What is the best time of year to drive highway 1 in California?

What is the Best Time of Year to Drive the Pacific Coast Highway? We'd recommend planning your Pacific Coast Highway road trip for the early spring if you can. That way, you'll beat the summer crowds but you still get to enjoy the warm weather up and down the coast.



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Big Sur. At Big Sur, the most spectacular portion of the Pacific Coast Highway 1 begins, where huge, rugged cliffs and forested inlets overlook the pounding surf below. Whale-watching is popular here at certain times of year; depending on the season you can see blue, gray or humpback species breeching off the coast.

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The Highway 1, aka Pacific Coast Highway, road trip that passes through Big Sur on California's Central Coast is perhaps the most famous scenic drive in the Golden State.

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California's coast-hugging Highway 1 is what dream drives are made of. The iconic roadway—which extends for more than 650 miles from Dana Point north to Leggett—offers endless vistas overlooking the Pacific, with plenty of redwood trees and wildlife sightings along the way.

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If you want to do the whole thing, you'll need at least 14 days. However, if you're low on time, you can rush through it in 10 days (I really don't recommend this!) There are a few Pacific Coast Highway stops where I suggest spending 2 days, while others are quick stops along the route.

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It's best to travel from north to south as you'll be on the right side of the road for uninterrupted views and to pull over to take photographs. Parking in cities can be expensive. It's better to leave your rental vehicle and use public transport.

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Camping, camp fires, and sleeping overnight in vehicles are not allowed along Highway 1. When entering Highway 1 from a turnout, accelerate rapidly and safely until your speed matches the traffic speed.

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A vehicle that is stopped, parked, or left standing on a freeway for more than four hours may be removed.

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Experience tells me that a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday are probably best - mainly because there is LESS traffic to deal with.

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The Highway 1 road trip is one of the most iconic and scenic drives in the world. For the past few years, we've mainly done day trips, driving down the Monterey Peninsula from the Bay Area. But it's been a dream of mine to come back and stay in Big Sur.

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Big Sur encompasses roughly the area between San Simeon and the Carmel Highlands along Highway 1. Though the boundaries are not fixed, many people consider Malpaso Creek the northernmost point of Big Sur, and Ragged Point the southernmost entrance.

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