Pacific Coast Highway

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MikeFromMesa

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My wife and I have been talking about where to go with our new RV when we pick it up and, since it is now October, wanted to stay either in the southern US or California/Oregon/Washington states where we would not run into freezing temperatures. I thought the Pacific Coast Highway might be a good trip because we have not been there and I have not traveled that road in a very long time, and never in an RV. But it has been so long since I was on that road that I do not really remember where the most scenic drives are and I have no idea about RV parks along the road other than what Google tells me.

What part of that road is the nicest to drive? North of Los Angeles heading toward San Francisco? Or north of San Francisco heading toward Oregon? Are the State Parks along that route good places for an RV? And what are the places really worth seeing? We would rather stop at scenic spots and interesting towns rather than tourist places like the Hearst Castle. We will be traveling in a class B RV so we would not need large RV parks and we have no problem dry camping.
 
I lived a block from PCH for 30 years and I have traveled it often. The stretch from Oxnard to Malibu is my favorite highway in the world, having driven it hundreds of times. Every single inch of PCH from  San Diego to Olympic National Park is awesome. Some of the highlights include Morro Rock, Santa Barbara and Ventura Missions, Hearst Castle, Monterey Aquarium, Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National Park, Big Sur, Elephant Seals rookery and endless beautiful beaches. Many great RV parks along the way.

Santee Lakes Campground:  http://www.santeelakes.com/campground/

Ventura Beach Resort:  https://www.vbrvresort.com/

Emma Wood State Beach:  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=604

Morro Dunes RV Park:  http://morrodunes.com/morro_dunes/index.html

Monterey Fairgrounds RV Park:  https://montereycountyfair.com/about-the-rv-park/

Bodega Bay RV Park (The Birds):  http://www.bodegabayrvpark.com/

Sunset Harbor RV Park:  http://sunsetharborrvpark.com/

Kalaloch Campground:  https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232464

Every one of these parks will knock your socks off. I am jealous, I wish I was going....Here are my photos from my last trip from San Diego to Crescent City in 2012:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WmMBU5yny6s2Y4Wd9
 
I'd bypass the PCH through Southwestern Los Angeles.  Nothing but 20 miles of city streets through an industrial part of town.

From Malibu to Ventura is a beautiful drive.  Take I-10 west and it will become PCH at the Santa Monica pier.

Between Ventura and Santa Barbara PCH is a series of frontage roads along the beachfront Hwy 101 freeway.

North of San Luis Obispo to Monterey is the Big Sur stretch everyone thinks of when they think of the PCH in California. You can continue north to San Francisco on Hwy 1 if the weather is clear, if the coastal fog is in you're better off going inland along I-280 up the San Francisco peninsula.

You'll have no problem driving it with a Class B.  If you were taking a larger RV I'd skip Hwy 1 north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A nice campground is Lawson's Landing in Dillon Beach, west of Tomales in Marin County.  They've been downsized by the County, but you should still be able to get a campsite a short walk from the beach.
 
SeilerBird said:
I lived a block from PCH for 30 years and I have traveled it often. The stretch from Oxnard to Malibu is my favorite highway in the world, having driven it hundreds of times. Every single inch of PCH from  San Diego to Olympic National Park is awesome. Some of the highlights include Morro Rock, Santa Barbara and Ventura Missions, Hearst Castle, Monterey Aquarium, Point Reyes National Seashore, Redwood National Park, Big Sur, Elephant Seals rookery and endless beautiful beaches. Many great RV parks along the way.

Santee Lakes Campground:  http://www.santeelakes.com/campground/

Ventura Beach Resort:  https://www.vbrvresort.com/

Emma Wood State Beach:  http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=604

Morro Dunes RV Park:  http://morrodunes.com/morro_dunes/index.html

Monterey Fairgrounds RV Park:  https://montereycountyfair.com/about-the-rv-park/

Bodega Bay RV Park (The Birds):  http://www.bodegabayrvpark.com/

Sunset Harbor RV Park:  http://sunsetharborrvpark.com/

Kalaloch Campground:  https://www.recreation.gov/camping/campgrounds/232464

Every one of these parks will knock your socks off. I am jealous, I wish I was going....Here are my photos from my last trip from San Diego to Crescent City in 2012:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WmMBU5yny6s2Y4Wd9
Click to expand...

Thank you for all of the links. I looked at some of them and can see that they are really worth the trip.

I also took a look at your Grand Canyon shots and was amazed. We do not live very far from the Grand Canyon, and we have gone frequently, but I have never see bighorn sheep or many of the birds in your photos. Very nice. Thank you for posting them.
 
Lou Schneider said:
I'd bypass the PCH through Southwestern Los Angeles.  Nothing but 20 miles of city streets through an industrial part of town.

From Malibu to Ventura is a beautiful drive.  Take I-10 west and it will become PCH at the Santa Monica pier.

Between Ventura and Santa Barbara PCH is a series of frontage roads along the beachfront Hwy 101 freeway.

North of San Luis Obispo to Monterey is the Big Sur stretch everyone thinks of when they think of the PCH in California. You can continue north to San Francisco on Hwy 1 if the weather is clear, if the coastal fog is in you're better off going inland along I-280 up the San Francisco peninsula.

You'll have no problem driving it with a Class B.  If you were taking a larger RV I'd skip Hwy 1 north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

A nice campground is Lawson's Landing in Dillon Beach, west of Tomales in Marin County.  They've been downsized by the County, but you should still be able to get a campsite a short walk from the beach.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the information. This should be a very different trip from those we normally take to Texas or the mountains of New Mexico.
 
MikeFromMesa said:
Thank you for all of the links. I looked at some of them and can see that they are really worth the trip.

I also took a look at your Grand Canyon shots and was amazed. We do not live very far from the Grand Canyon, and we have gone frequently, but I have never see bighorn sheep or many of the birds in your photos. Very nice. Thank you for posting them.
Click to expand...
You are welcome. I worked at the Grand Canyon photographing Condors for many years and I spent a great deal of time on the south rim just hanging out waiting for the Condors to arrive. The joke among the Condor photographers was that since there were no Condors flying we were reduced to photographing squirrels. Fortunately Big Horn Sheep showed up occasionally.
 
Tom, did you ever try and get pictures of the elusive Kaibab squirrel at the North Rim?  They're really cool squirrels with their white tails and tufted ears, but every picture I tried to take over 2 years came out terribly.
We have their cousin's, the Albert Squirrel here on Mt Lemmon.  They're so bold they're easy targets to photograph.
 
Old_Crow said:
Tom, did you ever try and get pictures of the elusive Kaibab squirrel at the North Rim?  They're really cool squirrels with their white tails and tufted ears, but every picture I tried to take over 2 years came out terribly.
We have their cousin's, the Albert Squirrel here on Mt Lemmon.  They're so bold they're easy targets to photograph.
Click to expand...
No, I never did make it to the north rim. I spent all my time on the south rim.
 
If you go north of Fort Brag Ca. Make sure you check out Westport Beach and RV Park. You will be surprised.
Great location.
Try to make a side trip to the Avenue of the Giants in Redwood National Park.
Have Fun!!!
 
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