My Mini Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip
The Pacific Coast Highway is one of America’s most iconic drives, winding its way all the way up the west coast from San Diego to San Francisco. The drive offers a slower-paced way of seeing some of California’s most famous beach towns and beautiful coastline.
Recently, my mom and I drove the portion of the PCH between Long Beach and San Diego. While I’d love to eventually do the whole thing, this made for a great day trip and allowed for several stops. Here are my favorite places and sights from the drive!
Long Beach
This beach outside of LA was our starting point. I spent two nights here which gave me some time to do a little bit of exploration by renting a bike and riding on the biking/walking trail along the beach. If you’re just making a quick stop, the Belmont Veterans Memorial Pier offers a nice stroll and a view of the coastline.
The Naples area is also worth a visit for La Bella Fontana Di Napoli in the center park and for strolling along the canal and admiring the beautiful gardens and homes along the water.
Huntington Beach
Our next stop was this wide, sandy beach that also has a great pier. We enjoyed walking out on the sand and wading in the cold water while watching some of the surfers catch a few waves. Huntington Beach is nicknamed Surf City USA and is famous for its great surfing and offers plenty of surf shops to choose from if you’re looking for some shopping.
Laguna Beach
We didn’t stop in Laguna but I’d love to spend more time in this cool beach town that is known for its local art scene, laid back and bohemian vibe, and oceanside cliffs.
Mission San Juan Capistrano
This stop requires a departure from the PCH and a short drive inland, but it ended up being one of our favorite stops of the day. Mission San Juan Capistrano is a historic Spanish mission founded in 1776 to spread Christianity to the Native Americans of California and help establish Spanish rule in the region. Today it’s famous for the annual Return of the Swallows and is a beautiful example of mission architecture and gardens.
La Jolla
La Jolla is a fantastic place to end your day by watching the sunset over the Pacific after enjoying the entertainment provided by the many sea lions that hang out on the rocks. Walk along the path in Ellen Scripps Browning Park to enjoy the views of the water and rocky coastline, wade into the cold water at Children’s Pool or La Jolla Cove, get some wildlife viewing of all the seabirds and marine mammals that pop up along the water, or venture underground to Sunny Jim’s Sea Cave. Afterwards, grab margaritas and delicious tacos at Puesto downtown.
San Diego
We ended our trip in beautiful San Diego. This city has a ton to offer and I’ve written all about it in more detail in this post.
There are so many places to stop along the highway, so it helps to map it out before you begin so you know what you want to see. These were places we picked out for this trip, but I’d love to spend more time in Laguna Beach or exploring some of the more natural areas and state parks along the coast in the future. Have you driven the PCH? Let me know what your favorite stops are in the comments!
