Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip: Things to do and see along Hwy 1
Disclaimer: We are not paid to promote any restaurant, hotel, activity, product, or attraction. All opinions are subjective and based on our personal experience. Your experience may be different.
Santa Monica Pier
A drive up the California coast would not be complete without a visit to the historic Santa Monica Pier, one of the most iconic attractions in all of Southern California. Amusement rides, crazy shows, restaurants, carnival games…you just have to see it. The rollercoaster ride is a great time, not to mention the fantastic views! On an interesting side note, the pier marks the official end of Route 66, “The Mother Road.”
Seaside State Beach
Seaside State Beach is a stunning beach located in Monterey County. Being an avid SeaGlass collector, I just had to stop at this beach as it is ranked as one of the best in the country. Not only did we find plenty of beautiful SeaGlass, we also enjoyed the beautiful scenery and quiet atmosphere. What a relaxing beach to take a break from driving. With barely any crowds, clean sand, and nice soothing waves, Monterey really is the perfect escape from it all!
Golden Gate Bridge
One of the most unique ways to experience the grandeur of the Golden Gate Bridge is to take a walk across it! Walking across one of America’s most iconic landmarks is quite a unique experience, not to mention an amazing photo opportunity. It’s about 3 miles total, which is a lot longer than it looks driving across it. You will enjoy great views of the San Francisco skyline, the ocean, and the surrounding landscapes. The bridge itself is even more stunning in person than in photographs. In addition, the parking lot by the bridge is an excellent spot for taking gorgeous photography of the bridge.
If you have time, plan a visit to Marin Headlands, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation area. From these hiking and biking trails, you’ll enjoy incredible views of the bridge via a variety of angles.
SeaGlass Beach
There is a really unique beach in Northern California’s Ft. Bragg, known for its’ abundance of SeaGlass. This beach is supposed to hold the highest concentration of seaglass anywhere. The former location of an old dump, SeaGlass Beach is now shining with hundreds of thousands of pieces of the tumbled frosted glass. It’s illegal to take any pieces, but fun to take it all in. Mike and I had a blast walking around seeing layers and layer upon seaglass. We collected
For those of you who are unfamiliar with SeaGlass, here is the story: SeaGlass is simply the term used to describe old pieces of glass which have been transformed into gem-like pieces as a result of the passage of plenty of time and tumbling. Old bottles and other forms of glass are tumbled smooth over time from years of tumbling along the rocks. Glass can be found in a variety of sizes, colors, and shapes. Much of it sparkles in the sun and takes on a frosty, gem like appearance. The rarest colors are red, orange, purple, and blue. We found mostly green, brown, and white (the most common colors) as you can see in the photo below.
Even if you have never heard of Seaglass, you should still plan a stop here. Walking along this beach is a truly memorable experience as all the glass shimmers in the sun; it feels as though you are walking across jewels! The beach is also a hotspot for photography and seal sightings.
The next attractions on this list are located along Hwy 101. The most notable sight of interest here is definitely the redwood trees. This portion of the drive is a bit more desolate and the trees give the scenery a more mystical, eerie vibe. I could definitely see why so many people see Bigfoot sightings in areas where the weather is overcast, drizzly, foggy, and the trees are dense, tall, and green.
Redwood National Forest
The most beautiful and worthy stop along Hwy 101 is the Redwood National Forest in Northern California. Located in Crescent City, this national park is a fantastic place for photography, hiking, and simple relaxation. The Redwood Trees are an awe inspiring sight – many are 100’s of feet tall! The coast redwoods found in this park are the tallest on Earth. Check out the width on these trees – that is me standing in front of the tree to show the massive trunk.
Redwood National Forest is a great place to stop and picnic and hike before getting back on the road. I recommend staying overnight somewhere in Humboldt county to allow yourself enough time to see everything.
