A drive along the California Pacific Coast Highway 1 is one of the most scenic drives in the world. This blog describes several trips along the California coast.
I’ve been to California many times, mostly in San Francisco Bay area, Carmel by the Sea and Monterey. It never gets tiring. I also went to San Simeon to see the Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Mission Ranch, Half Moon Bay and to Point Reyes, north of San Francisco. For more photos go to Wonderland Photography.
- Half Moon Bay & Pescadaro
- Monterey
- Carmel by the Sea
- Mission Ranch
- Big Sur
- Cambria
- Hearst Castle, San Simeon
Point Reyes
The furthest north I’ve been on the west coast is Point Reyes. Point Reyes National Seashore is a 71,028-acre park preserve in Marin County, California. It is a national seashore, maintained by the US National Park Service as an important nature preserve. It is about an hour north of San Francisco.
It is often foggy in the area and, as a result, there are quite a few old ship wrecks off the coast. Sir Francis Drake landed somewhere near the area on June 17, 1579 and proclaimed it New England. Rumors of Drake’s discovery of a safe harbor on the California coast intrigued the Spanish, and so they followed suit. For more history info, click on the Point Reyes link.
Pierce Point Ranch, Tomales Point, Point Reyes Lighthouse, the Elk Reserve, and Safaris are some of the attractions. It is an easy walk to the Pacific from Pierce Point Ranch along the Tomales Point trail. The scenery is spectacular and it’s an easy day trip from San Francisco.
Where to Eat and Sleep?
Point Reyes Station is a small town near the coast. They have several great quality restaurants and quaint B&Bs. The West Marin Food and Farm tours is very popular and has high ratings. The California Happy Cows are found in this area. How happy are they? Life on a small family farm is probably good, but large factory farms still exist and using animals to mass produce anything will never be good for an animal, or for your health.
As a side bar, I’m impressed that then-California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill that essentially prohibited, as of 2015, any egg from being sold in the state that comes from caged hens. California always has been a leader in humane treatment of beings, but there is still more to do.
Half Moon Bay & Pescadaro
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County just outside of San Francisco. This is a good short day-trip to see the ocean and have lunch at the Ritz Carlton.
Jimmy was thrilled to sink his feet into the Pacific Ocean! This was the end of the road for the California pioneers. The edge of the western perimeter. I wonder what they felt and thought when they encountered this vast body of water.
Pescadaro
Pescadero is just south of Half Moon Bay. It is a farming and ranching community near the Pescadero Marsh, a wildlife refuge. It is also a weekend tourist destination during the summer months because of beaches, parks including Memorial Park and Butano State Park, as well as extensive rural roads for biking and trails for hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Attractions include Duarte’s Tavern, Pescadero Country Store, Arcangeli Grocery Co (Norm’s Market / Bakery), Sante Family Wines, Harley Farms Goat Dairy, and Taqueria y Mercado de Amigos, an acclaimed taqueria in the local gas station.
Pescadero hosts the annual Pescadero Art and Fun Fair (PAFF) on the third weekend of each August. The Alto Velo Bicycle Racing Club holds the annual Pescadero Coastal Classic Road Race, which travels through the town and nearby countryside, in early-to mid-June.
Monterey
“Monterey,” the song by Eric Burdon and The Animals, was set on auto play in Jimmy’s mind while we were there: “down in Monterey…”, so naturally I couldn’t get it out of my mind either. It will forever be associated with our trips there. Monterey is about a 2-hour drive, south of San Francisco.
This is such a beautiful and peaceful place. Monterey Bay is home to many sea lions, otters, huge seagulls and is a whale migration route. There are many whale-watching tours available. They go out twice a day. Early morning and an afternoon trip. There is fog in the morning, but it does clear by the time you get out further. I went on a boat tour a few years ago and saw several whales, including one that jumped and slapped his tail on the water – full breach. Such glorious mammals! Unfortunately, I didn’t get any good photos.
When we were there at the end of December it was still very warm.
Monterey Bay is right on Cannery Row, the site of old sardine factories (the last cannery closed in 1973).
We didn’t go into town, we just stayed on Cannery Row and the waterfront. It is nice to just relax by the ocean and watch nature. Monterey is known for its famous aquarium – Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is worth seeing and your ticket supports important marine biology research.
Where to Eat and Sleep?
There are several good restaurants in Monterey with fresh seafood (in fact the seafood restaurants in Monterey are legendary), but you can’t beat the view at the Monterey Plaza Hotel. The patio is right on the Bay. It is touristy, but it is worth it for the view. Food is good, fairly casual on the patio, but they do have fine dining in their main restaurant.
More options:
- Montrio Bistro
- Monterey’s Fish House
- Chart House – another restaurant with a great view
- Old Fisherman’s Grotto
- Domenico’s on the Wharf
- Bistro Moulin – French
- The Fish Hopper
- Sea Harvest Fish Market and Restaurant – they also have a Carmel location
- Sardine Factory – has attracted world leaders and won awards, including best bar for boomers
As for lodging, the Monterey Plaza Hotel is my first choice. An ocean-view room is advised. I like to wake up with an unobstructed view of the ocean and wildlife. In the morning, vocal otters were floating right in front of the window. It was so great to see! The hotel has a large rectangular hot tub on the roof facing the Bay so you can relax with a glass of sparkly, look up at the abundant stars above, and listen to the whooshing ocean below. It is heaven!
Carmel
Carmel by the Sea is a 15-minute drive south from Monterey. At sunset, everyone heads down Ocean Avenue to the end of the street so they can see the Pacific. And it is magnificent!
Carmel is a fine dinning mecca with more restaurants per square mile than any other small town. It is getting more and more crowded, but it is a worth while destination. There are a lot of artisan shops and high-end stores. The main street, Ocean Avenue, is where most of the hustle and bustle takes place. Although I have never stayed overnight, there is an abundance of small quality hotels and B&Bs to choose from. You can’t go wrong with any restaurant or lodging in this town.
However, here are a few suggestions:
Carmel City Hall. Clint Eastwood used to be mayor of the town and is a long-time resident.
Outside of Carmel, take the scenic “17-mile drive“ past Pebble Beach. It is one of the most scenic drives in the world with magical Cyprus trees. You can start in Monterey or Carmel and work your way around the coast. South of Carmel, head out to Point Lobos for vistas that you will never forget.
Mission Ranch
From their web site: “The historic Mission Ranch sits on 22 acres with spectacular views of Point Lobos, Carmel River Beach and the Pacific Ocean. Once one of the first dairies in California, the rich history of this 1800’s ranch was preserved and restored by former Carmel Mayor, Clint Eastwood. A longtime Carmel resident, Clint Eastwood rescued this landmark resort from condo developers, and renovated the entire property to provide a unique resort experience.”
I had lunch at the Ranch, but would love to stay there next time. It is a great location, close to Carmel, the scenic “17-mile drive”, Point Lobos, and is just a nice place to relax.
San Carlos Borromeo de Carmel Mission, founded in 1770, is nearby. It is also known as the Carmel Mission or Mission Carmel, a Roman Catholic mission church. It is open for services and has a museum. California Missions are always a great place to visit to understand the history of the region.
Big Sur
If you keep driving south from Carmel you will run into Big Sur. Just when you thought it couldn’t get more stunning, it does. Big Sur is a rugged stretch of California’s central coast between Carmel and San Simeon. Bordered by the Santa Lucia Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, the Pacific Coast Highway has winding turns and steep inclines right at the edge of the cliffs. It is beautiful, but can be scary. I rented car that had a fairly loose suspension so making those turns caused considerable sliding from side to side.
This is the longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the United States and is sparsely populated. It has been described as a national treasure that “demands extraordinary procedures to protect it from development”. It does have lodging, state parks, camp grounds and restaurants so it is not completely desolate.
Cambria
Cambria is a seaside village in San Luis Obispo County – south of Big Sur – with countless scenic wonders. This is one of the West Coast’s most unique destinations, where natural beauty and outdoor recreation abound. From historical attractions such as the Hearst Castle, to the Elephant Seal Sanctuary, entertainment venues, excellent dining, and amazing shoreline with the best sunset views of the Pacific ocean, this is a great place to spend part or all of your vacation.
Hearst Castle, San Simeon
Hearst Castle is located in the San Simeon district. Keep driving south from Big Sur and you start to reach low land near San Simeon. The castle is half way between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Drive to the visitor center and park your car. You then take a Hearst Castle bus and ride five miles up the mountain. Cars are not permitted.
From their web site: “Hearst Castle’s history begins in 1865, when George Hearst purchased 40,000 acres of ranchland. In 1919, William Randolph Hearst inherited what had grown to more than 250,000 acres, and was dreaming of ways to transform it into a retreat he called La Cuesta Encantada—Spanish for “Enchanted Hill.” By 1947, Hearst and architect Julia Morgan had created Hearst Castle: 165 rooms and 127 acres of gardens, terraces, pools and walkways—all built to house Hearst’s specifications and to showcase his legendary art collection.”
William Randolph Hearst was an American newspaper publisher who built the nation’s largest newspaper chain. His life story was the main inspiration for Charles Foster Kane, the lead character in Orson Welles’s classic film “Citizen Kane“.
Mr. Hearst was infatuated with silent film star Marion Davies who became his mistress, and the castle was their retreat. Many Hollywood stars such as Charlie Chaplin, David Niven, Joan Crawford, Clark Gable, Errol Flynn, and Cary Grant were invited to the castle for parties. Apparently this was a highly coveted invite in the late 1920s. Only beer and wine were served and hard liquor was considered off limits by Mr. Hearst.
I went to the Hearst Castle about ten years ago. I don’t recall how I discovered that it existed, but I do recall that I was stunned that the US had a castle. It is grand, especially the pools. I love the old ketchup and mustard bottles.
There is much to see that requires at least four hours. The Castle has a lot of art on display. Hearst acquired remarkable paintings, tapestries, sculptures, antiquities and furniture.
The Neptune Pool was being cleaned when I was there which allowed for this unique shot of the pool without water. If anyone recalls, this pool was in a famous Chanel perfume commercial.
Unique aspects of the Neptune Pool include the oil burning heating system, the light-veined Vermont marble decorating the pools and colonnades, and four 17th-century Italian bas-reliefs on the sides of the colonnades. I have never seen anything like it.
The other jaw dropping pool is the indoor Roman Pool. It is a tiled indoor pool decorated with eight statues of Roman gods, goddesses and heroes. The pool appears to be styled after an ancient Roman bath such as the Baths of Caracalla in Rome c. 211-17. Imagine swimming here? I can.
They do have a restaurant on site and there are hotels near by in San Simeon and Cambria. I stayed at the Best Western Cavalier Oceanfront Resort which is right on the ocean and has amazing views, but I found the room a bit smelly. They really need to give the sofa chairs a good cleaning. It could have been a one off, so it still is worth trying. It is the only hotel right on the ocean with great views from the rooms.
Enjoy the Hearst Castle! I thought it was a fascinating visit.
The California Coast is one of the nicest places on earth. It is paradise. Although I didn’t get to Santa Barbara (Jimmy has in the past) it is definitely on my list.
I am completed a blog called California Pioneer Trail about the story of the pioneers and the route they took across Utah, Nevada and the Sierra Mountains, with some ending their journey at Donner Lake. I followed their fascinating trail (by car) and looking forward to sharing it with you.
For more California photos go to Wonderland Photography.
Happy travels!
