San Francisco > Los Angeles

best driving route

[Shak]

Folks

care to share best route for driving from San Francisco > Los Angeles

have 1 1/2 days as such and intendend stopping 2 nights. would also be keen for advice on where to stop.

a nice scenic route rather than concrete jungle all the way.

start sharing ,,, please

Shak

[grandpa]

There's obviously the coast highway for your scenic route. But, could parts of that part of route been affected by the last bunch of landslides? I don't know. Maybe someone here had something definitive... or a quick call to the Highway Dept (1-800-427-ROAD). Hwy 101 is a better alternate to Hwy 5, again depending on road conditions. You'll see much more of the countryside from 101, and you can still swing down to the beach if you want. Here's a pretty good reference [dot.ca.gov]

[Eterion]

Shak-
Like grandma stated above, the Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) would be the most scenic route-however, you might want to take a innerstate road to get past Big Sur-the roads are narrow, the view is breathtaking, but its not the safest section of the highway (people turn their heads to look at the view and either drive off the cliff or run into something).
Taking PCH however, will take a lot more time than Interstate 5 or Freeway 99.
Make a stop (if time permits) in Santa Barbara-its a quaint, lovely, town near the edge of the water (and home to UCSB). What do you plan on doing in Los Angeles? If you travel a bit further south to Orange County, you can find a lot more cooler things to do. Like chilling with me :)

[Kirby]

Shak,

Depends on what you want to see. PCH thru Monterry, down to San Simeon and Hearst Castle, then thru San Louis Obispo to Santa Barbara is a beautiful drive.

If skipping Monterry and the Aqaurium is okay, then
do as Grandpa suggested and take 101 with a sidetrip to Hearst Castle, then down thru San Louis Obispo and Santa Barbara.

5 and 99 south are butt ugly drives by comparision.

[Automan Empire]

Since you aren't in a big hurry, DO take the leg of Highway 1 that goes past Big Sur and Hearst Castle. (The rest of Highway 1 isn't as nice south of the bay, and all 1 lane double yellow winding with every 5mph motorhome in the industrialized world in front of you, use 101 the rest of the way) Budget time to wander deserted cove beaches (look for river mouths with pretty rocks to find; lots of redwood driftwood the further north you are.) Also, there are neat little squiggly narrow roads leading into the mountains, trading the cool of the shoreline for a mix of warmer sunshine (sometimes with clouds rushing up canyons toward you evaporating away before your eyes) and cool forests and babbling brooks.
There are a couple of good campgrounds in the Hearst Castle and south area. San Luis Obispo is a good midpoint with lots of competing lodging. Look for the Madonna Inn if you want offbeat.

Highway 154 from Los Olivos to Santa Barbara is a scenic alternate to 101 and almost the same time either way (101 slightly faster.)

I usually prefer to take 101 to the 405 or 5 rather than taking highway 1 south from Oxnard, unless your destination is right on the westside and/or you want more windy costal road with even more traffic.

As far as the QUICK way: 5 is faster and better for speeding; more monotonous and fewer towns than 99 whichever suits your taste. If you have time in Fresno you MUST visit the underground gardens <snip> which I suspect won't exist many more years; I went there as a kid and it inspired me to make my plain city lot into a wonderland of hills, valleys, and bridges.

Darn it, now I'm all nostalgic for the halcyon days of youth, fewer chains to keep me from travelling when I want.

[edited by: lawman at 10:21 am (utc) on Mar. 27, 2005]
[edit reason] sorry, no urls [/edit]

[AutumnTD]

Take the 5 and do it at about 3:00 in the morning. Blast some music, get some coffee, and the miles will fly by.

I did it last week. :)

[Robert Charlton]

Shak -

Hope this is in time to be helpful...

I'd recommend spending more time on the north half of the drive... but the way the travel day breaks, you might want to be in Big Sur, I think, by the end of the first day.

You'll have to check road conditions, but assuming all is OK, I'd recommend the following stopping points...

- Monterey Aquarium (underwater kelp forest is truly amazing... You've never seen anything like it, unless you're a diver).

- Carmel by the Sea - artsy town that once was beautiful; a little cutesy now - and see the Carmel Highlands

- Pt Lobos - one of the most beautiful spots on the coast to get out and walk

- stay overnight in Big Sur - Nepenthe is one of the classic spots, spas, healthy food, etc - I've liked some cabins in a place called Big Sur Inn, up in one of the canyons - I think it's Deetjen's Big Sur Inn, but I'm not absolutely sure

- second day... see San Simeon - Hearst Castle - Built with lots of money, a great architect, and a lot of decor imported from Europe; nothing else like it in the US, though fortunately there's still lots in Europe that Hearst couldn't buy. See the IMAX film that goes with the tour.

- for me, the Madonna Inn in San Luis Obispo is kitsch at it's worse... maybe worth stopping if you have the time, as it's almost too awful to believe, but not worth stopping if time is in any way precious.

I once posted some material about the San Francisco to Monterey leg of the journey in Foo... Here's the url...

[webmasterworld.com...]

You'll have to skip through the stuff about San Jose itself... not worth the stop, considering your schedule. Some of the small towns and parks on the coast between SF and Monterey, though, are very nice. Really great if you like things like tide-pools and redwoods.

[limbo]

tide-pools and redwoods

So true. Keep your eyes open for Sea Otters. The coastal drive south of Monterey takes in beautiful landscapes on both sides of the road.