Welcome to PCH1 Road Trip – The Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip & Travel Guide.
We are the #1 resource dedicated to planning a road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway. We feature articles about planning the ultimate Pacific Coast Highway road trip, suggested itineraries in the region, best stops along the PCH, as well as information on the best time to visit, accommodations, and more.
Our aim is to provide you with the best information to visit this beautiful stretch of Coastal California and encourage you to go on the best road trip in the world.
We hope this information will be useful whether you are visiting one of the stops along the Pacific Coast Highway, like the Big Sur, or someone road tripping the entire length of California’s Route 1 for the first time. If you are planning a trip to California’s Central Coast from outside the country, then we have specific resources for international visitors.
Make sure you join our free Pacific Coast Highway Travel Planning Community to connect with other PCH road trippers and ask any questions about your trip.
Who are we?
We are an Indian ex-pat family that loves to go on road trips and our favorite just happens to be the drive along the Pacific Coast Highway through the stunning Big Sur. While living in California, I fell in love with the Coast and the fascination still continues. We currently live in Texas and also have a US-focused travel blog, Dotted Globe.
We have road tripped this West Coast route extensively and love its sheer dramatic beauty and many gorgeous pull-out stops. We like exploring the hiking trails along the PCH as well as discovering it’s hidden beaches and coves. We have visited the Pacific Coast region with our kids as well as by ourselves: our next goal is to explore it in a campervan or an RV! We see many road trips along the PCH in our future.
We can’t recommend this stunning American road trip highly enough. It is called the most beautiful drive in the world and rightly so. On your road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway, you will fall in love with California’s dreamy, wild coastline. You will spend days viewing marine wildlife, giant Redwood trees, and gorgeous wildflowers. You will never want your trip to end and once it does, you will plan to come back – just like us!
Everyone has their own reasons for returning to California’s Central Coast. Some like the sleepy coastal towns like Pismo Beach while others love fresh seafood. Some come for the underrated wineries of Santa Ynez Valley while others come to see migrating whales and sea otters. Kids love exploring the tide pools while couples love the romantic resorts nestled in Big Sur. The Pacific Coast Highway has something for everyone and is the perfect destination to plan your next trip.
We understand that planning travel in general and road trips, in particular, is challenging. How many days do you spend on the road? Where do you start and end your trip? What do you cover in a day and where do you stay for the night? How much do you budget for the trip? Can you skip any attractions? How do you plan the trip so kids don’t get bored or tired? So many things to decide! And that’s where we step in. We have taken the guesswork out of planning a road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway and have a wealth of information to ensure that you have the most awesome PCH 1 road trip possible.
Next Steps
Don’t know where to start? Start Here.
Want to plan your road trip in 5 easy steps? Click here to launch the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Planner.
Looking for road trip itineraries? Read our most popular itineraries now.
Need travel inspiration? Read our list of best Pacific Coast Highway road trip stops.
Searching for the best places to stay on the Pacific Coast Highway? Read our Hwy 1 accommodation guide now.
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