The Pacific Coast Highway in California is well known as one of the most scenic and romantic highways in the world. Stretching from San Diego in the south to the Oregon border in the north, The PCH runs through so many wonderful and romantic destinations you will no doubt find yourself in need of additional time to take it all in. For those of you planning a romantic cruise up the PCH, we will highlight a few stops for you, but considering there's so much to do along the way, we recommend you do some additional research in case there's something else you might regret missing.
With an initial starting point in San Diego, we would hit Balboa Park, Downtown and Old Town for a wonderful day of warm sun with a cool breeze. The evening would include a pass through La Jolla Cove and a sunset moment perched high above San Diego on Mt. Soledad. Once the sun is gone, we would head north to Los Angeles for a night's rest before a busy day two. Some of you may prefer an evening in San Diego before the two hour drive to LA, but I grew up in this area so my interests are down the road a bit. Day two could be filled with many distractions in Los Angeles, but this adventure is about the PCH so we would take a quick drive through Hollywood and Beverly Hills, then head north up through Malibu for lunch and then further north for sight seeing and the evening sunset.
The next leg of the PCH Road Trip includes multiple stops along the highway for scenic pictures, snapchats and other social media uploads you're sure to include in your day. Monterey, San Luis Obispo, Big Sur, The Bixby Bridge, Santa Cruz, McWay Falls, San Simeon, and Hearst Castle are all stops we highly recommend along this adventure, but if you are planning to visit Hearst Castle, you might want to plan on staying in Cambria for the night. You can easily spend half your day visiting Hearst Castle and you really don't want to rush along the Big Sur part of this trip, nor do you want to miss the sights by driving at night.
A stop at Golden Gate Park is highly encouraged while you're in the Bay Area and you might as well take a stroll down Lover's Lane in the Presidio of San Francisco. There's a bit of history and lore for you to research, but anyone taking a romantic road trip up the Pacific Coast Highway might as well do it right with a moment on Lover's Lane!
For those of you with a desire for an extended road trip north of San Francisco, there's plenty to see such as The Redwood Forests, Eureka, California and other points of interest, but that area is more aligned with our desire for romantic camping trips and other outdoor activities. As with all adventures, you may want to pay close attention to the weather prior to your PCH Adventure. The Pacific Ocean tends to bring an unusual amount of fog on a regular basis and your sightseeing trip can come with limited visibility if you plan on the wrong day. In addition to fog, the temperatures in this part of the country can change quickly. Our last road trip through this area in July came with 103* temperatures in the valley about 30 minutes from San Francisco, but we had mid 60's in the Bay Area when we arrived. Plan accordingly and take advantage of certain moments to keep each other warm!
