The Pacific Coast Highway - “It’s To Drive For”!
Bixby Creek Bridge between Carmel and Big Sur
Driving a curvy road in the mountains is a little bit like life. You never know if the next curve will lead to something new or more of the same. In the case of the Pacific Coast Highway, it is the former hands-down!
The central coast section of the PCH provides post-card rolling mountain and shoreline views between the Monterey Peninsula and Morro Bay (the roughly 120-mile and most popular portion of the PCH that continuously hugs the coastline). Adding in multiple state parks, secluded coves, animal sanctuaries, the Hearst Castle, great hiking, and the deep blue of the Pacific Ocean makes this scenic drive one of the best in the country with plenty of things to do.
Depending on whether you’re driving north or south on the PCH, Morro Bay is a great stop-over before heading up the coast or a perfect place to unwind after driving down to process what you just witnessed. The iconic monolithic-like rock guarding the bay can be seen from miles away and features an expansive beach on one side and the entrance to Morro Bay on the other. Seals, otters, birds, and other wildlife are found almost year-round and in the warmer months, kayak and boat tours can get you up close and personal.
Plenty of restaurants and lodging choices are located along the iconic wharf along with various tourist shops. This is a great place to stretch your legs and enjoy a path which extends all the way to the parking lots by the “Rock” and beach area.
Heading north from Morro Bay, you will pass a couple of state parks before reaching highway 46, the last chance to go inland (to the 101 highway) before getting to Carmel. If you’re not rushed for time, I suggest heading east on this road for about 10 minutes where you will reach an awesome scenic turnout looking out over the green valley and the southern coast. The Morro Rock is in the distance and the rolling hills and valley connecting the mountains to the ocean is a great, panoramic picture.
After returning to the northbound PCH, you will drive through the bucolic towns of Cambria and San Simeon on the way towards the Hearst Castle. Currently closed due to roadway damage but expected to reopen soon, the castle, built by the media magnate Hearst family, is now a museum operating as a state park.
A little way past the castle turn-off, a beach serving as a mating and birthing spot for elephant seals provides an opportunity to get within feet of the massive mammals from a safe boardwalk looking over the sand. You get a real sense of their size as adult males are around 15 feet long and can weigh over 4,000 pounds. Coupled with babies and their mothers, you can witness the entire family structure and learn more about the seals from Friends of the Elephant Seal nature guides on-site.
There are too many trailheads, coves, and parks to visit all in one day, so we chose a few of the more popular spots to visit. Sand Dollar Beach, across from the Plaskett Creek Campground, is long and wide if you’re interested in some beachcombing. While we didn’t find any sand dollars, there is purple-tinted sand underneath the top layer that is exposed where streams are running through the beach to the ocean.
A few miles further north, Limekiln State Park offers a few hikes into a luscious canyon but is most known for the trek to the namesake falls. Unfortunately, we visited following a period of several days of heavy rain and the trail was closed due to unsafe conditions.
After Limekiln, the Big Creek Bridge, when seen from the vista point just south of the span, provides a nice photo of the cove, coastline, and structure.
Big Creek Bridge
Continuing northward, a must stop is the McWay Waterfall trailhead. After paying the entrance fee, a short walk on a wide pathway takes you to an overlook where the falls can be seen as they hit the beach. This is one of the more popular photo spots on the central coast PCH!
McWay Falls Overlook
The Partington Cove Trailhead, located at a curve within the namesake canyon, is a medium level (somewhat steep) hike down to a secluded cove. Towards the bottom, the trail passes through a tunnel to reach its final destination. There are also a couple of trails off the main path where you can explore up the canyon or down to a cliff overlook.
Big Sur is an awesome and unique coastal town, well-known for its million-dollar views and real estate. There are several things to do including multiple hiking trailheads, camping, surfing, and just plain unwinding among huge redwoods and sequoias. Also, the popular Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Andrew Molera SP surrounds the town and provides a great base for people interested in enjoying nature and the local area. There are also high-end hotels and resorts, including the Post Ranch Inn, for those interested in being pampered while they enjoy one of the best towns on the PCH.
In between Big Sur and Carmel lies one of the most iconic bridges on the west coast. The Bixby Creek Bridge has been featured in numerous movies and TV shows, postcards, photos, and is one of the top attractions of this scenic drive. Almost 100 years old, it was the world’s highest single-span arch bridge when first built.
The Monterey Peninsula is widely known for iconic golf courses, beautiful coastal scenery, tourist attractions, and the towns of Carmel-by-the-Sea, Pacific Grove, and Monterey. The latter two are great for families and those looking to be closer to attractions like Cannery Row, Fisherman’s Wharf, and one of the best aquariums in the world, the Monterey Bay Aquarium. There is also a section of woods where Monarch butterflies return annually to mate and socialize. Thousands of the orange and black Lepidopteras congregate at the Monarch Sanctuary during the fall/winter season providing a colorful photographic opportunity!
Golf enthusiasts flock to this area for numerous courses including Spyglass Hill, The Links at Spanish Bay, Monterey Peninsula CC, and one of the most elite in the world, Pebble Beach. The waiting list for a tee time is around 14-18 months unless you know a local or there is a rare, last-minute cancellation!
One of the most popular things to do in Monterey/Carmel is the 17 Mile Drive around the peninsula. The winding road traverses inland through lovely homes and estates in addition to several stops at coastal viewpoints including Seal Rock, Spanish Bay, Bird Rock, Sunset Point, and Lone Cypress. The latter is a scraggy cypress, growing on a granite outcrop, and is one of the most highly photographed trees in the U.S. It also serves as the official logo for Pebble Beach Links therefore is very familiar to golfers.
If you prefer a more laid-back atmosphere, access to a great walking beach (perfect for dogs too!), high-end shopping, tasty restaurants, and a more upscale crowd, then you must check out Carmel-by-the-Sea! Numerous 3–5-star hotels and renovated, boutique motels are within walking distance of the “hopping” downtown. If you can handle the steep incline leading down to the beach and enjoy walking through hilly neighborhoods full of stately homes with “to-die-for views”, Carmel will provide days of enjoyment and peaceful relaxation.
And a visit to one of the more well-known Carmel residents and former mayor’s bar-restaurant, the Hog’s Breath Inn, should be planned as well. Clint Eastwood’s previously owned establishment is still full of photos and memorabilia from his acting career and offers a great atrium in which to enjoy the atmosphere.
The central coast of the Pacific Coast Highway may be the highlight of this bucket list scenic drive, but you can experience almost the entire length of the California coastline on Highway 1 if you so choose. At a minimum, start your central coast PCH drive in either L.A. or the San Francisco Bay area to get a full experience of what it has to offer!