What are your top stops on the Pacific Coast Highway?
It's possible to drive the whole of the USA's Pacific Coast, with a few twists and turns taking you inland now and then. It's an epic drive of almost 1800 miles, and along the way you'll see man-made wonders like Hearst Castle and the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as breathtaking scenery like the Big Sur coast, and natural wonders including giant redwood trees and elephant seals.
These are my choices of the ten best things to see as you drive the coasts of California, Oregon and Washington. See if you agree, and you can vote on them if you like.
Top Ten Stops on the Pacific Coast Highway
Big Sur(01 of10)
Big SurPhoto by Mike GerrardBig Sur is the most dramatic stretch of the USA's Pacific coast, where the Santa Lucia Mountains tumble down to meet the sea and the highway has been squeezed inbetween them. The result is impressive and constantly changing scenery, zigzagging roads, and an endless desire to pull off the highway and just stand and stare.
Monterey Bay Aquarium(02 of10)
Jellyfish at the Monterey Bay AquariumPhoto by Donna Dailey for Pacific Coast Highway TravelI love this aquarium, one of the best I've visited anywhere in the world. There are delicate sea dragons and sea horses, jellyfish that look like they're from another planet, a mesmerising sea kelp forest, and endearing creatures like penguins and otters. You have to allow at least half a day to try to see everything.
Hearst Castle(03 of10)
Hearst CastlePhoto by Donna DaileyI hadn't expected to enjoy Hearst Castle, but the former home of publishing millionaire William Randolph Hearst is a wonderful place, a great mixture of the tasteful, the over-the-top, the bizarre and the beautiful. This means that it is perfectly at home in southern California.
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals Beach(04 of10)
Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals BeachPhoto by Donna Dailey for Pacific Coast Highway TravelElephant seals are the kinds of creatures which, like kangaroos and ostriches, seem to have come out of someone's weird imagination. Males can grow to over 16 feet in length – about 10% of which seems to be nose - and weigh almost 9,000 lbs. That's the weight of three Mini Coopers. At Piedras Blancas Beach, four miles north of Hearst Castle, a colony of Northern Elephant Seals has established itself over the last twenty years. In 1990 a handful of seals were noticed in this small sandy cove, a few yards off the Highway. In the spring of 1991, almost 400 elephant seals turned up at the beach. In 1996, almost 1,000 pups were born at Piedras Blancas, and as all pups return to their birthplace in order to mate when they're adults, the colony has simply grown and grown to, well, elephantine proportions.
Santa Monica Pier(05 of10)
Santa Monica PierPhoto by Donna Dailey for Pacific Coast Highway TravelWhat would a coast be without a pier? They don't come any better than Santa Monica's, which has starred in movies including The Sting and Forrest Gump. It has a 1922 carousel, an amusement park, a small aquarium, and always crowds of happy people just enjoying one of life's simplest pleasures: being on a pier.
The Golden Gate Bridge, San Francisco(06 of10)
The Golden Gate Bridge, San FranciscoMark Twain once said, amongst many other things, that everyone loves two cities - their own and San Francisco. Stop on the north side of the gorgeous Golden Gate Bridge, look back at San Francisco, and you'll know he's right. And like the city, the bridge doesn't disappoint, one of those structures that lets you know that man can, occasionally, get it right.
Redwood National Park(07 of10)
Redwood National ParkPhoto by Donna DaileyThe Pacific Coast Highway is itself an amazing achievement, but of all the man-made and natural wonders along the coast, what really stops you in your tracks are the giant redwood trees. There are several places where you can stop and take a drive or a hike and see these monumental and dignified marvels. Like entering the cool of a cathedral, you gaze at them with admiration and respect.
Mendocino(08 of10)
MendocinoPhoto by Donna DaileyOne of the prettiest little towns on the California coast, Mendocino has an artsy Bohemian feel with being too precious. It's a laid-back place with a clifftop setting, a beach, historical houses, and if heaven's full when I die I want to go to Mendocino.
Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation Area(09 of10)
Oregon Sand Dunes National Recreation AreaPhoto by Donna DaileyThese often windswept sand dunes stretch for about 40 miles along the Oregon coast, and are an intriguing, unusual and ever-changing landscape. Their wildness and ancient history are a long way from the Southern California beaches with which the Pacific Coast Highway is most associated. Go hiking or biking in them, or take a dune buggy for an exciting look into the surprising flora and fauna that exists in this desert-like landscape.
Olympic National Park(10 of10)
Olympic National ParkPhoto by Donna Dailey for Pacific Coast Highway TravelThis impressive park, which contains three distinct sections, is a World Heritage Site, an International Biosphere Reserve, and contains the only rainforest in the United States. It ranges from sandy beaches to glacial mountains, via wonderful forests with nature trails, giant trees, and wildlife including elk and bear. There can be nowhere better to start, or to end, your Pacific Coast Highway road trip.