Highway 1

About

Highway 1, better known as the Pacific Coast Highway or PCH, is a roughly 700-mile scenic route that traces nearly all of California’s coastline. It links Mendocino and the Lost Coast in the north to San Diego in the south, passing through Marin, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Big Sur, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Malibu, and Laguna Beach along the way.

The Big Sur segment, between San Simeon and Carmel, is the most famous stretch. It was officially designated an All-American Road for its scenery, and the Bixby Creek Bridge, McWay Falls, and Pfeiffer Beach are among the most photographed places on the California coast. Further south, Hearst Castle, the elephant seal rookery at Piedras Blancas, and Morro Bay add context to a drive that would otherwise be all cliffs and ocean.

Road conditions change frequently. Winter storms periodically close sections of Highway 1 for rockslide repairs, and rerouting through Nacimiento-Fergusson Road or US 101 is sometimes necessary. That variability is part of why a Pacific Coast Highway road trip benefits from local knowledge, flexible pacing, and overnight stops that let the light do its work at dawn and sunset.

Smaller guided tours and retreats along Highway 1 usually break the drive into manageable segments, with time built in for coastal hikes, state beaches, and the towns that most travelers speed past.