Expert: Steve Summers - 3/22/2007

Question
I am an avid amateur photographer and will be in san francisco this may. I've always wanted to drive the coast and am wondering is this is a good time to do so? If not, when is the best time to drive the coast? When driving this route, what are the must see/photograph areas? Is 101 to Santa Cruz and then Rte 1 from there the best way to go?

Answer
Hi Rod,

This is an excellent time of year to drive the coast. As you get close to summer, you get a lot of fog. However, the fog can be fascinating as well, especially if you can find it spilling over into a canyon.

If you have the time, I would take Highway 1 all the way down from SF to Santa Cruz. It's much more interesting. 101 is nothing but push-up buildings from the City all the way to San Jose. At the top of hwy 17, it gets pretty and rural, and offers a very nice overlook of Santa Cruz and Monterey Bay. But overall, your best bet is to drive down hwy 1. There are a number of nice spots. I have a photographer friend who took some nice shots of a couple of old barns/outbuildings.

I've found in photography, anything is fair game. You never know when you'll find that perfect shot. So you'll find a large variety of things to shoot along the way.

Once in Santa Cruz, I recommend taking the Roaring Camp Big Trees Railroad tour up to the redwoods for a nice side trip. You can check out their site at www.roaringcamprr.com. Also, the Santa Cruz Boardwalk is very cool. It has an old coaster there.

From SC to Monterey, Highway 1 goes along the coast along the edge of Monterey Bay. Since this area gets a lot of rain in comparison to SoCal, you'll see a lot of trees along the roadway in some spots, unusual for someone like me from SoCal. Along the coast, keep your eyes peeled for mraine life nestled in the kelp beds.

In Monterey, there are lots of things to shoot. My favorites are near Pacific Grove and Cannery Row. There's Fisherman's Wharf, Cannery Row, and the rocky coast from the Aquarium to Carmel Peninsula. You can't miss the aquarium (www.mbayaq.org), which is one of the finest in the nation, IMHO. The jelly exhibit, outer bay tank, and kelp forest are prime spots. Also, you have a lot of folks kayaking through the kelp beds, and I've seen wild otters around here as well. Photos hide in every nook and cranny here. In Carmel, there's 17-Mile Drive, and the Lone Cypress. It will cost you a few bucks, but worth the drive. Point Lobos is also another great photo opportunity.

Highway 1 from Carmel to San Simeon is some of the most beautiful country on the planet. The road can be windy (as in back and forth), but it's worth the trip. You'll want to take a photos around Big Sur, the Bixby Creek Bridge, Point Sur Lighthouse (look online for tours), the Sea Lions at Piedras Blancas, and San Simeon (as well as any point along the way). Be sure to take a tour of Hearst Castle, which is fascinating, and provides some excellent photo ops. South of San Simeon, you can find some old buildings which make good subjects. I've always enjoyed the view along Morro Strands, as well.

I don't know how far south your are going, but a side trip to Jalama Beach should prove worthwhile. In addition to some very rare open land, you'll see some nice vinyards along the way. You can exit 101 near Lompoc, and take the drive to the beach. You can reward yourself with a Jalama Burger, if nothing else.

I've always liked Santa Barbara because of it's mission style architecture. The Mission itself is very beautiful, as is the view from there.

Each and every sunset along the coast provides an opportunity to take a spectacular shot, so try to position yourself along the coast as the day comes to a close. You won't be disappointed.

Have fun!
Have fun!