obispo northwest to the forests of Monterey. While the twists and curves, and occasional precariously-perched cliff-top road, may prove challenging at times (one section has been ominously dubbed Devil’s Slide thanks to landslides and erosion that have occasionally made the road impassable), the magnificent vistas of ocean waves breaking on rocky sea-sculpted shores, windswept beaches dotted by frolicking otters or sea lions, and magnificent forests presiding above it all can rouse even the wariest of drivers behind the wheel. Forays into charming little coastal towns, like Carmel-by-the-Sea and Laguna Beach, as well as into the trilogy of Californian cultural centers at Los Angeles, San Diego and San Francisco, are met by attractions ranging from historic missions to magnificent mansions (don’t miss San Simeon’s mountaintop Hearst Castle). There are also endless opportunities for outdoor recreation, particularly around the Big Sur area, where you can hike through redwood forests, comb the beaches for shells and jade, and camp under the stars.”

We have traveled this road a few times and can attest to its beauty. Other notable places to stop by: Avila Beach, Morro Bay, Cayucos and Cambria. Cambria, where the pines meet the sea, is one of our favorite places. Stroll around the quaint downtown and visit small local shops and eateries. We love Robin’s restaurant and dessert at Linn’s-the best berry pie this side of homemade. It’s an artist community and has a plethora of wonderful art galleries.

If you have time, from Morro Bay take Highway 41 over to Paso Robles for some wine tasting.

View complete article at Highway 1 Drive

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Fantastic Waterfalls and beaches, redwoods, and elephant seals.

I especially enjoyed point lobos, and pfeiffer beach. I think I could live at pfeiffer beach, if it weren’t so far away from home.

Was a very beautiful drive, me and my dad took it about 2-3 years ago.

I love Highway 1 California

I drove from L.A. to San Francisco, mostly all the way on the 1. I found a place to stop about 30 minutes outside of Malibu and convinced the guy at the gate of the public beach to let me in for free (as opposed to the $25 that it normally cost to visit this beach!). I could only afford about an hour, because I was losing sun quickly and I wanted to see the rest of the scenery on the drive in the daylight.

This was the first time I got to see a real, live surfer. Dorky, I know…but living in northern Texas, your surfer exposure is rather limited. Then there were the dogs that played in the giant waves…they cracked me up (and I was just a bit jealous of their ability to frolick so unabashedly). The only thing that seemed to backfire on my walk along the beach was my judgement of the surf. It seemed like a romantic idea to walk alone, just along the edge of the waves, listening to some Hope Sandoval and contemplating something deep and peaceful. But, once again being from Texas, the estimated ending point of the crashing waves ended much further up on the beach than I had planned, but, by the time I realized this, I found myself being soaked and smothered by seaweed and water. Not so romantic when you’re stumbling under the force of the waves to hold yourself up and are traipsing back to the car with soaked breeches.

We started in San Diego and end-up in San Francisco (although technically we didn’t follow highway 1 the entire way).

Stretches of the highway were truly spectacular, especially north of Cambria. Every turn presented another incredible vista of sea, sky, crashing waves, rocks and cliffs … and another bend in the road ahead.

And so much fun to drive, too! We listened to our “California Road Trip CD” created with tunes suggested by 43Place friends, and stopped for picnics on the beach with California wine, cheese, and fresh bread. Beachcombing, sightseeing, relaxing, birdwatching and seal-watching made for a marvelous, care-free adventure.

Unfortunately, landslides forced us to turn back south of Big Sur, and detour back and around on 101. We did drive from San Fransisco back south to the Monterey Penninsula and Carmel-by-the-Sea.

My recommendation is to plan not to plan your trip. Throw away your watch. Take your time to enjoy every view, and explore.

Cheers

I drove Highway 1 on honeymoon from LA to San Fran and it was the most beautiful drive of my life.

I just came back from my trip to California. I started in San Francisco and drove all the way to San Diego on Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway). This is one of the best drives I have ever done.

It took around two days to complete the trip, I stayed on San Simeon for the night and saw the Hearst Castle in the morning.

Some of the places I visited on the way are:

• Mystery Spot (Not very mysterious), Santa Cruz
• Hearst Castle, San Simeon
• Cambria
• 17-Mile Drive, Pebble Beach
• Pigeon Point Lighthouse
• Big Sur

You can see all the photos of this trip here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dewang/sets/72057594141425763/