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 miles · 4 suggested days · best September–October (clearest coast) · $$$

The route

Early access

ScenicEatStayDetour

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

Make it yours

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