Cruising on Pacific Coastal Highway
If you also live in California or any cities near the west coast, you probably have driven on the famous Pacific Coastal Highway many times like we have. With so many travel restrictions in place still, we decided to take another road trip on this coastal drive near home. Though the route is not foreign to us at all, there are just so many amazing stops along the way that we can never get bored of it.
McWay Falls, Big Sur
Search Pacific Coastal Highway on Google and likely you will come cross this symbolic view of McWay Falls on the top of your search results. This epic scene of an 80-feet waterfall at a cove dropping to the beach below it is not something you can find everywhere, for a moment it almost gave us an illusion of being in Hawaii.
Access to the beach is prohibited at all times, but even by seeing it from afar, we were still astonished by how picture perfect this scene is.
Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur
There is probably no better term to describe this beach than “hidden gem”. Though it is located in Big Sur, Pfeiffer Beach is not easily accessible from PCH and will require a 2-mile country road drive that is quite narrow and bumpy at times. There is also limited parking spots near the beach, once the parking lot is filled, the entrance will be closed until someone else leaves this place, so basically entry to the beach is not guaranteed especially during peak times.
Because of the more difficult and restricted access, the beach is way less crowded compared to any other beaches we’ve been to in California and is such a hidden paradise. The most iconic view of Pfeiffer Beach is no doubt the Keyhole Rock - with it blocking out most of the waves, the beach is super peaceful and tranquil here. And watching water and light come through from the “keyhole” again and again is just an unexpectedly pleasant and calming experience.
Bixby Creek Bridge
It’s not a complete PCH road trip without stopping by at Bixby Creek Bridge. The popularity of this place is no joke, we actually drove pass it the first time and had to make a U turn back, but it is not because we accidentally missed it, it was simply due to the fact that we were unsuccessful in finding a parking spot in our first attempt.
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Arriving at this beautiful coastal city in Northern California, Carmel-by-the-Sea is one of the cutest getaway towns we’ve been to. Similar to many other famous getaway places, the town has plenty of local shops and restaurants and will instantly put you into your vacation mood. Carmel Beach is also a short walk away from city center, so you can easily switch between city and nature. However what impressed us the most is how beautifully plants here are grown, each corner of the street is like a carefully and exquisitely maintained botanical garden.
Carmel Mission is a beautiful Roman Catholic mission church located within walking distance from city center, a great spot to visit if your time is abundant here.
17-Mile Drive
Having heard of this famous scenic route so many times, we finally made it here to experience the drive ourselves. There is a per vehicle entry fee to enter the area, but the coastline drive between Pacific Grove and Pebble Beach is definite worth the small investment.
If you decide to stop by at all 17 stops along the way, it could easily end up being a half day trip. And if you plan on hanging out at the beach for a while, perhaps just plan a whole day for it. Of course the drive can be completed in much shorter time, but we took our time and really didn’t see any reason to rush it with coastal views like this.
It was not our first time cruising on Pacific Coastal Highway, and it’s easy to say that it won’t be the last either. What do we love so much about this route? It has to be the fact that the drive can be done in various lengths and durations, so whether you’re thinking of a day trip, a weekend getaway, or weeklong vacation, you can all make it happen here!
Hotel we stayed at: Coachman’s Inn
Beautifully decorated hotel and guest rooms, they provide daily picnic baskets and freshly made breakfast delivered to each room (Covid-19 regulations). However parking was first come first serve, with its limited spots it can be tight at times.
To view other PCH road trip destinations, check out blog posts below:
To view all California road trip destinations, click here.