Pacific Coast Highway

Just new to this web site but the people who post are very nice and knowledgeable. I would like to plan a trip up the PCH does anyone have an experience they would like to share? Thinking of flying from Tucson to LA and renting a car or RV to ';See the sites.'; Don%26#39;t have a lot of money for ritzy hotels and would be willing to camp out. Thanks in advance.

Pacific Coast Highway

Hi Tucson-Traveller

I did the PCH as part of my four week travels around the American Southwest. Before you ask, yes I went to Tucson.

A lot of guide books recommend that you drive the PCH from S.F. to L.A. That was the way I did it and I wasn%26#39;t disappointed. The scenery is stunning. There are plenty of ';cheap'; motels all the way down the coast, ridiculously cheap by U.K. standards, so don%26#39;t worry, you needn%26#39;t stay at ritzy hotels.

Enjoy

Tony

Pacific Coast Highway

There are also some nice campgrounds along the way. North of Santa Barbara are El Capitan and Refugio. San Simeon campground is near Hearst Castle. Near Morro Bay is Montana De Oro. Further north, Kirk Creek sits on the edge of the bluffs...what a view for sunset! Big Sur has both private and State Park facilities. Sunset Beach is just south of Santa Cruz. I could go on...

There are the obvious destinations like Hearst Castle and Monterey Bay Aquarium. Some of my other favorites include the Getty Museum - beautiful art, free entrance, just $5 to park. Try a boat ride to and hike on Anacapa Island. Try a day hike in Santa Barbara - one of my favorites is the San Ysidro Trail. Kayak Shell Beach. Rent a hot tub at Sycamore Mineral Springs on the road to Avila Beach. Stop for cocktails at the Inn at Morro Bay - great view of Morro Rock. Stop for the elephant seal rookery at Piedras Blancas. Hike the trail on the north side of Hearst Beach. Look for Salmon Creek Falls just north of the San Luis/Monterey County line. Take the short hike to view McWay Falls at Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Or walk the longer hike to the beach at Andrew Molera State Park. On Saturdays and Sundays the Pt Sur Lighthouse tour meets at 10AM. Whale watch and cocktails at the Rocky Point Restaurant. Just south of Carmel stroll the sand at Garrapata State Beach. Don%26#39;t miss Pt Lobos State Reserve - ';the greatest meeting of land and water in the world';.

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/

http://www.getty.edu/

http://www.islandpackers.com/

www.santabarbarahikes.com/hikes/frontcountry

http://www.centralcoastkayaks.com/

http://www.mbayaq.org/

http://www.montereywharf.com/

http://pt-lobos.parks.state.ca.us/

www.parks.ca.gov/default.asp?page_id=579

http://www.rocky-point.com/

http://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/pointsur.html

http://www.waterfallswest.com/ca_mcway.html

http://www.waterfallswest.com/ca_salmon.html

http://www.beachcalifornia.com/piedras.html

http://www.hearstcastle.com/

WOW You really know the area! I really appreciate your great response. Now which ones do I do? Decisions, decisions, decisions. Think I could do all this in 1 week?

Uhhh, well, no. If you tried to do everything I put in my post, it would take 9 days. Some of the things I mentioned can be done while passing through, but most of them will take the better part of a day.

I%26#39;ve got to do some homework, so can%26#39;t narrow the list tonight. Maybe others can list their favorites. If no one does, I%26#39;ll revisit your post later.

By the way, some of the stuff I mentioned isn%26#39;t technically on the PCH, but is between LA and Monterey.

I just did the San Luis Obispo to Big Sur, and back trip this weekend. Went camping at Kirk Creek Campground. Possibly the most beautiful campground I%26#39;ve ever stayed at. Bathrooms don%26#39;t have soap, but thats about the only complaint I could come up with.

Get gas before you leave Cayucos, or somewhere south of San Simeon. I payed $3.99 per gallon at Ragged Point. Beautiful place, but expensive gas.

Pfifer State Beach is like something out of a movie. It is closer to the Big Sur side of %26#39;the 1%26#39; and it costs to get in, but well worth it, if you are going to spend the day climbing around and just bumming at the beach.

We have a motorcoach so we know quite a bit about the RV world also should you choose to rent an RV. In the Los Angeles area you can rent at El Monte RV or Cruise America (the two largest). You can get anything from a small 20 footer to a expensive (more than most 4 star hotels would be) 38 ft diesel RV rental. The ';Bounder'; class is a nice inbetween of 34 foot gas RV%26#39;s as is a C-class. For RV info, RV.net is the best, I am a member of that also. Feel free to ask any questions. Campgrounds can be found on woodalls.com with star ratings and prices.