ICONIC CALIFORNIA COAST
Adventure brief: Soak up the sun.
Life required repositioning back to the PNW after spending the last months of 2020 in the deserts of Arizona. Two blissfully sunny months spent biking, hiking, running, and adventuring while based at my sisters house in Phoenix was difficult to leave behind—replaced with the impending doom of grey clouds, rain and bone-chilling damp 40 degree weather of the PNW.
A coastal route home to Portland was the only option. We longed to soak up as much vitamin D as possible on the beaches of San Diego, Malibu, and along iconic Highway 1 toward Big Sur. Driving the Big Sur coast from San Simeon to Carmel-By-The-Sea is absolutely near the top of must-do drives in the US.
California coastal route highlights
We chose the following cities for overnights on our route: San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Cruz, and at the last minute, Winters, CA. Stopping at beaches in San Diego, Malibu, Santa Cruz, the Marin Headlands outside San Francisco, and random spots along HWY 1 is a wonderful way to experience the drive. Due to closures and unwilling to stealth camp on the streets, we used the van as a place to have coffee, take-away meals, and changing spot after running.
The only regrets were the time we had—five days is not adequate to truly enjoy the scenery, towns, food/beer, places to adventure, AND the fact that the entire state of California was on the highest level of lockdown due to surging COVID-19 cases. In fact, our trip required signed declaration to be “essential” as we were self-contained van travelers repositioning home. Campgrounds were closed, restaurants were take-away only, and hotels required our documentation. We made the best of it and thought it worth sharing. Onward…
HWY 1 heading north to Big Sur, CA.
San Diego Beaches + Balboa Park
What’s not to love about a city with access to stunning beaches and coastline, a top-notch brewery scene, urban trail running, and a dog park in every neighborhood? I lived in the North Park neighborhood of San Diego in the early 2000’s. Playing tourist vs. local and revisiting Balboa Park for a 5 mile trail run after a morning at the Ocean Beach dog park was the perfect way to spend the day. Keep in mind that overnight van parking is not legal at any San Diego area beaches so it’s day hangs only.
Ocean Beach/Dog Beach. Crunchy vibe, zero parking, underwhelming restaurants but AMAZING dog beach. Worth a visit just for that. If you have a dog. Or if you like dogs.
Pacific Beach. If you’re looking for a well designed modern hotel + scene smack on the beach, Tower23 Hotel is worth checking out.
Coronado Beach. Along with the iconic Hotel Del Coronado, this beach is another great spot to bring the beasts.
Blacks Beach, La Jolla. My favorite of all SD area beaches. You’ve got to work for those views with a scramble down the cliffs. Clothing optional at the northern end.
Balboa Park Trails. Over 65 miles of trails meandering through lush gardens, canyons, and some of the cities most visited sites. Worth exploring.
Malibu Beaches and Burritos
From San Diego, we shot north on I-5 and cut over to Santa Monica via the 405, bound for Highway 1 and lunch in Malibu. The drive from Santa Monica north is packed with vans and surfers along the roadside. Due to the parking challenges and lack of beach access, I prefer to head just past bougie Malibu Country Mart to quieter beaches. The beaches in this area are more residential and so is the access. Use Google to see available parking areas and be careful not to block anyone’s driveway. Plenty of private patrol officers are waiting to ticket or tow. My favorite access point is directly below the cliffs where the Sabor a Malibu burrito truck is located. An ideal place to stop and have lunch on the beach.
You’ll find a few camping areas further north near Point Mugu State Park which also has a network of trails worth checking out for a challenging trail run or hike with coastal views.
Sabor a Malibu Worth the wait. Or call ahead as your driving the coast.
Broad Beach Directly below the cliffside Sabor a Malibu truck and HWY 1.
Point Mugu State Park Parking, camping, trail running/hiking.
Lee Carillo State Park Parking and camping.
San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, home of Cal-Poly University, is a picturesque town nestled in the rolling hills of central California. It’s worth exploring the downtown core of restaurants and shops on Higuera, Monterey and surrounding side streets. We’ve listed a few recommendations below. If you’re looking for adventure options, trail running or hiking in the nearby hills or a beach day at Pismo Beach and Avila Beach are all accessible a short distance from downtown SLO.
SLO Brewery Lofts Hotel and Brew Pub One stop shop for loft lodging and good brews.
SCOUT Coffee Best coffee in town.
Old San Luis BBQ Local spot with the best “Santa Maria” style BBQ in the area.
Irish Hills Nature Preserve Features multiple distance options for hiking, running, or biking.
Poly Canyon Loop Solid tour of SLO. Easy access near Cal-Poly
Johnson Ranch to Froom Trail A Beautiful 14 mile loop with ocean views.
Starting the drive north on HWY 1 in San Simeon.
Big Sur
No debating, this is one of the more iconic drives in the states. The twisting, meandering 90 mile drive on HWY 1 is insanely popular and that means crowds. Hoards of them. The Big Sur drive is typically done north from the LA area or south from San Francisco. You’re guaranteed to experience a frustrating lack of parking for popular sites, no budget options for hotels, and few choice places to eat. What you’re also guaranteed to experience is a 3-4 hour drive full of stunning views and beaches to explore.
We lucked out in a way. Opting to drive at the end of December, we missed the crowds, enjoyed sunny days, and dealt with little traffic. We also missed the torrential rains which ultimately washed out and closed HWY 1 at Rat Creek on January 26th, 2021. The road is set to re-open on May 1, 2021. A few highlights of our route north are listed below:
San Simeon Bay Trail Check out Hearst Castle and hike along the rugged coastline.
Sand Dollar Beach Easy access and widest stretch on the coastline. Plus surfers!
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park NOTE no beach access from this park/campground. You’ll need to drive down a narrow road and pay $12 parking fee to access the beach. Day use only.
Pfeiffer Beach Purple sand, stunning cliffs, crashing waves…and loads of people.
COAST Big Sur Cafe Not to be missed spot for coffee, lunch, artwork and a beautiful space.
Bixby Creek Bridge AKA…THE bridge. One seen in all the photos and a supporting character in Big Little Lies. Due to popularity, there’s talk of closing the viewing platform. I think they should. It’s not worth stopping, just drive over and enjoy the views.
Carmel By The Sea
A supreme Cali coastal town located on the Monterey Peninsula with powdery beaches, cafes, and views of Pebble Beach. Worth stopping and exploring the cottages and shops on Ocean Avenue and Mission Street. We spent a few hours with Koda doggo on the beach before heading to Santa Cruz.
Carmel-by-the-Sea A worthwhile town website for planning your visit.
Carmel Beach A crescent beach surrounded by wind swept cypress trees. Can’t visit Carmel without a stop here.
La Bicyclette Restaurant. For the pizza!
Santa Cruz
We ended our day of driving the Big Sur coastline with an overnight in Santa Cruz. Tacos for dinner, burritos on the beach for breakfast and a quick stop by a new favorite brewery and coffee spot were on tap. I was unimpressed by the “downtown” of Santa Cruz and recommend skipping it to explore the Westside, Aptos, or Soquel areas. Better yet, grab a run along Cliff Drive to Natural Bridges State Park. We only spent 24 hours in Santa Cruz and still found a few spots to share.
Humble Sea Brewing Location on Swift street, go there.
Steamer Lane Supply Grab breakfast burritos or lunch and watch the surfers from the spot to be.
Cat and Cloud Coffee Multiple locations. Westside is the one we visited.
Best tacos in town Sure to be debated, that’s what people love to do.
Swift Street Courtyard Converted factory with restaurants and shops.
Natural Bridges State Park Great dog park and beach to explore.
Hotel Paradox Decent design hotel with pool.
Marin Headlands and San Francisco Trails
From Santa Cruz, we stopped outside of San Francisco for a trail run in one of our favorite places, the Marin Headlands. I lived in SF from 2008-2010 and really took advantage of adventuring around golden gate park, Marin, and the Presidio. One of the most incredible features of the city is access to coastline and park lands. If you have a few days to explore I’d recommend a run/hike/bike along some of the trails mentioned below.
Marin Headlands Check the NPS site to plan your visit to the area.
Muir Beach Loop Best of the best views and a short challenging run or hike.
Lands End and Baker Beach Coast Trail Take an uber/MUNI out to Sutro Baths and run back into the city along the coast to Chrissy Field. Stunning.
Marin Headlands views toward San Francisco
From Winters, CA to Portland winter
From San Francisco to Portland is a drag to drive in one go. Our original plan was a stop in Mount Shasta. Prioritizing running around Marin meant getting stuck in traffic as we drove north. Being tired and bored of driving, we stumbled upon small town Winters, California. Winters is located in the western Sacramento area…Yolo County to be specific. Since YOLO, we decided to stop and stay at what ended up being a well designed hotel with a Main Street USA vibe. Hotel Winters is surrounded by some amazing restaurants and if you find yourself in this agriculturally rich area of CA, I highly recommend checking it out.
Hotel Winters Opened in 2019. Large rooms, central courtyard, pup friendly.
Preserve Restuarant Part grocery, part restaurant. Nice courtyard and patio seating out front.
Putah Creek Cafe Home style all day dining.
Green River Tap Room Rotating tap wall with some cider and wine options.
Steady Eddy’s Coffee Morning wraps and coffee.
Downtown Winters, California
Leaving the sunny beaches and trails of California, out trip ended as expected—with rains and snow as soon as we hit the Oregon border. The depression was instantaneous. All I can think of to pull me through the Portland winter is another van adventure somewhere warm, sometime soon.
Out of focus, out of sunshine, into the PNW winter we go…