We can’t do a series of road trip ideas without including a road - or series of roads - that has been named America’s Most Beautiful Drive and America’s Best Free Attraction. The Pacific Coast Highway is officially less than 130 miles long from Dana Point and Oxnard in Southern California, but many consider the "real" Pacific Coast Highway to be a series of roads running up the entire west coast of the United States. All in all, the entire length runs no less than 1800 miles, taking about two weeks if you include time to enjoy the sights of the trip.
If you don’t have the time or energy to take in the full length of the trip, there are various parts of the Pacific Coast Highway that can be utilized as shorter trips. Of course, you may want to avoid July and August because the traffic can be a killer.
Hit the jump to check out the many highlights of the Pacific Coast Highway, including the shorter routes and entertainment.
Pacific Coast Highway: Broken Down
Dana Point to Oxnard
Oxnard to San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo to Monterey
Monterey to San Francisco
San Francisco to Legget
Entertainment
Whale Watching
One of the biggest activities on the Pacific Coast Highway is whale watching. Whale season depends on the type of whale you are looking to spot, but Newport Landing Whale Watching does year round whale watching.
Blue Whale Season: May to October
Gray Whale Season: December to May
Farallon Island Whale Season: May to November
Of course, there are many other animals to spot during the trip including seals, elephant seals, sea lions, and dolphins. Land animals are also present and include hummingbirds, golden eagles, bald eagles, chipmunks, raccoons, deer, and elk.
Hearst Castle
William Randolph Hearst is an American newspaper magnate and leading newspaper publisher, starting his career in 1887. His castle - oh yeah..castle - is a National Historic Landmark in the hills at San Simeon. It takes about five hours from San Francisco or Los Angeles which is a great little weekend trip for anyone looking to experience a small piece of the Pacific Coast Highway.
Big Sur
Big Sur is a popular destination because of its beautiful landscape and winding roads. It is located right where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the Pacific Coast. The only downside with this destination is that there are many closures when the weather gets bad, especially in the Spring and Winter seasons.
Gardens
There are many gardens along the way and if you are a plant lover than the Pacific Coast Highway is the way to go to see some of the best gardens in the United States.
Washington
Bainbridge Island
The Bloedel Reserve
Bellevue
Bellevue Botanical Garden
Federal Way
Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection
Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden
Lakewood
Lakewold Gardens
Seattle
Dunn Gardens
University of Washington Medicinal Herb Garden
Washington Park Arboretum
Washington Park Arboretum Japanese Garden
Woodland Park Rose Garden
Tacoma
Point Defiance Park
W. W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory
Oregon
Coos Bay
Shore Acres Gardens/Shore Acres State Park
California
Arcadia
The Arboretum of Los Angeles County
Berkeley
Berkeley Rose Garden
Regional Parks Botanic Garden
University of California Blake Garden
University of California Botanical Garden
Beverly Hills
Virginia Robinson Gardens
Claremont
Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden
Corona Del Mar
Sherman Library and Gardens
El Cerrito
The Harland Hand Memorial Garden
Encinitas
Quail Botanical Gardens
Fort Bragg
Mendocino Coast Botanical Gardens
Fullerton
The Fullerton Arboretum
La Cañada Flintridge
Descanso Gardens
Laguna Beach
Hortense Miller Garden
Long Beach
Rancho Los Alamitos Historic Ranch and Gardens
Los Angeles
Mildred E. Mathias Botanical Garden
Menlo Park
Sunset Gardens
Oakland
Morcom Rose Garden
Palo Alto
The Elizabeth F. Gamble Garden Center
Palos Verdes Peninsula
South Coast Botanic Garden
Ross
Marin Art and Garden Center
San Diego
Balboa Park
San Francisco
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco Botanical Garden
San Marino
The Huntington
San Simeon
Hearst Castle Gardens
Santa Barbara
Ganna Walska Lotusland
Santa Barbara Botanic Garden
Santa Cruz
University of California at Santa Cruz Arboretum
Santa Rosa
Luther Burbank Home and Gardens
Saratoga
Hakone Gardens
Villa Montalvo
Sausalito
Green Gulch Farm Zen Center
Walnut Creek
The Ruth Bancroft Garden
Woodside
Filoli Gardens
Other Attractions
Monterey Bay Aquarium
Santa Monica Pier
Golden Gate Bridge
Point Reyes National Seashore
Redwood National Park
Oregon Dune National Recreation Area
Florence Sea Lions
Olympic National Park
Big Cities Along the Way
Seattle
San Francisco
Los Angeles
San Diego
Smaller Cities Along the Way
Washington
Aberdeen
Forks
Hoquiam
Ilwaco
Long Beach
Port Angeles
Seattle
Sequim
Westport
Oregon
Astoria
Bandon
Brookings
Cannon Beach
Depoe Bay
Florence
Gold Beach
Lincoln City
Newport
Pacific City
Port Orford
Reedsport/Winchester Bay
Seaside
Tillamook
California
Big Sur
Bodega Bay
Cambria
Carlsbad
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Coronado
Crescent City
Dana Point
Del Mar
Eureka
Fort Bragg
Half Moon Bay
Huntington Beach
Laguna Beach
La Jolla
Long Beach
Los Angeles
Mendocino
Monterey
Morro Bay
Newport Beach
Pacific Grove
Pismo Beach
San Clemente
San Diego
San Francisco
San Luis Obispo
San Simeon
Santa Barbara
Santa Cruz
Santa Monica
Ventura
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