California Road Trip

If the glory of the road is calling you, there is no better place to explore from the driver’s seat than California.

From the splendour of the ancient redwoods and unspoilt coastline of the north, through the agricultural breadbasket and wine country of the central valleys to the raw and glamorous energy of Los Angeles and San Diego, you will find a land of a thousand faces and cultures, and numerous roads off the beaten track to explore.

Let your atlas be your guide and hit the highways, they will take you to where you want to go.

The 17-Mile Drive

The 17-mile drive starts at the Del Monte intersection in Pacific Grove, a tranquil family friendly town just south of Monterey in the central coast and leads through the picturesque village of Carmel-by-the-sea, famous for its white sandy beaches and celebrity mayor, Clint Eastwood.

Cruise through the ragged serenity of the Del Monte Forest, home to many species of endangered plants and acres of pine and cypress trees whilst soaking in the rays of the California sun and crystal views of the Pacific Ocean.

As you near rows of multi-million dollar mansions you know you are approaching the end of the road in Pebble Beach. The cliff-side community is made up in part of wealthy retirees attracted to the world championship golf courses, which host the PGA Golf Tour and the US Open.

Movie buffs will be able to spot the famous lone cypress tree at the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean – a picture seen in many feature films, including Hitchcock’s classic, Vertigo.

Highway 101

For a glimpse into why California has one of the top ten largest economies in the world, turn your car slightly inland and track the state’s agricultural heritage along Highway 101.

Following the route established by the Spanish explorer, Juan Gaspar de Portola in 1769 and later called, El Camino Real or “The King’s Road”, it is one of the oldest highways in the United States. Starting at the Mexican border, the road originally linked the 21 missions in the state and acted as the main north/south road until the 1920’s, when construction of the highway system began in earnest.

Today commuters still heavily use the highway to travel between the small agricultural towns of the central valley and to reach the wine country in Santa Rosa and Sonoma counties.

North of San Francisco, the route has been dubbed the “Redwood Highway” because it passes through the giant redwood trees of the Redwood National and State Parks, which are some of the oldest and tallest trees in the world.

Highway 1

Highway 1 or “The Pacific Coast Highway” is the classic California road with near uninterrupted views of the ocean. At times it joins up with Highway 101 and signs for Highway 1 may be entirely omitted.

Starting at Mendecino County, an agricultural mecca north of San Francisco, it leads south, hugging the coastline, curving miraculously along cliffs and gorges where the only locals you’ll see are cows chilling out in the small grassy gaps between the road and the sharp fall below.

You’ll experience coastline far removed from the more developed beaches in southern California and pass sleepy villages like Gualala and Point Arena, where finding a restaurant open past 8pm is nothing short of a miracle.

Follow Highway 1 past the ancient redwood forest of Muir Woods, and through Marin County to land softly in Sausalito, a quaint and stylish harbour town opposite San Francisco. Enjoy a posh lunch at a bay side restaurant while taking in views of the city and the Golden Gate Bridge.

Highway 1 crosses Golden Gate Bridge and joins up with Highway 101 in San Francisco. Driving south out of the city you can rejoin Highway 1 to continue your coastal journey.

You’ll hit commuter traffic once you arrive at “surf city” Santa Cruz, the land of the hoodie and home of the wave.

Highway 1 is the major thoroughfare between the coastal towns of Santa Cruz County, including Capitola and its brightly coloured beach side cottages and Watsonville, a growing agricultural town steeped in Hispanic culture.

Heading evermore south, don’t forget to stop at the mountain village of Big Sur, the spiritual home of the Beat Poets including Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Jack Kerouac. Attracted by the cliff side nook’s privacy and natural serenity it has since become a sort of literary sanctuary for waylaid writers and artists in search of inspiration and creative rejuvenation.

Geographically, it’s nothing more than an elaborate camping ground situated right off a very curvy section of the highway, so a less observant driver will completely miss it, especially as the winding road twists along the side of a very steep cliff.

Mind the funny looking locals who appear not to have left the mountainside since Ken Kesey dropped them off in his hippy bus in the 1960s and take a leisurely hike through the forest filled with a variety of plants and trees including ancient redwoods, oaks and willows.

Most of the cliffs are too steep to climb down so a trip to the beach may be out of the question, but the best way to enjoy the Big Sur views is to perch yourself on a lonely rock or felled log and stare out over the sea.

Highway 49

For a slice of Wild West history, take Highway 49 through the historic gold mining towns of Jamestown, Sonora, Columbia, Angels Camp and San Andreas.

Named after the Great Gold Rush of 1849, the highway starts just south of Yosemite National Park and continues north, past the foothills into the Sierra Nevada where you can veer east to reach the pristine ski and sun resort of Lake Tahoe on the California/Nevada border.

For complete information on the highway system, including photographs of the highways mentioned in this guide, see West Coast Roads and for more on the history of California’s highways see Historic California U.S. Highways.