Best way to travel the Pacific Coast
Good morning everyone, The DW asked me to start planning a trip to see the Pacific Coast (CA, OR, Wash). My simple question to start is " Is it best to travel north-south or south-north to do so? My p...
Forum Discussion
I've done the trip multiple times in various pieces, and I also did the whole coast from Victoria, BC all the way to L.A.
It's a gorgeous drive, but there's also a whole lot of nothing in some of those places. It's all beautiful, but it depends on your need for variety and for stops along the way.
Highway 1 through California isn't for everyone. It's narrow through Mendocino (but gorgeous) and 101 is an easier detour. The 101 is gorgeous up there, so it's no real compromise.
Highway 1 between Carmel and San Simeon can be a tough drive and I wouldn't recommend it if you're towing. I think you could easily cover this road on a day trip though. You could camp in Morro Bay (in San Luis Obispo County) and drive up hwy 1 through Big Sur to Carmel, and then turn east at Carmel to the 101 and come back south to 46 at Paso Robles to cut back to PCH below Cambria or keep going south down the Cuesta Grade and back up hwy 1 to Morro Bay.
You could do something similar to see the coast at Mendocino so you don't miss any of the highlights like Ft. Bragg.
In short, there are amazing things to see along the PCH, but I don't recommend towing a trailer down the whole thing.
It's a gorgeous drive, but there's also a whole lot of nothing in some of those places. It's all beautiful, but it depends on your need for variety and for stops along the way.
Highway 1 through California isn't for everyone. It's narrow through Mendocino (but gorgeous) and 101 is an easier detour. The 101 is gorgeous up there, so it's no real compromise.
Highway 1 between Carmel and San Simeon can be a tough drive and I wouldn't recommend it if you're towing. I think you could easily cover this road on a day trip though. You could camp in Morro Bay (in San Luis Obispo County) and drive up hwy 1 through Big Sur to Carmel, and then turn east at Carmel to the 101 and come back south to 46 at Paso Robles to cut back to PCH below Cambria or keep going south down the Cuesta Grade and back up hwy 1 to Morro Bay.
You could do something similar to see the coast at Mendocino so you don't miss any of the highlights like Ft. Bragg.
In short, there are amazing things to see along the PCH, but I don't recommend towing a trailer down the whole thing.
