Great road trips - Route 1 California, The Great Pacific Highway

The first road trip that springs to mind, and it is possibly because where I am sitting the sun is out, is the journey from San Francisco, through Los Angeles and down towards San Diego, or Tijuana if you are Mexico-minded. I made this trip a few couple of years ago and it is worth sharing with any of you who fancy going and doing it, or at least dreaming of a few days off work.

Of course, I am talking about Route 1, or the Great Pacific Highway if you are so disposed. I am speaking from experience with this one, and it was brilliant. I started in Death Valley and travelled up to San Francisco before starting my trip down. I’ll give you a blow by blow account of what I found, what car I did it in and how I’d do it when (not if) I do it again.

My set of wheels for the trip was a Dodge NitroDodge NitroUnited States of America, 2006 > present17 versions
27 photos
, it did what we needed it to do, which was carry four of us with bags without costing the earth to hire, but if I did it again it would be a Ford Mustang ConvertibleFord Mustang V6 Premium C...United States of America, 2012 > present1 photo
. Why not a CorvetteChevrolet Corvette Conver...United States of America, 2007 > present2 photos
? Route 1 is a road to be cruised down, there are plenty of roads to go quickly on and most of those are located in Europe. No, Route 1 should be enjoyed with a Beach Boys soundtrack, roof down with the sun beating down between stops for ice cream and Coca Cola.

Panther Beach, Santa Cruz

© photo by Steve Dunleavy, licence: Attribution

It is worth skirting around the bottom of San Jose and heading straight for Santa Cruz. It is an interesting town, full of bygone Californian grandeur, but my impression was of a slight impoverishment in 2010, but you get the feel for it nonetheless. It has rollercoaster’s and a real family funfair seaside feel. But it is the kind of place where you can imagine a stag party or hen do going. Now I come to think about it, it was perfect for four young English university graduates!

Then it is a short drive to Monterey and Sea World, which is world famous. It has a very different feel to Santa Cruz, there is plenty of money here and it wasn’t difficult to rinse the greasy calamari taste of Santa Cruz away with some higher quality fayre. It is also a great time to visit Laguna Seca raceway  – located just outside Monterey. Maybe this is the time you will wish that you had opted for the Corvette and that it wasn’t a hire car! The famous Cork Screw corner is a challenge, it is one of the world’s great turns located in the USA’s best circuit.

It gets even better from here on in, this is where Route 1 comes into its own. The views are truly spectacular, with jutting outcrops of rock and bridges that navigate huge drops over the Pacific Ocean. This is where the Beach Boys track comes in handy, you really feel like you are ‘surfing USA’!

Big Sur Coastline, Bixby Bridge

© photo by Martin & Julia, licence: Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike

It depends largely on time, but Morro Bay is also very pretty, it is further south and well worth a stop for a post Monterey hang-over rest. You may also want to pop into Carmel, where the Mayor is none other than Clint Eastwood, the Hollywood mega star. If you haven’t got time though just crack on, this is a good day’s driving and it is the day where it really starts to feel like a road trip. Trust me; Santa Barbara is well worth the drive. It was by far my favorite town. It has a lovely mix of character, night life, relaxation and lovely sea-side activities on offer. Even the youth hostels are a cut above, but be careful not to get run over by the train that cuts through the centre.

Next is the drive to Los Angeles, I do not want to speak out of turn, but Los Angeles is not the prettiest of places. Fortunately there is respite before you hit the mega city in the form of Malibu, but make sure the credit card is ready for a bashing. Have a look around the beach side mansions, the university that sits high on the cliffs above and the beautiful people and then it happens, before you hit Los Angeles.

Santa Monica is pleasant, but if you really want to see people living the Californian life style head on down to Venice beach in the ‘stang. It is crazy, full of (medicinal) marijuana smoking hippies and cops on Segways. Much has been written about Los Angeles so I won’t bore you with that, but spend a couple of days there if you can. And maybe try to recreate this:

If you thought Malibu was the Californian idyll, then wait until you see Newport and Laguna Beach, south of Los Angeles. It’ll be the last stop on the Route 1 drive, but it is worth continuing on to. My memory is of the sheer numbers of Californians simply on the beach playing volleyball or sunning themselves. There are beautiful restaurants and some fantastic metal to feat your eyes on too with Ferrari’s and Bentley’s cruise in their droves.

After that, Route 1 comes to an end, but San Diego is much nicer than Los Angeles, so book your flight out from there!

So, what’s my advice? Take a week out, 10 days if you have it and go for a drive. Santa Barbara is worth two nights if you can and choose a Mustang and some decent music.