State Route 1, California

This one thousand kilometer long highway manages to cram in everything a good road trip should as it makes it’s way along the coastline of America's third largest and most populous state. 
The highway takes in a varied coastline which consists of isolated beaches, surf havens, popular holiday resorts, offshore islands, marine reserves, dense forests, high sided cliffs, state parks, national parks, historic sites, wide gorges, fast flowing rivers, urban sprawl, iconic bridges, awe inspiring tunnels and stunning Pacific Ocean sea views.  

State Route 1 California, also known as the Pacific Highway, is a 1,055 kilometer long highway which hugs most of the Pacific Ocean coastline in the state of California in the U.S.A. 

The highway was completed in 1934 and has for years been renowned as a popular hiking and cycling route.

Today the highway forms part of the Californian Freeway and Expressway System and has been designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway.

The highway runs concurrently with the 1,300 kilometer long, U.S Route 101 – situated between the city of Los Angeles in California and Grant’s Pass in Oregon – and links with Interstate Highways  5,10 & 280 and California State Routes 17, 20, 34, 46 & 68. 

The highway's northern terminus begins near the town of Legget in Mendocino County of northern California, renowned for being the gateway to the Sinkyone Wilderness State Park and the King Range National Conservation Area.

The highway’s southern terminus is located at the popular surfing area of Dana Point located in Orange County, whose historic harbour is home to the Californian historical landmark The Pilgrim. The town also plays host to the annual Festival of Whales every March and the Tall Ships Festival every September.  

Mugu Rock, Los Gatos.
Image courtesy of Tim Pearce, wikimedia commons

  

The highway travels through the twelve Californian counties of Mendocino County, Sonoma County, Marin County, San Francisco County, San Mateo County, Santa Cruz County, Monterey County, San Luis Obispo County, Santa Barbara County, Ventura County, Los Angeles County and Orange County and the major cities of San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles. 

The highway also passes through thirteen protected areas, the Aliso Wood Canyons Regional Park, the Ano Nuevo State Reserve, the Bolsa Chica Ecological Park, San Francisco's Golden Gate Park, Gaviota State Park, the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, the Los Padres National Forest, the MacKerricher State Park, the Mendocino Headlands State Park, Point Magu State Park, Russian Gulch State Park, Salt Point State Park and the Van Damme State Park. 

The highway spans twelve rivers by way of thirty two bridges. The rivers are the Albion River, Bixby Creek, the Carmel River, the Garcia River, the Gualala River, Moro Creek, the Navarro River, the Noyo River, Rocky Creek, the Russian River, the San Carpoforo River, the San Gabriel River and the Santa Ana River.  
The more interesting bridges include the Bixby Creek Bridge and Rocky Creek Bridge located in Monterrey County and the Golden Gate Bridge which spans San Francisco Bay.

  

State Route 1

The highway also travels through five tunnels, the Gaviota Tunnel located in the Gaviota State Park, the Macarthur Tunnel, which runs through the parkland known as the Presido of San Francisco, the Tom Lantos Tunnel, which bypasses the treacherous rocks of the Devil’s Slide in San Mateo County, the McClure Tunnel in Santa Monica and the Sepulveda Boulevard Tunnel which runs beneath two of Los Angeles International Airport's runways.

The highway also makes it's way along several well known beach areas including Pismo Beach, Newport Beach, Capistrano Beach, Laguna Beach, Huntingdon Beach, Seal Beach, Long Beach, Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Muir Beach, Stinson Beach and the Emma Wood's State Beach, the Westpoint Union State Beach and the Sonoma Coast State Beach.

The highway also provides access to the protected coastal area known as the Point Reyes National Seashore. 

Well known coastal bays along the route include Bolinas Bay, Carmel Bay, Half Moon Bay, Moro Bay, Monterey Bay, Newport Bay, San Fransisco Bay which is crossed by way of the Golden Gate Bridge, Santa Monica Bay, Tomales Bay and the Gulf of Santa Catalina. 

Other attractions of note along the highway’s route include Hearst Castle, Pigeon Point Lighthouse, the Guadelupe Nipoma Dunes, Bixby Creek, the Piedras Blancas Light Station and elephant seal colony, Bolinas Lagoon and the two offshore attractions of Big Creek State Marine Reserve and the McWay Rocks, both of which are located off the coast of Big Sur.  

  

The Golden Gate Bridge, San Fransisco

  

Frequent landslides and coastal erosion have been known to close various segments of the highway especially along the one hundred mile stretch which runs through Big Sur. You can check the condition of the road before you travel by ringing 800 - 427 - 7623.

Although paved throughout the highway is made up of various segments including isolated rural roads, high sided cliffs and wide urban freeways.  
In the more isolated areas be prepared for sharp hairpin bends, steep curves, overhanging ledges, high cliffs and lack of guard rails.

The area surrounding the Californian coast is renowned for it’s heavy rains and dense fog.  

Make sure to stock up on food, drink and petrol/gas as there are several stretches of highway of over forty miles long where there are no shops, cafes or petrol/gas stations. 
   

Marin County.
Image courtesy of Constantine Kulikovsky, wikimedia commons.

   

                        To check out more coastal highways, visit my page -  
                              Some of worlds must see coastal roads.  

   


                           FIND HOTELS ALONG CALIFORNIA'S STATE ROUTE 1