Pacific Coast Highway Attractions

Those Must-See Sights Along PCH

Pacific Coast Highway Attractions, those must-see sights along PCH, include Hearst Castle, Big Sur, Monterey Bay Aquarium, and Golden Gate Bridge.

Bixby Bridge in Big Sur

Choosing the top Pacific Coast Highway attractions isn’t easy, as there are so many we love!

The must-see sights definitely include places such as Hearst Castle and Big Sur. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is one of the finest in the country, and who wouldn’t get a thrill from driving over the Golden Gate Bridge for the first time… and even the second and third time?

But how do you compare the big cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles with pretty towns like Carmel and Mendocino? And how do you measure those against such remote beauty spots as Redwood National Park or Olympic National Park?

A Shark in the Monterey Bay Aquarium

Photo (c) Donna Dailey

To narrow down our own very personal list of the best Pacific Coast Highway attractions, we decided to exclude specific towns and cities. Instead, we’ve recommended the things you absolutely must see – or at least, as many as you can – while you’re driving the magnificent Pacific Coast Highway.

Hearst Castle is undoubtedly the star attraction by anyone's standards, so we've started there on the Central Coast, followed by highlights in Southern California, Northern California, Oregon, and Washington.

Hearst Castle Outdoor Swimming Pool at Dusk

Hearst Castle

The astonishing and palatial home of publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst is a National Historic Landmark and you should certainly plan a visit here. Room after room of lavish and sometimes not-so-lavish items (check out the ketchup bottles in the dining room) are jaw-droppingly impressive, as are the grounds and the whole estate.

Tours should be booked in advance at busy times. Check out a typical daytime Hearst Castle tour here, and also read about our Hearst Castle Evening Tour. For the Practicalities of a visit (how long to allow, where best to stay etc) go to our Visiting Hearst Castle page.

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Beach near Hearst Castle

Now Why Do They Call It Elephant Seal Beach?

Piedras Blancas Beach

While here, don’t forget to look in on the magnificent elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas Beach, seven miles north of San Simeon and right on PCH, where anything up to 15,000 elephant seals can be viewed at close quarters.

Big Sur Coast

Big Sur

Big Sur is the most dramatic stretch of PCH, where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the Pacific coast. The result is impressive scenery, zigzagging roads, and an endless desire to pull off the highway and just stand and stare. This is, not surprisingly, the stretch of the road most often subject to closures when the winter or spring weather is bad. If the road here does get closed, there’s just no alternative than to turn round and go back. But if that happens you get to see it twice, in each direction. It’s worth it!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

If you want to find out what’s happening in that secret world under the waves, and along the shoreline you drive right by, a visit to the Monterey Bay Aquarium is a must. There is a big focus on the local marine life, but other species from around the world are here, too. You can't drive PCH without stopping to see the aquarium. See our separate page on the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Santa Monica Pier

There are several piers along PCH, including a great one at Santa Barbara, but for us the Santa Monica Pier is a landmark. This is where the Pacific Coast Highway leaves Los Angeles behind and heads up the coast, but first join the crowds and enjoy the 1922 carousel, the amusement park, the aquarium and the restaurants.

It’s been featured in films including The Sting, Forrest Gump, The Hannah Montana Movie, and many more. It’s brash, it’s busy, but it’s definitely got a character all its own

Golden Gate Bridge

San Francisco’s most famous bridge (yes, there are others!) may look familiar from photos and films, but nothing prepares you for the real thing. Drive through the city on either Highway 1 or Highway 101, and the two meet just before they join to cross the bridge (they split up again a few miles on the others side).

Whichever direction you travel, pull off at the viewpoint on the north side of the Golden Gate Bridge. If the weather is kind you’ll look back at the bridge, the bay, and the city, and know why people want to leave their heart there.

Point Reyes National Seashore

The most famous stretch of PCH is between San Francisco and LA, but immediately north of the City by the Bay is this unusual, beautiful, and very special part of the coastline, the Point Reyes National Seashore. It’s rugged and can be wild, but it’s a spectacular region of much-needed lighthouses, Native American heritage, rural communities, ranchers, oyster farms, makers of cheeses and other tasty goodies – seemingly a world away from the more familiar lifestyle of Southern California.

Fallen Giant Redwood

Redwood National Park

Some people are surprised that the giant redwoods feature as a highlight of a Pacific Coast Highway road trip, but there are a few places where geography forces the road inland. There are, in fact, several Redwood national and state parks, so you’ll have more than one opportunity to see these magnificent trees, the tallest in the world. The Ladybird Johnson Redwood Grove and the aptly-named Avenue of the Giants are two of the most popular places to experience these natural wonders.

Oregon Sand Dunes

Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area

These often windswept sand dunes stretch for about 40 miles along the Oregon coast, and are an intriguing, unusual and ever-changing landscape. Their wildness and ancient history are a long way from the Southern California beaches with which PCH is more associated. Go hiking or biking in them, or take a dune buggy for an exciting look into the surprising flora and fauna that exists in this desert-like landscape.

Florence Sea Lion Caves

We wondered at first why people would pay to see a sea lion cave, when you can see sea lions all along the coast, but once inside we knew why. It’s one of the best wildlife experiences we’ve had, like walking into a wildlife documentary, but with the barking sounds at full volume and the addition of the fishy smells that a few hundred sea lions bring with them.

This is said to be the largest sea lion cave in the world, and every rock and cranny is crammed with them – basking, honking, diving in and out of the water. You view them up close through an opening in the rock, the animals seemingly unaware of your presence. It’s an amazing experience, so don’t drive by – dive in!

Path In Olympic National Park

Olympic National Park

The Olympic National Park contains three distinct sections, is a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and contains the only rainforest in the United States. It ranges from sandy beaches to glacial mountains, via wonderful forests with nature trails, giant trees, and wildlife including elk and bear. Like everyone else who visits, we fell under its spell at once, and there can be nowhere better to start, or to end, your Pacific Coast Highway road trip.

Olympic National Park Itinerary

If you're planning a trip to the Olympic National Park, we strongly recommend this trip-planning guide and itinerary from Just Go Travel Studios. Click on the image to learn more about what it contains.

Some of our driving pages

Oregon Coast Charging Stations
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's guide to Oregon coast charging stations for electric vehicles, from Brookings in the south to Astoria in the north.
When to Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
When to Drive the Pacific Coast Highway depends on whether you want to drive in Oregon and Washington as well as California, and on the weather.
San Francisco to San Diego
Driving from San Francisco to San Diego has two main options, the fast way on I-5 or the scenic route along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Coastal California Guidebook
Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.
Pacific Coast Highway Driving Tips
Pacific Coast Highway driving tips for this great American road trip include finding cheap gas, watching the speed limits, and allowing plenty of travel time.
Pacific Coast Highway Drive Times and Distances
Drive times and distances on the Pacific Coast Highway or the quickest routes from Seattle to San Francisco to Los Angeles to San Diego.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway in Three Days
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's advice on driving the Pacific Coast Highway in three days, including the best places to stay, and the best things to do and see.
Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide
Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide book covering the drive from Vancouver to San Diego.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway in Five Days
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's advice on driving the Pacific Coast Highway in five days, including the best places to stay over, and the best things to do and see.
Pacific Coast Highway Stops
Pacific Coast Highway stops include big city vacation destinations like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, and smaller places like Monterey.
Route 66 Meets the Pacific Coast Highway
Historic Route 66 winds from Chicago to LA, going through Los Angeles, meeting the Pacific Coast Highway in Santa Monica, California, at the Santa Monica Pier.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway in Four Days
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's advice on driving the Pacific Coast Highway in four days, including the best places to stay, and the best things to do and see.
Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
Here are the basic facts if you plan to drive the Pacific Coast Highway, including which is the best direction and when is the best time to go driving.
Maps of the Pacific Coast Highway: Free Driving Maps of the PCH
Road maps of the Pacific Coast Highway or PCH are essential for anyone planning to drive the trip, and detailed routes are available for free.
The 17-Mile Drive between Carmel, Pacific Grove, and Monterey
Pacific Coast Highway Travel takes the 17-Mile Drive from Carmel to Pacific Grove and Monterey, stopping to see the Lone Cypress and beautiful coastline views.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway is made easier with Road Trip USA by Jamie Jensen, a good handbook for the west coast drive.
Epic Drives of the World
Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet describes 50 of the world's most exciting road trips, including, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway.
Pacific Coast Highway in California
The Pacific Coast Highway in California book shows in historic photos the building of the Pacific Coast Highway from its earliest beginnings in 1911.
Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips: Lonely Planet Guidebook Review
Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.
California Coast Charging Stations
California coast charging stations are so numerous that the Pacific Coast Highway is one of the best US road trips to drive in an electric vehicle or EV.
Best Time to Drive the Pacific Coast Highway
The best time to drive the Pacific Coast Highway is when you have the most time to spare, but late spring and fall is when you'll get the best weather.
Washington Coast Charging Stations
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's guide to Washington coast charging stations for electric vehicles along Highway 101 from Oregon and around the Olympic Peninsula.
Ways to Go
Here are links to the different ways you can go along the Pacific Coast Highway, one of the most popular drives in the world but you can also cycle it.
West Coast RV Parks
One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.
California Driving Laws
If visiting California and planning to drive the Pacific Coast Highway it's important to know California driving laws in case they differ from your own state.