On this scenic road trip you will travel along the famed California Route One from Monterey to Morro Bay, CA. This is only one of nine routes officially designated by the US Department of Transportation as an "All American Road." The route is also a portion of Route One voted to be one of the "10 Best Drives" by the members of USAA insurance in 99 and one of 120 road trips highlighted in the Reader's Digest book "The Most Scenic Drives In America". The coastal scenery along the route is breathtaking with its display of rolling hills, rock outcroppings, beautiful waterfalls, redwood trees, lush valleys and majestic mountains. The route takes you past a number of lighthouses and 18th century Spanish missions, as well as a variety of wildlife species including sea lions, sharks, bat rays, whales, brown pelicans, peregrine falcons and monarch butterfly winter sanctuaries.
Towns/Cities You'll Pass By/Through
There are a few towns that you'll be passing through along this route. From Morro Bay, CA, in the southern end of the trip, you'll be heading north through San Simeon, Lucia, and Big Sur, and then finally Carmel By the Sea and Monterrey, CA. These are very nice towns with plenty of visitor services available to the tourists passing through.
Attractions & Points-of-Interests Along the Way
In terms of the number and quality of amenities available, you can spend days tasking in all that this road trip has to offer. With seven state parks, a state reserve, a botanical area and many historical places of interest, you'll always have plenty to see and do along this route. There are many opportunities for hiking and beach exploring in the state parks. Monterrey, CA has a walking tour and Cannery Row district with nice restaurants, museums, and aquarium. Pacific Grove, known as Butterfly USA, is a winter home to monarch butterflies coming from as far as Canada. Carmel-By-The-Sea has shops, cottages, galleries, restaurants, as well as a preserved 18th century Spanish mission. The route will also take you across the Bixby Bridge, known form movies, postcards and TV commercials. The bridge arches 256 feet above the point where the Bixby Creek meets the Pacific Ocean. Tours of the lighthouse in Point Sur state historic park are available on most weekends. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park has great hiking trails leading to many waterfalls and trout streams. Make sure you visit one of California's most popular tourist sites, the Hearst Castle. This mansion/castle was built for a publisher William Randolph Hearst at the beginning of the 20th century and took about 30 years to be completed. With its fascinating history, the Castle served as early 20th century fantasy island for Hollywood stars and some of the richest and most powerful people in the world. The Hearst Castle is the one attraction along this route you don't want to miss. Morro Bay Morrow Bay is a wonderful seaside town you might also want to plan to spend some time in. The famous landmark here is "Morro Rock" a striking coastal feature named by Portuguese navigator Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo when he first charted this coast during his voyage of discovery in 1542. Overall, this road trip is incredible in both scenery and attractions and you just can't get enough of all the breathtaking views and wonderful places of interest showcased along this route.
Reviewed by Guest on August 14, 2010 (7 out of 7 members found this review useful.)
Comments: I took this trip back in 2005 and it was the best road trip I've ever taken!! If I could do it again I would have taken my time and spent at least three days. I would have spent much more time on the beaches.
Reviewed by Guest on June 5, 2011 (5 out of 6 members found this review useful.)
Comments: I agree with the other reviewers and gave this road a 5 out of 5. It was a road trip of a lifetime for me and I will get back there and do it again before I leave this earth. When I do though, I will plan to spend more time at some of the towns like San Louis Obispo and Monterrey. They have a lot to offer for those of you looking for relaxing California coastal communities. I made the mistake of spending much of my time in San Fransisco which I did enjoy seeing but I really enjoyed the feel of the smaller towns versus the big city.
Reviewed by Guest on April 28, 2011 (3 out of 3 members found this review useful.)
Comments: This is an amazing drive. When I first took the drive I thought it would be more crowded because of it being so famous. However, when we went (September) the traffic was very light and except for a bit of morning fog (which burned off by noon) the weather was fantastic. If you are in the area at any point in your life, you need to do this drive.
Reviewed by Guest on December 31, 2011 (4 out of 4 members found this review useful.)
Attraction or Point-of-Interest recommendation: "Avenue of the Giants" - From the website - Avenue of the Giants http://avenueofthegiants.net/ - A Destination Vacation: This world-famous scenic drive is a 31-mile portion of old Highway 101, which parallels Freeway 101 with its 51,222 acres of redwood groves. It is by far the most outstanding display of these giant trees in the entire 500 mile redwood belt and is accessible to all with convenient services provided along the way. The Avenue of the Giants is surrounded by Humboldt Redwoods State Park which has the largest remaining stand of virgin redwoods in the world. Take time to picnic, camp, hike, swim, fish, raft or bike ride in the cool hush of these ancient redwood forests.
Reviewed by Guest on December 19, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Attraction or Point-of-Interest recommendation: Carmel, Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, McWay Falls, Hearst Castle, Cambria, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Santa Baraba,