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To enjoy scenery uncluttered by traffic and tourists, head north from San Francisco on Highway 1.
You start to feel it about an hour after crossing the Golden Gate Bridge: a kind of kick-off-your-shoes, carefree freedom that comes from cruising along the edge of the earth. Oh, maybe it's mixed with a tinge of nausea, but a few hairpin turns are a small price to pay for endless views of the ocean. After all, this is Highway 1 — the Pacific Coast Highway — that drop-dead gorgeous, wildly snaking road that follows the sea almost every inch of its way.
The central stretch from Monterey to Big Sur gets all the glory (and the well-heeled crowds), but head north and things start to get funkier and more affordable. Flat-out unfashionable, really, in a charming, time-warp '70s sort of way, where washed-out roadside motels with names like Surf and Sand still tout "free color TV" on their peeling signs, local radio stations play Steve Miller Band, and people read the newspaper in print, not on an iPad. The landscape, too, remains unchanged: the craggy cliffs, the golden hills, the grazing cows, the I've-got-to-snap-a-picture lookouts.
But it's really the quirky, old-fashioned communities that make this stretch of Highway 1 so special. The town of Fort Bragg, 170 miles north of San Francisco, is a prime example: Nine years ago, Fort Bragg's sprawling oceanfront lumber mill shut down, and Pacific Ocean views once obstructed by smoke stacks were opened up to the public. Now green spaces and walking trails are scattered across town, along with new restaurants, boutiques and beachfront bike paths. Fort Bragg is a town in transition, no doubt, but somehow it's maintained its low-key spirit — a refreshing surprise on the sometimes chichi California coast. Best of all, you can get a room with an ocean view for less than, say, lunch at a spa down south. At least for now.
Day 1: San Francisco to Sea Ranch, 110 miles
The traffic in San Francisco only makes the open vistas to the north all the more spectacular. Just across the Golden Gate Bridge, convertibles bound for wine country clog the lanes. Then, it's stop-and-start past auto shops and Applebee's, until about 60 miles north, when you reach Highway 1 and the road narrows to a rolling two-lane past cattle fields and cyclists, into the country and out to the coast.
Near the town of Jenner, Highway 1 edges a bluff where the Russian River intersects the raging Pacific, and my friend and I can't resist a quick stop. The pull-out has room for only a handful of cars — no bus tours or caravanning RVs could fit if they tried. The water is a tropical turquoise blue and kayakers paddle peacefully below. A guy next to me shoves his binoculars in my hand: "Check it out!" he exclaims, pointing to a smooth black hump surfacing every so often. "See it?!" Camaraderie among strangers, it seems, is not uncommon here. There's the shared thrill over whale sightings, yes, but also an unspoken feeling of luck.
Hunger strikes right around the time you see Stewarts Point Store, a yellow clapboard shop that dates back to 1868 (32000 S. Hwy. 1, 707/785-2406, turkey-cheese-avocado sandwich $8). Owner Charles Richardson, a smiley, Carhartt-clad fifth-generation son of the original propietors, stocks the shelves with a mix of the retro (glass bottles of grape Crush) and the gourmet (cheeses, salamis). If it were a Friday, we could've joined a dance-hall dinner held weekly upstairs. Instead, it's a lazy Sunday, so we head for the town of Sea Ranch, a 10-mile windswept bluff scattered with austere, 1960s architecture that blends so respectfully into the land you could very well miss it.
Built out of cedar and redwood, the Sea Ranch Lodge may be the best-value inn on the Sonoma-Mendocino coast, where a frilly room with an ocean view usually runs at least $250 (60 Sea Walk Dr., from $149, including breakfast). Weathered Adirondack chairs at the water's edge are made for sipping wine, and most of the 20 cozy rooms have woodstove fireplaces and overlook the Pacific. As the moon reflects on the water, I thank the zillions of stars we paid only $149 a night.
Day 2: Sea Ranch to Point Arena, 20 miles
With a dilapidated-looking "day spa," a very-much-still-in-business video store and a better-than-decent BBQ joint, the town of Gualala, about six miles north, is a booming metropolis compared to Sea Ranch. The kind of 2,000-resident town where your waitress tells you she's lived forever and restaurants tend to empty out before 9 p.m. A few miles north, we get the sea lions, tide pools and coastal hiking trails all to ourselves at Stornetta Public Lands; there isn't anyone else at Bowling Ball Beach either. Maybe because we just miss low tide, which reveals a sea of symmetrically round boulders that give this often photographed spot its name.
To call Point Arena a town is a bit of an overstatement. It's basically a single strip consisting of not much more than a co-op grocery, homemade-jam stand and historic theater. We find the real entertainment just up the hill: a 110-acre park where zebras and antelope roam. Owned by a couple dedicated to giving displaced African animals a better life than the zoo, the B. Bryan Preserve also has a three-room inn. You can take a guided tour or stay the night, like we do, to wander on your own (130 Riverside Dr., from $135, including a 1.5-hour walking tour of the park). That evening, we have our pick of tables on the deck at the Pier Chowder House & Tap Room, where we eat fish tacos made with cod caught off the very pier we're gazing at.
Day 3: Point Arena to Fort Bragg, 45 miles
In Mendocino, we stop for an early lunch of chicken focaccia sandwiches in the garden at Moosse Café, which is filled with elderly women with wide-brimmed hats and lap puppies (90 Kasten St., 707/937-4323, chicken focaccia $13) . It comes as a surprise, then, when we get to Fort Bragg's Piaci Pub & Pizzeria, 20 minutes north, and discover a different world entirely (120 W. Redwood Ave., Fort Bragg, 707/961-1133, pies from $9.25). Scruffy, friendly locals squeeze into overstuffed booths — not a designer dog in sight. A teacher sitting near us puts it best: "Mendocino is for celebrities and older second-home owners — the 'Murder, She Wrote crowd'," he says, referring to the Angela Lansbury TV show partly filmed in Mendocino.
Home to monster trucks and mattress stores, Fort Bragg isn't exactly the land of flowery B&Bs. But on the street-lamp-lined side streets, there is a thriving small-town scene with live-music cafes, chic boutiques, an outstanding greasy spoon (Eggheads, inexplicably decked out in all things Wizard of Oz), and a trio of indie bookstores (326 N. Main St., 707/964-5005, Dungeness crab omelet $16).
But it's the easy access to the pristine, rugged coast that's the main draw for visitors, namely MacKerricher State Park, just outside of town. We arrive in the afternoon to a nearly empty stretch of sand, with waves raging every which way. The only other visitors are a family of sea lions sunning themselves and a few folks on horseback. Nearby, our room at the Beachcomber Motel is basic but squeaky clean, with front-row views of the Pacific (1111 N. Main St., from $99). Stuffed with pesto-spinach pizza from Piaci, we pick up the three-mile paved path right outside our room's sliding-glass door. We detour into the bluff through a carpet of long grasses, and the wind is fierce and salty. No wonder the cypress trees permanently lean in a horizontal slant. White caps crash against the rocks below. The sun slips into the horizon, and a man taking photographs turns into a silhouette. And we otherwise have the coast all to ourselves. Again.
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Leave a Comment:
The Pacific Coast Highway is truly a treasure.
It is amazing how much beauty we have right here in the USA. We have it all, from glaciers to deserts and everything in between. Travel America. It is beautiful.
Crais yes it is.
MsEddy I have been blessed to have seen most of it and yes it is beautiful.
That is so true. There is so much beauty and it is relatively well preserved. Thanks to the national park services. I was born in India. My kids were born here. But I feel very lucky to have been able to see most of America by now. And it indeed is gorgeous. I believe when we go closure to the nature ... it calls to the best within ourselves.
This is truly an amazing part of America. And easily accessible.
Heading south from the Bay Area down to Los Angeles is a breathtaking experience, too. I haven't tried going north from the Bay Area, but going south was a breathtaking ride of a lifetime, with views worthy of countless jaw-droppingly gorgeous paintings.
Driving south from San Francisco on Hwy 1 is the best direction because you will be driving in the lane closest to the ocean. I dislike driving north because you have to look through other cars and traffic to see the views.
Therefore, I recommend to tourist-friends that they sightsee the major California destinations counter-clockwise, driving north inland to Yosemite, west to SF, south along Hwy 1, through LA (my least favorite place), and down to San Diego -- which is one of my favorite destinations.
We did this road trip about 10 years ago. It was truly one of the most epic road trips that we've ever taken. Stops included camping in the beautiful Russian Gulch State Park. You can't beat that kind of camping - right by the shore on one of the world's most beautiful coastlines. Fort Bragg was really laid back and is also home to the North Coast Brewing Company!
I have never been to the West Coast nor any where else. But have extensively driven in the North East in the few years I have been in the US, I can surely say America is a beautiful country.
Want to see a beautiful and scenic suspension bridge and drive along the coast without the crowds? It's called the Mackinac bridge and cruising along Lake Superior in the upper Pennisula of Michigan (complete with the "free color tv" signs of the 70s and a lack of chain restaurants). California's idea of "no crowds" is a bit different than Northern Michigan's. The difference is that in Michigan, it really is no crowds. Check out Taquemenon Falls (second largest behind Niagara east of the Mississippi) and the highest density of lighthouses anywhere in the world. Did I mention you can check out lots of waterfalls around Munising Michigan and see the cliffs along Pictured Rocks National Seashore too? Sorry, but for some reason people think the Mid-West is just cornfields but it isn't true. In fact, by some dimensions, the Mackinaw Bridge is actually bigger (and more scenic in my opinion) than the Golden Gate.
Did I mention that everything is way cheaper there too from the hotels to the food?
I know MI and the UP and agree that it's beautiful. I've spent many summers up there exploring the coastline. Having said that, the range of sights that you will see in California is incredibly diverse. If I had to choose, I'd do Cali first.
I could not agree more with Logical Positivist. Northern Michigan to me, is one of the most beautiful spots in this country. The one route L P did miss is the tunnel of trees north of Harbor Springs on M-119 up to Cross Village. It is an absolute beautiful Drive winding up the coast of Lake Michigan.
Trip of a lifetime! Took my family there during the summer of 2010. We started in San Diego and ended in Tahoe. 15 days of poking along the coast, seeing so much beauty. We saw so many places that we have seen on TV and dreamed about. Too bad Cali is such an expensive place to live, but I understand why.
Don't wait too long before make this trip , it's a real refresher and will fill you with great memories.
I completed the trip from San Francisco once before and thought that words did not do it justice. I would like to travel it once more perhaps to the upper most northern border of california very slowly. Are there trains/buses which would accomadate such a trip? Happy New Year to all
made that drive a couple of times in '63, Point Arena was my favorite stop. Disotelles had the best food., and bar. motel accomodations super clean, even fished from the small pier, good catch. but the complete drive is fantastic viewing. nothing like it in the south, I wanna go back.
I've got another one for you. Try the Taconic State Parkway in eastern New York State. It parallels the Connecticut and Massachusetts border. One of the most beautiful things about it is that it is a parkway. That means no trucks! Also as much as a half mile separate the northbound from the southbound lanes.
Besides it is an area that time has just about forgotten, beautiful scenery too.
NY gets such a bad rap. I agree the Taconic has some gorgeous views.
Upstate is beautiful.
My wife and I drove the Pacific Highway 1 southbound. We enjoyed it immensely, my wife however was on the passenger side all she could see was us going off the edge. It was better for her the next day as we were northbound. It is defiantly a must see.
Seen both the CA and MI drives...come to Alaska for real wilderness.
It doesn't take 60 miles from S.F. to HWY 1. You can get there by turning off 101 just south of Manzanita only a few miles from the Golden Gate Bridge. {Consider a little detour to the top of Mt. Tamalpais, great hike up the old railroad grade if you've got the will, or just drive up.} In that early stretch, Stinson Beach is cool. Olema was mentioned in the song "I'm a Hippie from Olema" (a response to Hagg's "Okie from Muskogee"). Point Reyes Station, cruise along Tamalas Bay (I used to fish salmon & halibut there in my younger days), up to Valley Ford (home of the Irish Rangers) along the old narrow guage railroad route (North Pacific Coast RR). {Another detour is through Freestone & Occidental (Italian restaurants) up to the Russian River, then back out to the coast}.
Lots to see before you even get to Jenner....
Try Oregon's US 1. It is even more dramatic than California's.
Beg to differ...although 101 is a much better quality hwy....(I really like Oregon's southern coast / hope to live there some day).
Of course, it is subjective, but the N. Cal coast is spectacular & rugged (don't take a large RV or trailer). The slopes are so unstable that CAL TRANS gave up on HWY 1 just N of Rockport and turned the hwy inland to come out at Legget on 101. That leaves a stretch of the coast that does not have practical access (look up California's Lost Coast).
I did this drive in 2002. A true gem of a road. And to think the whole article was written without even mentioning my favorite part of that road. The Redwoods!!
30 years ago I took a motorcycle ride from Victoria, BC to San Francisco (via 5 to the Oregon border then out to the coastal 1/101). I recommend that you continue north of the locales mentioned in this story. Between the Redwoods, the coastal vistas and the small burgs and towns along the way I'll guarantee that anyone will find at least a temporal respite from the daily hoards of humanity many of us spend our days ensconced in.
Food for the soul.
I did that trip once and I will never do it again. I want wide roads on either side of me.....
It is a beautiful drive. With or without traffic it is still a drive that takes one's breath away. Since I recently retired and am about to acquire a motor home........beware! You may be behind me on the drive and I won't be going fast! LOL
Drove from the airport in SF to Mendocino during the holidays in 09. What a great trip. Few cars and fewer tourists. Hendy Woods is full of redwoods (we were the only ones there). Stayed at a cute place in Mendocino about a mile out of town (Blackberry Inn). Then to Carmel. A special little town. Monterey...rent a bike and drive around the coast near the golf course. I miss it all.
Try driving further north to Eureka and then visit Jedediah Smith Redwood State Park. It will take your breath away.
I gotta try the North of SF drive someday... since I live in the vicinity of the general final destination of the south of SF drive (Morro Bay), I drive it a few times a year. Always fun. As a heads up, this area is always just for the well-heeled. I actually just picked up a 4 bedroom house in Santa Maria, CA (dead in the middle between Santa Barbara and Cambria) for 152K... payment is $550.00 a month. Kinda nice to have cheap living expenses and still live in the most beautiful area of the US. I guess the recession did have certain perks.
Yes,the Redwoods are something to see. However, the beaches? No thanks if you can get to one. In Oregon all the beaches for 300 miles are open to the public. There are probably 10 times as many picnic areas and state parks along the ocean as there are in California. California has places to visit but you are going to share them with a million people. Yosemite is a zoo. You want to be by yourself and see the unseen? Travel highway 50 out of Reno to Ely, Nevada. You will see maybe 3 or 4 cars along the road. Stay a day or two in Ely and drive just a few miles north of McGill and take the road to the campgrounds. You will enter a totally different world from the rest of Nevada. Summer the mountains are covered with wildflowers, small streams to fish and very very few people. The Fall is spectacular with the colors of the aspens, alders, poplars and mountain mahogany. Just be prepared for the heights as you get up to 10,000 feet.