Driving San Francisco (CA) -> Los Angeles (CA) - any photo stops?

Fastest route will be on I-5 but willing to take Hwy 99 or partly Hwy 1. Any ideas of places to stop along the way to break (short break/overnight stay) up the drive? Interested in landscapes, old structures (i.e. missions), creatures (free roaming or caged). Thanks.

photophillic said:

Fastest route will be on I-5 but willing to take Hwy 99 or partly Hwy 1. Any ideas of places to stop along the way to break (short break/overnight stay) up the drive? Interested in landscapes, old structures (i.e. missions), creatures (free roaming or caged). Thanks.

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As of today, CA-1 is closed through Big Sur due to a couple of slides. I-5 is certainly the fastest, but there is essentially nothing from Tracy to the Tehachipis. US-99 is less boring, but slower, as it passes through many Central Valley cities. US-101 is a good scenic alternative. BTW, all of the California missions are on or near US-101.
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-Dave
http://pixseal.com

The US 101 is much more picturesque than the alternatives (except for Rte 1). You could take Rte 1 to Monterey....then veer inland via Carmel Valley....and you'll reach 101 back at Greenfield or so. Also, 101 has access to several missions....I just thought of 5 off the top of my head. The one near Hunter-Lygett (sp) army base has less visitors since it's a bit of a jog from the hway, but it's a nice one. Another one is in San Miguel (just No of Paso Robles)....and that one can be seen from the freeway. Templeton has several historic structures in the downtown area.

Enjoy your trip.

Leswick

Some suggestions off 101

Paso Robles and the Central Coast Wine Country between it and Cayucos - lots of beautiful vineards and wineries.

San Simeon and Hearst Castle (reservation needed, available online).

Solvang, a Scandinavian Town

--mamallama

Some are between SF and LA, some are near US-101, listed south to north: http://parks.ca.gov/?page_id=22722
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-Dave
http://pixseal.com

Any of the routes offer landscape possibilities, I'd suggest 1 and 101 would be the best bets for those. San Luis Obispo is about half way between the L.A. and Bay areas and is a common stopping point and is a good spot to go back to 1 if closed through Big Sur, is close to a couple of lakes, Morro Bay and Montana de Oro.

101 and 1 are generally far more interesting. If you can't take 1 through Big Sur (slides aren't uncommon and there is always work in progress) you can cut over back to 1 at San Luis Obispo to Morro Bay or a couple of other routes 41 and 46?) which take you to Morro Bay and Cambria areas if you wanted to back track a bit for San Simeon or elephant seals at Piedras Blancas (that's seasonal, you might want to check for colony activity before going back all the way) but Morro Bay is pretty in it's own right. The 101 through the Salinas Valley passes through some classic agricultural communities and the main streets are now bypassed by the highways so they retain some of the flavor of past eras. Highway 99 would offer more of the same but both 5 and 99 can become fairly boring and hotter and drier than the routes closer to the coast.

There are two missions near Buellton on the 101. Santa Ynes is a few miles east in Solvang and La Purisima Concepcion is 17(?) miles west in Lompoc. Santa Ynez isn't all that picturesque compared to some of the other missions but it's nice and still an active parish. The area is pleasant, lots of things to see and do, wineries, Solvang, rolling hills, oak trees (plenty of them along the way), etc. La Purisima is a state park and reconstructed/restored to try to be as representative of the original missions as possible. Unlike many, it hasn't been closely surrounded by the community growing up around it.

Thanks. I didn't think about 101 before. But 101 is becoming attractive.

Thanks. The concensus is building up for 101.

photophillic said:

Thanks. The concensus is building up for 101.

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Do Big Sur if Highway 1 is open, and 101 the rest of the way. Check the CalTrans site for the latest info: http://www.dot.ca.gov/cgi-bin/roads.cgi
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-Dave
http://pixseal.com

Sorry to ask on your thread but does anyone know how long it would take to drive on highway 1 the entire way (if it were open everywhere)?

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http://www.sneakpeeq.com

photofool475 said:

Sorry to ask on your thread but does anyone know how long it would take to drive on highway 1 the entire way (if it were open everywhere)?

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Google maps?

But back on topic, highway 101 is great. You can stop by SLO as someone mentioned, as well as make a slight detour to Pismo Beach. Famous for Bugs Bunny always trying to get there.

Turby

Close to SAnta Cruz is a beach where seals hang out by the dozen. Is it Seal Beach? I forgot its name. Also close to SAnta Cruz is a place where Monarch butterflies take a pit stop on their annual trip from Canada to Mexico.

There are millions of butterflies hanging out on trees, bending branches with their weight. A truly spectacular sight. Again, forgot its name.

Google both.

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Andrzej
http://lowflyingbananas.zenfolio.com/

andrzej bialuski said:

Close to SAnta Cruz is a beach where seals hang out by the dozen. Is it Seal Beach? I forgot its name.

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Ano Nuevo State reserve is between San Francisco and Santa Cruz on highway 1. At certain times of the year, there are hundreds of elephant seals: http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=523 Mating season is December - February.

Bananas in Paris said:

Also close to Santa Cruz is a place where Monarch butterflies take a pit stop on their annual trip from Canada to Mexico.

There are millions of butterflies hanging out on trees, bending branches with their weight. A truly spectacular sight. Again, forgot its name.

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Only during the winter months.
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-Dave
http://pixseal.com

Thanks for the info. The monarch butterflies are on the long list of "to photograph." I wouldn't mind going back to Ano Nuevo.

I seem to recall that from Monterey to San Luis Obispo, that on a straight drive through, 1 was about an hour or so longer than going via 101. Some of the difference is made up in getting back to the 101 from Monterey. I find I stop more often on the 1 for viewing, leg stretches, photography, etc., and don't do straight through drives that way. But since at times I've stayed in Morro Bay, Cambria and Paso Robles, I'm kind of guessing because I haven't always looped the same ways or from the same places. Highway 1 Big Sur drives, especially in summer can be slower due to the presence of more vehicles, slower drivers and RVs. It's not an easy drive and can be very stressful for drivers not used to windy roads and cliffs.

Most of the route using 101 is freeway or 4 lane divided highway. Most of the 1 is not and in some stretches is two lane rural roads and in some places doesn't lend itself to fast driving at all. Besides the Monterey to San Luis Obispo stretch, there are segments of 1 south of San Luis Obispo and Pismo Beach to near Gaviota and that would definitely be slower as well. 1 south of Ventura through Malibu is also usually slower than the 101/Ventura Freeway.

If planning a trip, I used to figure if I was sort of hustling, to get to Santa Barbara in something over 2 hours from Pasadena, two more hours to San Luis Obispo. Then 4 hours to San Francisco. Although I'm usually not doing a one day drive all the way anyways and usually take more time than that for stops, meal breaks, etc.