California's legendary coastal highway — 380 miles of sea cliffs, redwood groves, and Pacific sunsets. One of the most beautiful drives on Earth, threading between mountains and ocean along Highway 1.

Stops on This Tour (15)

1. 1
   Golden Gate Bridge — Vista Point The journey begins at the most photographed bridge in the world. The 1937 Art Deco masterpiece spans 1.7 miles of the Golden Gate strait.
2. 2
   Devil's Slide — Pacifica The coastal cliffs south of San Francisco plunge into the Pacific. The old highway clung to these unstable cliffs before the Tom Lantos Tunnels opened in 2013.
3. 3
   Half Moon Bay Pumpkin capital of the world and home to Mavericks, where 60-foot waves draw the world's bravest surfers each winter.
4. 4
   Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk California's oldest surviving amusement park. The 1924 Giant Dipper wooden roller coaster is a National Historic Landmark.
5. 5
   Monterey — Cannery Row John Steinbeck's literary landscape transformed from sardine-packing plants to waterfront restaurants and the world-class Monterey Bay Aquarium.
6. 6
   17-Mile Drive — Lone Cypress The iconic wind-sculpted Monterey cypress has clung to its granite outcrop above the Pacific for over 250 years.
7. 7
   Big Sur — Bixby Creek Bridge The most photographed bridge in California arcs 260 feet above a canyon where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the sea.
8. 8
   McWay Falls — Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park An 80-foot waterfall drops directly onto a pristine beach — one of only two tidefall waterfalls on the California coast.
9. 9
   Elephant Seal Rookery — Piedras Blancas Thousands of elephant seals haul out on this beach year-round. During breeding season, two-ton males battle for dominance just yards from the highway.
10. 10
    Hearst Castle — San Simeon William Randolph Hearst's 165-room hilltop palace inspired Citizen Kane. The Neptune Pool alone contains 345,000 gallons of water.
11. 11
    Morro Bay — Morro Rock A 576-foot volcanic plug rises from the harbor — the last of the Nine Sisters, a chain of ancient volcanic peaks.
12. 12
    Pismo Beach Famous for its clam chowder and the Monarch butterfly grove where tens of thousands cluster in the eucalyptus trees each winter.
13. 13
    Santa Barbara — Stearns Wharf The "American Riviera" — red-tile roofs and white stucco facades set against the Santa Ynez Mountains and sparkling Pacific.
14. 14
    Ventura — San Buenaventura Mission The last mission Father Serra founded before his death in 1784. Channel Islands National Park lies offshore, visible on clear days.
15. 15
    Santa Monica Pier The Pacific Park Ferris wheel marks the end of the coastal journey. Route 66 also terminates here — two of America's most iconic drives share this endpoint.

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