With all of the restrictions on international travel because of COVID, Eric and I weren’t sure we’d be able to get one more big trip in during 2020. One trip I’ve ALWAYS wanted to do, was to drive the entire Pacific Coast Highway from the top of Washington all the way down to the bottom of California. Every time I started researching, I’d realize it had to be at least 2-3 weeks and give up, choosing an international trip over a domestic one for that amount of time. With WFH as an option, now seemed like the absolute best time to take the trip – because when else are you going to be able to (in fact, have to) work from anywhere except COVID?
We drove from Denver to the start of the PCH in Washington, and along the way made stops in Cheyenne and Buffalo in Wyoming, Bozeman in Montana, Coeur d’Alene in Idaho, and Spokane in Washington. Finally we arrived in Olympia, Washington for the official start!
Day 1:
The official “start” of the PCH (which is actually the end technically) is in Olympia, Washington. We drove in from Spokane that morning, so our trip officially began at lunchtime, with our first view of water in months!
Port Angeles, Washington (2.5 hour drive)
Our final stop for the day was in Port Angeles, Washington, which is a beautiful little town across the water from Victoria, Canada. We had some beautiful water views, and got our first taste of the cold northwestern US evenings!
Day 2:
Marymere Falls Hike (30 minute drive)
Our first stop was a quick 30 minute hike that was 28 minutes from the hotel. We got there early to avoid the crowds, and it was the best way to start our day. It’s a perfect hike for beginners, with a beautiful, rewarding view of the Falls!
Forks, Washington (45 minute drive)
As you head out of Marymere, you’ll pass through the town of Forks, which became famous after being the filming location for the movie series Twilight. As you pass through, you’ll see tons of Twilight paraphernalia for sale, and can even take tours of the most well known spots – including Bella’s house!
Hoh Rainforest, Washington (45 minute drive)
45 minutes from Forks, and a bit off of highway 101, is the Hoh Rainforest – yes, a RAINFOREST in the middle of Washington! I highly recommend taking this quick detour, as even the drive from 101 into the visitors center is absolutely breathtaking.
Ruby Beach, Washington (45 minute drive)
The next quick stop of the day was Ruby Beach, the first spot where you are totally on the coast. We pulled into the parking lot, and being a beautiful warm day, there were ZERO open spots, and the beach was super crowded. We opted to pull over and get out to take in the view for a few minutes, before heading on our way, figuring we’d get to stop at another seastack spot in Oregon later on. If you do want to stop, and it’s a warm day, make sure to get there super early!
South Bend, Washington (2 hour and 15 minute drive)
For lunch, I recommend stopping in South Bend, the self-proclaimed oyster capitol of the world. Here you’ll find a ton of restaurants and food trucks selling fresh oysters and fresh fish and chips. There is also a cool German store called Jayden’s German Store that is worth a stop on the main drag if you have the time.
Long Beach, Washington (1 hour drive)
Our last stop in Washington was Long Beach. This quirky little seaside town reminded me a lot of the east coast beach towns, and we had a fantastic time walking the streets and spending a little time on the beach.
Astoria, Oregon (30 minute drive)
We ended the day in Astoria, Oregon where we decided to spend two nights after our whirlwind trip down the Washington coast.
Day 3:
We spent the entire day in Astoria, checking out the entire town and feeling a little more relaxed after covering the entire Washington coast in two days. This sleepy town is most well known for being the filming location for the Goonies, but also has a ton of great food, beer, and sightseeing! Plus our hotel in Astoria may have been one of our favorites of the entire trip – right on the water, underneath the iconic bridge.
Day 4:
Seaside, Oregon (30 minute drive)
After grabbing coffee in Astoria, Oregon, we drove over to Seaside to visit the Seaside Aquarium. It’s a super small aquarium where you can see a lot of marine life up close, like this octopus that you could touch!
They also have a pool in the front where you can feed sea lions, but heads up that it is a little sad how small the pool is where they all congregate for the food.
Cannon Beach, Oregon (15 minute drive)
We stopped quickly in Cannon Beach to take photos of the incredible sea stacks – large rocks jutting out of the ocean close to the shore and along the beach. You can walk down and get up close to them, but we opted for photos and moving on, as we had a long drive ahead of us and knew we might be detoured from the active wildfires in the area. Look closely in the photo to see how small the people are in comparison with the rock!
Manzanita Overlook (20 minutes)
We stopped at the overlook to take some photos of the water and the view. The views were insane, but unfortunately the wind was blowing a lot of the smoke from the nearby wildfires at us. It’s definitely a great pit stop for photos as you drive down the coast!
Tillamook, Oregon (45 minute drive)
Our next stop was the Tillamook Creamery. We were surprised it was still open with how close the wildfires were getting. This photo doesn’t even do it justice to show how crazy the sky looked – we felt like we were in the apocalypse! Because of both the wildfires nearby and COVID, they’d closed off all tours, and you could only visit to grab food from the cafe. We got some delicious mac and cheese and then got on our way.
Lincoln City/Devil’s Punchbowl (1 hour drive)
Our intended next destination was Lincoln City and visiting the Devil’s Punchbowl along the water. Unfortunately, on our way we were stopped by the fire department and routed on a 4 hour detour inland to go around a massive wildfire that was encroaching on Lincoln City and causing mass evacuations. It was a pretty scary drive through dense forests with the sky bright orange and ash falling all around us. We finally made it back to the coast near Newport, and were thankful to be heading away from the danger.
Sea Lion Caves (1 hour 30 minute drive)
We stopped at the Sea Lion Caves after seeing multiple advertisements along the highway. Unfortunately, with the nearby wildfires, they’d closed down for the day. We snapped some photos from the top, and added it to our list for next time.
Florence, Oregon (15 minute drive)
Our final destination for the evening was Florence, Oregon, and we arrived much later than we’d anticipated due to our 4 hour detour around the wildfires. We were excited to be able to relax a bit and explore a new city after the very eventful day we’d had.
Day 5:
Prehistoric Gardens, Oregon (2 hours and 15 minute drive)
We turned a corner on the PCH and saw two MASSIVE dinosaur statues on the side of the road. We decided to stop to at least take pictures, and ended up finding the most amazing trail with yet another breathtaking Oregonian rainforest.
Gold Beach, Oregon (20 minute drive)
Our second stop of the day was Gold Beach, Oregon, where we perused an amazing bookstore, and ate some of the most delicious tacos I’ve ever had.
Tree’s of Mystery, California (1 hour and 30 minute drive)
As we got closer to California, we kept seeing advertisements on billboards for something called the Trees of Mystery. They showed some beautiful canopy trails up in the redwoods, so we decided to do a little research quickly on our phones, and make the stop. It was honestly one of the coolest things we did along the entire drive, and is a MUST SEE.
Eureka, California (1 hour and 15 minute drive)
Eureka was our final stop for the evening, and we stumbled upon one of the most delicious seafood spots along the water for dinner. Our hotel was also a treat, and felt like we had stepped back in time!
Day 6:
Leggett, California (1 hour and 35 minute drive)
We stopped in Leggett, California to see a couple of interesting attractions within the Redwoods – the One Log House and the Drive-Thru Tree, both of which I highly recommend making a short pit stop at!
Fort Bragg, California/Glass Beach (1 hour and 20 minute drive)
After a beautiful drive through the Redwoods, we were finally back on the water and got a chance to checkout the famous Glass Beach. We weren’t entirely sure what to expect, and we were surprised at how small the pieces are – you really have to get close up to see that it’s glass and not regular sand/rocks. It was a nice stop to see the ocean before getting back in the car.
Mendocino, California (15 minute drive)
Just a few minutes away is the city of Mendocino. We stopped here to walk around the adorable coastal town, grab some lunch, and checkout some of the shops. This is where we initially planned to stay at the end of Day 5, but had been running a bit behind so it ended up being our lunch spot.
Petaluma, California (3 hours and 15 minute drive)
Here is where we left the official PCH drive for a bit. We really wanted to visit Petaluma to go to the Lagunitas Brewery, and didn’t want to have to drive at all after our stop. We drove all the way down the coast through Bodega Bay, before looping back inland to Petaluma. If you are a beer fan, this is a stop worth leaving the coast for!
Day 7:
Napa, California (40 minute drive)
Day 7 was a full day of wine tasting and eating in Napa! Napa is one of our absolute favorite places, and so we spent a full two days hanging out and relaxing a bit after lots of busy days on the road.
Day 8:
Day 8 was more wine tasting and eating in Napa! Having lived in San Francisco for many years, this was a regular trip for us, and we were so excited to be back.
Day 9:
San Francisco, California (1 hour drive)
After a slow start (wine problems) we made the trek over to San Francisco. We spent two full days in the city visiting friends and family, which was another nice break from the busy first week.
Day 10:
San Francisco, California
We spent Day 10 continuing to enjoy SF and visit friends and family. I lived in SF for close to a decade, so we had lots to see and do!
Day 11:
Pacifica, California (20 minute drive)
Pacifica is a quick 20 minutes from San Francisco, and is known as a perfect surfing town. My favorite thing about Pacifica, is the world’s coolest Taco Bell location. The TB is right on the beach off highway 1, and has a back patio where you can sit and watch the surfers and the waves while you enjoy your delicious meal. Another huge perk – it’s a Taco Bell Cantina so they sell alcohol! You can get a phenomenal baja blast with a little extra “blast” while you enjoy the sunshine.
Santa Cruz, California (1 hour and 30 minute drive)
Next up we drove the 1.5 hours to Santa Cruz, California, and spent 24 hours exploring the beautiful surf destination. The boardwalk was closed because of COVID, but we were still able to explore the pier, eat some incredible seafood, and watch some of the world’s best surfing!
Day 12:
Carmel-by-the-Sea, California (1 hour drive)
After a leisurely morning in Santa Cruz, we drove the hour-ish drive down to Carmel-by-the-Sea, which was one of my favorite destinations on our trip, and definitely a spot that we’ll vacation to again in the future. The quaint town has a super walkable downtown area, with lots of restaurants, shopping, and wine tasting.
Day 13:
Bixby Bridge, California (20 minute drive)
After a wonderful evening in Carmel, we drove the 20 minutes south to the Bixby Bridge to take the iconic photos. Unfortunately the rest of Highway 1 was closed due to the wildfires, and so we back-tracked and took the 101 all the way to our next destination.
King City, California (1 hour and 20 minute drive)
We decided to make the best of our detour, and stopped at the main Scheid Winery. The vineyards are absolutely gorgeous, and it was completely empty during the day. After a hefty wine tasting, we stopped in King City and had some of the best shrimp we’ve ever had at a small restaurant on the side of the road.
Pismo Beach, California (1 hour and 30 minute drive)
Our final stop for the day was Pismo Beach, where we spent two nights enjoying the city. It was our first time being by the beach in warm enough weather to don our bathing suits and get in the water!
Day 14:
Finally being in the sunny warm weather called for two full days, and we enjoyed eating more seafood and taking in the rays!
Day 15:
Solvang, California (1 hour drive)
We got up early and drove out to Solvang, California known as the Danish Capital of the U.S. It was SUCH a cute town, and gave us a little slice of Europe in a time when we can’t travel out of the US.
Santa Barbara, California (1 hour and 15 minute drive)
Then we drove down to Santa Barbara back along the 1 where we spent the evening enjoying their wineries and delicious foods. This is definitely another city that we’ll make a repeat visit to in the future.
Day 16:
Malibu, California (1 hour and 10 minute drive)
We got up and drove to Malibu to go to one of my favorite restaurants, Geoffery’s on the beach for lunch. Driving through Malibu is so fun – there are so many incredible houses along the road, and you’re RIGHT on the beach, so the views are gorgeous.
Santa Monica, California (30 minute drive)
Next we drove to Santa Monica for a quick 24 hour trip visiting some friends and exploring the famous pier. Fun fact, Santa Monica pier is also the end of another famous drive in the US, Route 66!
Day 17:
Newport Beach, California (1 hour and 50 minute drive)
We drove from Santa Monica to Newport Beach for a one night stay in an absolutely beautiful new Bonvoy property. We had dinner out on the water, and did a bit of shopping before our last day!
Day 18:
La Jolla, California (1 hour and 30 minute drive)
For our final day, we drove the rest of the 1 until it turned into the 5, and then onto La Jolla. La Jolla is one of my favorite spots, right outside of San Diego. We spent four full nights enjoying the pool at our favorite hotel, the La Valencia, and trying out more restaurants in the town.
After our four nights in La Jolla, we officially ended the coast portion of our trip, and started making our way back to Denver with stops along the way in “The Center of the World” in California, Phoenix/Scottsdale and Holbrook, Airzona, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and a few breweries along the final stretch back home! Overall, this was one of the coolest trips we’ve done, and I’m so thankful that we were able to make it happen in a challenging year. We’ve also finally convinced Eric that road trips are fun! I’m looking forward to planning more road trips in the near future – let me know which ones are your favorites!
