Expert: Steve Summers - 12/20/2004

Question
hi steve. i've been to nappa,sf and monterey several times. next year i would like to travel route 1 from la to sf. i'd like to stop at the hurst castle, santa barb.,and monterey. can you give me an idea on driving times from place to place? also how much time i need in each area?thank you. tony

Answer
Hi Tony,

This should be a very fun trip. Here are some approximate times, and suggested stopovers:

LA to SB: From downtown, take I-10 to Santa Monica where it turns into Highway 1. If you have time, stop awhile at the Santa Monica Pier and enjoy the sun and the breeze. Just south of the pier is the original "Hot Dog on a Stick". Have a dog and some Muscle Beach lemonade. From there, it's about 60 (no traffic) to 120 minutes (rush hour) to Oxnard. Most of this drive includes some very nice ocean vistas. From Oxnard, take highway 101 to Santa Barbara.

In Santa Barbara, exit at Cabrillo, turn left, and continue to the beach. If you timed it right, it is now lunch time. Park near Cabrillo and State Street, and take the shuttle bus up State St to eat and shop away the rest of the afternoon. Personally, I like eating at the Acapulco Mexican restaurant, near the corner of Anapamu and State. If it's nice out, get a table by the fountain. While in SB, enjoy the mission style architecture that is everywhere, and maybe even visit the Mission Santa Barbara. Spanish priests never had it so lucky. What a view!

After spending the night in SB, it's time to get back on 101 and head north. From SB to Gaviota, the views can be spectacular! Once you make the turn north at Gaviota, you head inland. You could take hwy 1 to Lompoc, but there's not much to look at. Enjoy the rolling hills, as you go through Buellton, Santa Maria, and then get to the coast at Pismo. Here you have several opportunities to enjoy the coast: You can stay in Pismo, San Luis Obispo (about 10 miles inland), or further up the coast in Cambria. It's about 3 hours from SB to Pismo, another 10 to SLO, and another hour or so to Cambria (Only about 40 miles, but there are signals, and it's one lane each way). I recommend staying in picturesque Cambria, if at all possible. If not, the Madonna Inn in SLO is a very interesting place to stay. Check them out at www.madonnainn.com.

From Cambria, you are just a short drive from San Simeon and Hearst Castle. After nice breakfast, go visit Hearst Castle. Check out the tours and reservations at www.hearstcastle.com. From San Simeon, take a 10 minute drive north and see the elephant seals. Depending on the time of year, you could see up to 5,000 elephant seals right there on the beach. Just look for the parking lot on the left about 10 miles from Hearst Castle. From there, it's another 70 miles to Big Sur, about 2 hours and 20 min of driving. Big Sur has some interesting places to check out, like the Big Sur Gallery and Bixby Creek Bridge. From Big Sur, it's another 20 miles to Carmel (about 30 minutes).

There are a lot of nice places to stay in Carmel and Monterey. We really liked the Best Western Townhouse Lodge, located right in the middle of Carmel. We also like the Monterey Inn for its large rooms, or the Victorian Inn for its location on Cannery Row. Be sure to visit the aquarium, Cannery Row, and Dennis the Menace Park if you have kids. Bubba Gump's is a bit touristy, but it's a fun place to eat. Allow at least 24 hours in Monterey, probably 36 or 48 is better.

From Monterey, it's about an hour to Santa Cruz on highway 1. If you have time, be sure to stop at the Boardwalk. It has an old wooden roller coaster. The drive up the coast to SF is very beautiful (if it's not too foggy), and takes about 2 hours.

Hope this helps,

Have a great time,

Steve