Imagine cruising along a highway overlooking the Pacific Ocean and incredible bluffs for hours. If that sounds appealing, driving Highway 1 is just the road trip for you. Pack your bags, grab your car keys and hit the road. Before you continue reading, disclaimer: this itinerary is mainly a camping trip filled with adventures, scenic sights and a few romantic moments — covid-style. To enhance this venturesome experience, I encourage renting a car, specifically a Jeep Wrangler. Whipping around in a Wrangler is game-changing and IMO a no brainer. It’s perfect when cruising the coast and basking in the views. My trip started in Los Angeles, I drove north to Monterey, and worked my way back down. Unfortunately, the trip had some roadblocks due to the pandemic, a car driving off the cliff (drive safe, kids), however I’ll be sure to mention some note-worthy places.
Pacific Grove: The Monterey Peninsula is the perfect destination when you feel like you need to escape it all. Be prepared to engulf in the most beautiful backdrops while driving the coast. This ultimately led me to the city of Pacific Grove. The city is located on the tip of the Monterey peninsula and offers an abundance of views and inexpensive experiences.
The Beach: Lovers Point Park. It runs close to 3 miles overlooking the water on Ocean View Blvd –filled with parks perfect for picnics, sandy beaches, and scenic photography spots. Getting up on the beach rocks will give you a 270 degree view of the sea and city. I suggest staying for sunset.
Sleep Situation: The plan was to camp at Monterey’s Veterans Memorial Park, home to a popular campsite, but it was closed. Also, to be honest, driving through there, it did not strike me as an exciting campground. Sleeping in the Jeep it is! Perfect for two. You can find parking on Ocean View Blvd, and wake up to exactly that, an ocean view.
Life Hack: Bonfires on the beach! But only in a specific area. On Sunset Dr. you’ll find the Asilomar Dunes (AKA the beach). There’s a small “river” on one side of the sand. By “river” I mean a stream you can literally step over. According to locals, across this stream you can build a fire because it’s not considered to be the State Beach. Easy as that!
Hungry? Check out Gusto Pizzeria for delicious handcrafted pizzas and pastas!
Carmel by the Sea: A small, charming, fairytale beach town famous for its many attractions. Driving along the coast is inevitable, but be sure to take a walk around the beach town too. I guarantee the storybook ambiance will capture a piece of your heart. Due to COVID-19 some historic landmarks are closed, so you might have to finesse your way in, or improvise.
Shopping and Eating:
Here you’ll find whimsical family-owned shops, galleries and restaurants along the stone paved streets on Ocean Ave. If you’re into olive oil as much as me, check out Olivier-By-The-Sea. It’s basically the land of everything: olive oil, marinade, glaze and more. Be prepared to sample an abundance of flavors such as lemon, basil, jalapeño and everything in between.
Scenic Sights and Drives:
17-Mile Drive
A famous drive for fun, majestic experiences, beaches and coastal cliffs. It’s marked with red dashed lines down the center, so be sure to follow them. By no means do you have to drive all 17 miles, I did not, but there’s places I want to come back for. This link makes it helpful: https://www.bayarea.com/play/road-trip/7-must-see-sights-montereys-famous-17-mile-drive/
Lone Cypress
The famous 17-mile drive in the picturesque area of Pebble Beach was definitely one of the highlights of the trip with plenty to see! One entry way is located at the Carmel gate on San Antonio Ave & Carmel Way. It’s well worth the $10 entrance fee. A map is provided. Side note: On your way to the gate, you’ll encounter the cutest homes, straight out of a storybook. One of the main attractions behind the gates is a tree – the Lone Cypress. It’s known to be one of the most photographed trees in North America. It stands alone on a hillside above the water and subs as the perfect photo-opp. Don’t underestimate the houses you’ll drive past on your way here. These homes are massive and jaw-dropping to, say the least. Envision being surrounded by tall trees overlooking the water, meanwhile, minutes away from a golf course…beach house goals!
The Original House of Hansel & Gretel
It’s not open to the public, but it’s fun to stroll past, take photos and pretend you’re in a storybook for a moment. Google Maps the address 2931 Alta Avenue.
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
It was temporarily closed, but this beautiful park should be on everyone’s list to visit. It’s best known for its sightseeing, hiking and outdoorsy things. P.S. Although it might be closed, I hear you can find secret entrances. Give it a shot!
Carmel River State Beach
Half river, half beach! The river flows into the beach as the beach’s tide flows against the rivers. One of the raddest things I’ve seen in California. The river (far left side) is your warmer option. It’s extremely rocky, not deep, fun to swim around and skip rocks in. The beach is directly north of Point Lobos State Natural Reserves starting point. Great views all around!
Saddle Mountain Ranch Campground
Just 20 minutes from the beach, this campground is tucked above a residential neighborhood surrounded by vineyards and farms. This place caters to campers, RVs and offers cabin suites and luxury tents. CLEAN bathrooms and showers here are a plus! The front desk was super accommodating and the amenities range from electrical outlets (to charge my phone or laptop for late night movies), a swimming pool, board games, footballs, a jungle gym and more. My situation was a camping one. I came back with a few bug bites, but it was worth this particular experience. Pitched a tent, blasted Rock & Roll hits, lit some tiki torches (the centinela scared the bugs off + aesthetically pleasing), started a fire, cooked some hot dogs, beans, s’mores and got a little tipsy 😉 Be sure to make friends with your fellow neighbors, they’re all warm and welcoming + you never know when you might run out of ice (or alcohol). This was the most ideal camping situation for beginners, like me.
Garrapata State Park Bluff Trail
Top 5 favorite places of the trip, hands down! The views are breathtaking and the nature is infectious. Mother nature never ceases to amaze me. Park your car and make your way through the wild flowers, mini waterfalls and sea views. Don’t skip out on this one!
Bixby Bridge (Big Sur)
I’m sure this is already on your list, but what would this post be without the Bixby Bridge. Fun fact: It’s one of the most photographed bridges in California. Stop here for more amazing views and photo-opps. It’s inevitable to miss this bridge, it’s in the direction you’re going.
Driving along HWY 1 was definitely a bucket list, and I highly recommend trying it once. My list might scream “beginner” but hey it’s all about the journey, not the destination, and that’s exactly what this trip was. Drop a comment below with any of your tips & tricks for this trip, camping, eating or anything I missed. Until next time, cheers!
