If you are not familiar with Pacific Coast Highway, you are in for a treat! Also known as CA Route 1, the PCH starts near Leggett, CA where it splits off from US 101, and ends in Los Angeles at Interstate 5. The highway closely follows the coast of CA with lots of twists and turns and breathtaking scenery. It takes you over the Bixby Bridge in Big Sur, through Monterey and past Pebble Beach Golf Course, and over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. On US 101 and CA 1, you’ll get to see a lot of majestic Coastal Redwoods along the way, and you’ll see where landslides have closed the road in a place or two. We actually drove all the way from Seattle, WA to Paso Robles, CA, taking US 101 and CA 1. The scenery is beautiful driving all the way down the WA and OR coastlines, and this was a significant portion of our trip. 

We used Chat GPT to help us get an idea of how many miles we wanted to drive each day and what we wanted to see along the way. While it was helpful in planning our itinerary, be aware that it makes mistakes. We gave it prompts for not driving more than four hours each day, but the mileage it gave us between stops was not accurate. So we basically used it as a starting  point, but had to figure the mileage and driving times to meet our needs. Once we decided where we wanted to stay each night, we booked hotels in advance. I’m a planner, so winging it is not in my nature, even though I would like to try it, I’m just not that comfortable without a planned place to sleep. 

Sequim, WA to Astoria, OR Thursday 4/24/2024 Bowline Hotel

We started our trip by flying into Seattle, renting a car, and staying one night in Tacoma to visit friends. We then spent two nights in Sequim, WA visiting with Steve’s parents (parental unit set #1). From Sequim, we picked up US Highway 101 and started our leisurely drive down the coast to Astoria, OR. This part of the route took us through portions of Olympic National Park, with stops at Lake Crescent and Ruby Beach. We drove through the small town of Forks, WA, billed as the rainiest town in the contiguous US, and stopped at the Creekside Restaurant at Kalaloch Lodge for lunch, a quiet place with delicious food. At this point, 101 comes inland just a bit to go around the Quinault Native American Reservation. You can get back to the coast on a couple of different highways after the reservation, but since we wanted to get to Astoria before dark, we stayed on 101, and drove over the Astoria-Megler Bridge into downtown Astoria. At nearly 4.1 miles long, the Astoria-Megler is the longest continual truss bridge in North America, and second longest in the world, after the Ikitsuki Bridge in Japan. Crescent Lake is a lovely photo stop with the reflections of the trees on a calm day. 

We spent our first night on the coast at the Bowline Hotel in Astoria, OR. The Bowline is a newly renovated boutique hotel on the bay. There are usually lots of adorable sea lions lying around, although we only saw a few when we were there. The rooms are nicely appointed with electric heating stoves, coffee service, and balconies. There is a quaint bar and small restaurant on the first floor, and you receive a welcome glass of champagne upon arrival. We walked down to the Fort George Brewery for some fish n’ ships and a brewski for dinner. We were fortunate with beautiful weather for an evening stroll. We drove a total of about 260 miles today. 

Astoria, OR to Bandon, OR Friday 4/25/2025 Bandon Inn

The next day we set out in the morning to visit the Lewis and Clark Historical Park in Astoria. The fort contains a replica of Fort Clatsop, where the expedition spent the winter of 1805-6 on the Columbia River. It’s an interesting stop if you’re into history. There is a nice visitor center here, as well as restrooms and a gift shop. We stopped for some photos at Arch Cape on the Oregon coast before our next stop at Tillamook, where, you guessed it, we went to the Tillamook Creamery (the house cheddar built!) for a tour and some cheese and ice cream. We then continued to drive south on 101 to Coos Bay, OR, where we met one of my high school friends for dinner, before making our way to the Bandon Inn for the night. The Bandon Inn is an older property, but has helpful staff and all the usual amenities, including a nice breakfast if you so desire. We drove a total of about 255 miles today. 

Bandon, OR to Crescent City, CA  Saturday 4/26/2025 Oceanview Inn

This morning we hopped back on US 101 with a photo stop at Kissing Rock in Gold Beach, OR, took a walk on the beach through some thick sand, and stopped at Arch Rock in Brookings OR. (Arch Rock is the large photo at the top of this page.) At Arch Rock, there is a short trail that will take you down to some beautiful ocean views. We also stopped at the Thomas Creek Bridge, which is the highest bridge in OR at 345 feet. We then entered California Redwood country. There are multiple state Redwood parks and one national Redwood park in this area of CA. Three of the state parks, Jedediah Smith, Del Norte, and Prairie Creek, are combined with Redwood National Park into the Redwoods National and State Parks system, accessed in many different areas. There are also many other state Redwood parks, not part of this system. The Coastal Redwoods are different from the Giant Sequoias. The Redwoods are taller (380 feet), skinnier, and browner, and can live to be 3200 years old. Sequoias are shorter (but still quite tall at just over 300 feet), fatter, redder, and live around 2000 years. Redwoods are found in a wide area along the CA and OR coast, while the Sequoias are found in the Sierra Nevada Mountains at an elevation of 5000-8000 feet. My CA born husband educated me on how these are NOT the same tree. :)

The Redwoods are quite impressive. We turned off US 101 onto CA 199 and drove to the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park. There are restrooms here, as well as restrooms at the Elk Prairie campground area on Howland Hill Road. Here we hiked the 4.9 mile Mill Creek trail, which connects the Stout Grove to the Grove of Titans. We took our time and enjoyed the scenery and the magnificent Redwoods. On the way out of the park, we took Howland Hill Road back to Crescent City, where we spent the night at the Ocean View Inn. We drove about 115 miles today, although we didn’t clock it accurately from the park entrance back on Howland Hill Road to Crescent City.

The Ocean View Inn is a place to sleep, that’s about all I can say about this place. It was mostly clean and had a bathroom and a bed in a large and tired, if poorly decorated, room. If you are looking for a 3 star hotel, as this is advertised, be aware this is less than truth in advertising. I mean, the Embassy Suites chain of hotels, where we have happily stayed many times, is also a 3 star hotel, and that rating is not a lie. Let’s just put it this way: the coffee maker, the microwave, and the refrigerator were all basically located on the bathroom sink, right under the towel rack, which, incidentally, was not in the bathroom at all, but just in the room itself. The furniture and decor looked like it came from my great grandmother’s generation. Great, if you like worn carpet, a tacky comforter, and a tired couch in a hotel room, which makes you question everything about how the place is cleaned and cared for. (Yes, that sentence ended in a preposition.) However, there was a washer and dryer on the first floor, which we took advantage of before we left the next day. We drove down to the Sea Quake Brewery for dinner. We could have walked, but it was quite windy and a bit too chilly for me to want to walk there and back. The beer was good, the food was delicious, and the service was great, so it kinda made up for the not so fantastic hotel in Crescent City. If you plan on staying in Crescent City, there aren’t a lot of choices. All hotel photos lifted from the inter-webs, because I didn’t take any.

Crescent City, CA to Eureka, CA Sunday 4/27/25 Eureka Inn

Our first photo stop today was at the overlook at Footsteps Rocks in the Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park. We followed that up by jumping off US 101 and onto the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway, where we took a short hike on the .5 mile Ah-Pah Interpretive Trail in the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park. The Ah-Pah trail follows an old logging road that has since been reclaimed and there is interesting information posted about how the area has recovered. Our next stop was in Redwood National Park, where we hiked the Trillium Falls trail, an easy 2.7 mile loop trail. There are restrooms at the trailhead. We then hopped back onto 101 and stopped for photos at Sue-meg State Park on the coast in Trinidad, CA. 

While in Trinidad, we discovered the Moonstone Crossing Winery and it seemed like a good place to stop. We found it to be a quaint but quite busy small business with knowledgeable and friendly people, delicious wine, and some local musicians playing live music. We bought a couple bottles to enjoy in the evenings on our way down the coast. While there, the proprietor helped us make a reservation at the Larrupin Café in Trinidad for dinner. It pays to know people! The Larrupin is a small, locally owned business that serves fabulous gourmet meals and great wine in a lovely up scale, yet unpretentious, atmosphere. We thoroughly enjoyed our evening, had wonderful service from the friendly staff, and we highly recommend stopping here while on this journey. 

We spent the night at the Eureka Inn in Eureka, CA. The Eureka Inn is an historic hotel, originally opened in 1922, and was once the premier place to stay between San Francisco and Portland, OR, on the newly constructed “Redwood Highway” (US 101). Many dignitaries, actors, and famous folks have stayed here, including Ronald Reagan, Winston Churchill, and Walt Disney, to name a few. The hotel was lovely, there is a bar, a nice dining room, an outdoor pool, and breakfast service. I do have to say the front desk staff could not have been less interested in helping us check in, for whatever reason; perhaps they were having a bad day. We drove about 70 miles today.

Eureka, CA to Mendocino, CA Monday 4/28/25 Stanford Inn

We left Eureka this morning and continued down US 101 for a few miles, then turned onto CA 254, also known as the Avenue of the Giants. This road runs parallel to 101 for about 31 miles of majestic Redwoods and beautiful scenery, and is a must drive on this trip. The Avenue of the Giants takes you through lots of twists and turns and past more Redwoods than you will ever again see in one place, and through Humboldt Redwoods State Park. There is a visitor center with restrooms at the half way point. The Avenue has an interesting history, as the all the groves of Redwoods were once privately owned, and slowly acquired over the years to protect them. It was once part of US 101, then a new section of 101 was built in the 1950’s to bypass it. While the road is paved and well maintained, it is quite narrow with no shoulders. There are lots of places to pull off to see the Redwoods and hike the trails.

Be sure to stop at the Founders’ Grove and hike the short trails there. There are informational booklets available at the trailhead which explain what you will see. There are restrooms and a picnic spot here also, where we had lunch. Other must see spots are the Grieg-French-Bell Grove, which has a thick ground cover of Redwood Sorrel, and is often used for shooting TV shows and commercials. The Drury-Chaney Loop is also a popular trail. It is flat and easy to access. You can drive through the privately owned Shrine Drive Thru Tree, toward the south end of the avenue near the small town of Myers Flat. The tree is purportedly 3000 years old, and the owner charges $15 to drive through and take photos. It is hollowed out and leaning quite heavily. (We did not drive through this tree.)

At the end of the Avenue of the Giants, we rejoined US 101 until we reached Leggett, CA. This is where CA 1 (the Pacific Coast Highway) begins, as it splits off from US 101 and runs along the coast all the way to Los Angeles. You can stay on 101 all the way through, but you would miss the coastal views, the landslides, and the all the fun. Our next stop was Drive-Thru Park, where we finally drove through a Redwood known as the Chandelier Tree, also a $15 fee. There is a nice little gift shop here, along with clean restrooms. There are three drive thru trees left in the Coastal Redwoods, the third being the Tour-Thru Tree in Klamath, CA. I think the history of the drive-thru trees is a little bit sad, as back then people really didn’t understand the importance of protecting this national treasure. The Coastal Redwoods are now heavily regulated and protected. 

We followed CA 1 down the coast, made a couple of photo stops, and finally stopped in Mendocino for the night. We stayed at the Stanford Inn, a privately owned property on a hill on the east side of CA 1. The Stanford Inn bills itself as an historic farm and eco resort. I mean, it didn’t change our life, like SF Gate magazine claims, but it is a very nice resort property, much to my liking. We stayed in the Forest Building on the garden level. Our spacious room had a private back porch, a wood burning fireplace where we enjoyed one of the bottles of wine we had purchased at Moonstone Crossing, and a lovely vegan restaurant that requires reservations weeks in advance. The food was delicious and beautifully presented, the service was amazing, and we enjoyed petting the resident kitty cats, (but not until after dinner). The bar and restaurant overlook the hillside, where you can see Big River and Mendocino Bay from the front porch. There is a lovely book store and gift shop located next to the bar, as well as many other amenities like a spa, bicycles, canoes, and yoga that we didn’t have time to enjoy. If you are looking for a place to spend the night on a lovely property with delicious food and wine, kind service, and beautiful scenery, this is your place. We drove about 155 miles today.

Mendocino, CA to Guerneville, CA Tuesday 4/29/25 Dawn Ranch

Sadly, by this point of the trip, many of the Redwood sightings are over. There are still some to be seen, but not giant groves full of them. We had breakfast at the Stanford Inn this morning before heading down CA 1 to the Point Arena Light House. The first light house was built at Point Arena in 1870, and the original Fresnel lens that lit the light house from 1908 to 1977 is on display in the museum there. We climbed the 115 foot tall light house to see the entire area known as the California Coastal National Monument, where you can also see whales in season, along with great views of Manchester Bay. There is a gift shop, a museum, and a resident kitty cat named Mina, who controls all the rodents. You can rent a room in one of the original light keepers cottages, and meet Tasi, the canine Guest Relations Manager. We had great weather today and enjoyed taking to time to see this area.

We stayed on CA 1 all the way down to Jenner, CA, stopping here and there for some photos. At Jenner, we jumped onto CA 116, which follows the Russian River to Guerneville. (We came inland here as we were going to meet our daughter in Santa Cruz the next day and needed to make some better time on 101.) There are Redwoods and beautiful scenery along the way. We spent the night at Dawn Ranch in Guerneville. Dawn Ranch bills itself as a “22-acre creative retreat that invites you to author your own luxuries,” and we found it to be a lovely property (with some Redwoods), although we did not take advantage of all the amenities during a one night stay. (Incidentally, we discovered this place while looking for lodging through our Chase Sapphire Reserve card travel portal, as it’s a Chase “The Edit” property, where you get additional benefits like a $100 credit for booking there.) We stayed in a cabin on the main property. It was very comfortable and well appointed with coffee service, a private porch, a small living area, and a large bathroom (which needed at least some counter space, but had none). After we checked in, we walked around the property, had a drink and visited with the friendly bar tender in the lounge, who made Steve a special creation with something spicy in it. It was right up his alley. The restaurant was closed, so we walked down to the Trillium Wine Bar and Tap Room for dinner. They are a small, locally owned place with a great selection of wine, local beers, delicious food prepared right in front of you, and friendly staff. We really enjoyed our visit there and recommend a stop here if you are in Guerneville.

When we returned, we picked up a complimentary S’mores kit from the desk and sat outside and enjoyed the fire in the band shell area. We happened to have another bottle of wine we purchased at Moonstone, so we had that also and it was a fun evening. We were the only people out there; I think it is much busier in the hot summer time temps. The Dawn Ranch property is especially beautiful at night with all the lights, but I’m a sucker for a fire pit and lights. We had breakfast the next morning before heading out. The food and service were fantastic. If you are in Guerneville and need a great place to stay, definitely check out the Dawn Ranch.  We drove about 100 miles today.

Guerneville, CA to Santa Cruz, CA Wednesday 4/30/2025 Hilton Hotel

We left Guerneville this morning and took CA 116 down to 101, where we crossed the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco. We had been to SF a few other times, so we didn’t stop here. If you’ve never been, it’s fun to go to Pier 39 for some shopping and lunch, drive down Lombard Street (billed as the “crookedest street in the world“), take a cable car ride (a very San Francisco-ey thing to do), tour Alcatraz, and visit the other famous sites. SF is a lovely city with a lot to offer. We needed to make some better time today to meet our daughter, who lived in Santa Cruz at the time, so we focused on getting there on time. South of SF, we jumped onto CA 17 and took that into Santa Cruz. The photos below are from our other trips to San Francisco.

We met up with our daughter and her partner and went to see the winery where she worked as an event planner, Regale, in Los Gatos. If you live in the area and are looking for a beautiful venue for a wedding or corporate event, definitely check them out. We’re kinda biased, but it’s a beautiful place with great wine. We went back down into Santa Cruz, took a walk along the coast, had dinner at Lillian’s Italian Kitchen, and spent the night at the Hilton in Santa Cruz. We drove roughly 160 miles today.

We wanted to see Monterey and Pebble Beach, so we picked up CA 1 in Santa Cruz and headed south the next morning. We had lunch in Monterey and drove though Pebble Beach on 17 mile drive. There is a small fee to enter the gated community and drive through the area. It’s a pretty drive on a clear day, and we enjoyed seeing the estates and imagining living in a bazillion dollar mansion. We prefer to spend our money on trips, obvi. We knew CA 1 was closed due to landslides south of the Bixby Bridge, but we drove down to the bridge for some photos, then went back up and caught CA 68 back to US 101 to get to Paso. You can still access the Big Sur area from the south, but the sections to the north are not expected to fully reopen until March 2026.

We spent the next few days visiting with Steve’s mom and her partner Lauren, Steve’s sister Kristen, our daughter Camille and her partner April, and some extended family. Paso Robles, located in San Luis Obispo county, is the “new” wine country in California. The Paso area has a climate that is conducive to growing grapes, and there are hundreds of wineries and thousands of acres of vineyards to see. While wine making has been a part of the culture here since the 1700’s, in recent years, it has really grown in popularity and a new generation of wine makers has contributed to the expansion of this area into a premier wine region. We visited Cass, Sculpterra, and Asuncion Ridge Wineries, and had dinner at Dorn’s Cafe and the Loading Chute Restaurant, which doesn’t have a website, but the link will take you to the menu.

We had a great time driving all the way from Seattle, WA to Paso Robles, CA. If you are planning this trip, we recommend taking your time, stoping to see all the “things,” not driving too many miles in one day, and just enjoying the ride. We considered buying a small cooler when we left Sequim to pack some drinks and snacks, but ultimately decided against it. There are plenty of places to stop for gas, food, souvenirs, etc., so didn’t think it was really necessary. I was happy that I had planned ahead and booked all our accommodations beforehand, but you will have no problem finding a decent place to stay if you choose not to book ahead.

Have you taken a trip down the Pacific Coast Highway? Please let us know how it went!

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