Need Information about Pacific Coast Highway Trip

[okhmbldr]

West coast folks I need some input; I live in Oklahoma City and plan to drive the Pacific Coast highway (101 and 1) from the Vancouver, BC area to San Diego this year, either late May (if possible) or late August in a Mercedes SL500 convertible, so no camping, just driving….just a few questions:
With a convertible what are the best months to travel?
Would you start at Vancouver and head South, or start in San Diego and go North?
What are some must see sights along this Highway? (15 years ago I drove from OKC to San Francisco then up to the Redwood Forest and into Washington). I’ve never headed south towards San Diego.
It will take about 3 days drive to get to the West Coast, and 3 days to get home. For a two week trip that leaves me 8 days to drive the coast highway, is that too many days or not enough?
Any additional suggestions are appreciated. I know this topic isn’t about RV’s or camping, but the members of this board have the best knowledge about travel tips. Thanks, Geo.

[older_fossil]

I lived most of my life near the central coast of California and have been on nearly every part of US-101 and CA-1 over the years. Lots of wonderful sights to see along the west coast. But in my opinion it's almost a crime to try to cram in the whole route in a few days. Best to either give yourself a LOT more time or if that is not possible just focus on one section. Maybe something like Santa Cruz to Morro Bay to take in a spectacular part of CA-1. Things like the Montery Bay Aquarium, a wildlife cruise on Elkhorn Slough at Moss Landing, Big Sur State Park, some time in Cambria and Morro Bay.

I agree with the weather in Sept. and that things are not likely to really be open for travelers until at least the fall.

Art

[lucy6194]

Hate spell check. The dog was fine!the fog was thick!

[lucy6194]

We did it pulling 5th wheel a number of years ago. North to South in early sept. Hardly saw the ocean in Washington and Oregon the dog was so thick. Northern California was beautiful. Ferndale a gorgeous little town.

[rhagfo]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

rollexx wrote:
Just so you know, you’re not going to escape the tourists in late Aug/Sept. Very busy time of year on the coast.

HUGE reduction in September since kids are back in School.

Not likely this year! While September school should be back in session. The Canadians, and Californians start hitting the Oregon Coast.
I will add I saw someone talked about doing Deception Pass, as it is beautiful, then continue down Whidbey Island to Coupville then take the ferry to Port Townsend to catch 101 as north as possible, and bypassing Seattle!

[jmtandem]

I have done the PCH on a bicycle, motorcycle, car and RV. The best month is September as it is dry (relatively), high pressure sets up over the area and visibility is fantastic, temperature highs are moderate and lows mild, and very little fog. And kids are typically back in school. Also, since you asked I would go north to south to keep the ocean on your right and easier to use pullouts. There is lots and lots to see so the very few days you are allocating to the trip will only barely scratch the surface kind of thing.

[Big_Katuna]

I forgot to suggest not driving on weekends. Everybody tours PCH on the weekend.

[Cummins12V98]

rollexx wrote:
Just so you know, you’re not going to escape the tourists in late Aug/Sept. Very busy time of year on the coast.

HUGE reduction in September since kids are back in School.

[rollexx]

Just so you know, you’re not going to escape the tourists in late Aug/Sept. Very busy time of year on the coast.

[okhmbldr]

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I plan to copy and past/print and work them into the trip. I favor late August/September travel, mostly because the tourists are home for the year and the weather is usually still warm.
May/August dates weren't necessarly for this year, but I'm always hopeful and would like to do the deed this August/Sept. We'll see.
Keep adding suggestions, all are welcome. thanks,

[Cummins12V98]

JimK-NY wrote:
May or even August of this year sounds like a lot of wishful thinking. May is almost here and with all the precautions Covid is just starting to spread throughout the country.

YOU can feel that way but that is NOT reality. Mark your calendar and let me know how we are doing in August.

[bikendan]

Agree about August and September being better. In coastal California, there's something we call "June Gloom". It sometimes starts in May.
And Highway 1, between Carmel and San Simeon, is very slow going. 101 in Oregon is also slow going.
You may have some issues with lodging, in California.

[Big_Katuna]

Definitely go north to south. We drove south to north and southbound traffic often blocked the view.

Fog can be an issue. I planned on getting an early start each day only to suffer fog that didn’t lift until late AM or early afternoon.

We have been several times. We went back and spent a week looking around the Monterey area. Pebble Beach drive.

[PawPaw_n_Gram]

While the pullouts are nice, most of them are accessible from traveling both directions when traffic is not heavy, especially in Oregon. But it gets very heavy after Labor Day.

The nice thing about north to south is that Washington US 101 will not disappoint too much. Very little is sea coast driving. And what is, there is usually a berm and very deep natural area between the road and the water. Only a few locations have the majestic views.

Agree Deception Pass is a must. From the Peace Arch Crossing to Burlington in WA, I was surprised by the number of oil refineries. Kind of like southern Louisiana along the Mississippi.

The Oregon coast is spectacular, and they do a much better job with scenic turnouts than I have seen in any other state.

California is lovely. Now our trip was south to north, and my wife was especially pleased with the spring flowers and new growth for much of the trip all the way to Olympic NP in early June.

The bridge out at Big Sur stopped us from taking the complete Hwy 1 route, but as I've said about some other stops on the trip, it took me over 65 years to get there, and I don't regret a dollar, an hour, on any missed sights. I only want to go back again!!!

[JimK-NY]

May or even August of this year sounds like a lot of wishful thinking. May is almost here and with all the precautions Covid is just starting to spread throughout the country.