Road trip · California, USA

Pacific Coast Highway

San Francisco → Los Angeles

The benchmark coastal drive: cliffs, fog, redwoods, and the ocean on your right for five hundred miles.

500 mi · 4 days · best September–October (clearest coast) · $$$

The route

ScenicEatStayDetour

Start, finish and every stop, pinned — turn-by-turn in one tap.

Steady pace

12h 30m

total driving

3h 8m

driving per day

125

miles per day

Driving times are estimates at a ~40 mph touring pace (stops, photos and traffic add to the clock).

The Elephant seals, San Simeon → Santa Barbara finish leg is 180 mi (4h 30m) with no stop between — fuel up and plan a rest.
Fewer overnights are marked than the suggested days — plan where you’ll sleep along the way.

🚗 28 mi · ~42 min
1
Half Moon Bay
Eatmile 28
Harbor-side chowder before the coast turns wild.
🚗 47 mi · ~1h 11m
2
Santa Cruz boardwalk
Detourmile 75
A 1907 wooden coaster and sea lions under the wharf.
🚗 60 mi · ~1h 30m
3
Bixby Creek Bridge
Scenicmile 135
The postcard shot — arrive before 9 a.m. to have it to yourself.
🚗 15 mi · ~23 min
4
Big Sur night
Staymile 150
Sleep in the redwoods; the coast is unlit and the stars are absurd.
🚗 15 mi · ~23 min
5
McWay Falls
Scenicmile 165
An 80-foot waterfall straight onto the beach. Ten-minute walk.
🚗 65 mi · ~1h 38m
6
Elephant seals, San Simeon
Scenicmile 230
Hundreds of them, free, right off the pullout.
🚗 180 mi · ~4h 30m
7
Santa Barbara finish
Eatmile 410
Funk Zone tacos and a harbor sunset before the last leg to LA.

🚗 90 mi · ~2h 15m

🏁 Los Angeles

Ideal: suvMinimum: compactAWD helps but isn't requiredHybrid recommended

Mountain roads are more comfortable and surefooted in an SUV

Make it yours

Ask Arya to pace this drive around your DNA — where to linger, what to skip, and where to sleep.