Expert: Ernest Tufft - 7/17/2007

Question
Hello,

My family is planning a trip from the east coast next weekend and I wanted to show them some of the California coast. We are planning on traveling from San Diego Thursday after noon and we need to be back in San Diego Sunday night. I wanted to see the Redwoods but I'm not sure if we will have enough time to drive all that way. I was planning on stopping somewhere Thursday night for dinner/sleep then driving most of the day Friday and stoping in another city for dinner/sleep. Any tips or suggestions would be great. Thanks for your help.

Answer
Lee,

You are correct in thinking that the closest redwood forests to San Diego would include Big Sur if you take the coast route, but it also seems like you have the time.  You might want abreviate the time consuming aspects of the coast route by taking I-5 to the Lost Hills/Paso Robles exit in the lower San Joaquin Valley (Hwy 42, I think, check Mapquest).  This will permit faster pass through LA and skip Santa Barbara.  The best part of Hwy 1 is between San Simeon and Carmel, which will take about 4 hours, including generous roadside stops for the view and watching of sea lions.  Actually, you might consider staying Thursday the night in Paso Robles or Cambria.  Then start the trip in the morning, visit Big Sur, and stay in Carmel or Monterey Friday night, unless you want to try and get a camping spot in Big Sur.  On Saturday, you could venture further north to Santa Cruz and see the coastal redwood communities in that area (see my pages for Santa Cruz at virtualtourist.com).  The trip back to San Diego can be made in one day.  Check mapquest.com for the fastest route, but you'll either be taking Hwy 101 or I-5 directly back.  Have fun.