- This Pacific Coast Highway itinerary follows Highway 1 between San Francisco and Monterey, heading south from the Pacifica area.
- The route includes 18 main stops, with beaches, coastal trails, wildlife viewing areas, Santa Cruz attractions, and scenic overlooks.
- Plan for a full day if you want to visit most stops, and more time if you plan to hike, relax at the beach, or explore Santa Cruz.
- Several stops are free, but some parks and attractions have parking, day-use, or activity fees.
- Bring layers, comfortable shoes, and flexibility—coastal weather, wildlife viewing, and beach conditions can change quickly.
Join Shaka Guide as we take on the Pacific Coast Highway! This tour explores the stretch of Highway 1 between San Francisco and Monterey, stopping at the most scenic spots on the coast and the best wildlife watching opportunities.
We also make several stops in and around Santa Cruz, where you can enjoy the boardwalk amusement park and wharf. There's something for everyone on this incredible scenic drive!
This tour is one of four Shaka Guide tours that explore the Pacific Coast Highway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
You can take one tour, or combine them all for an extended journey.
This tour is on the northern end of the tours, meaning it's either the first or last tour, depending on which direction you're heading.
This leg of the journey has 18 incredible stops. You can take the tour in either direction, starting in San Francisco near the town of Pacifica or in Monterey.
- Taco Bell Cantina and Pacifica Beach
- Devil's Slide Trail
- Gray Whale Cove State Beach
- JV Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
- Pillar Point Harbor
- Half Moon Bay Main Street
- Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail
- San Gregorio State Beach
- Pigeon Point Lighthouse
- Año Nuevo State Park
- Cotoni Coast Dairies
- Shark Fin Cove
- Natural Bridges State Beach
- West Cliff Drive
- Santa Cruz Wharf
- Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
- The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
- Moss Landing State Beach
This itinerary begins in San Francisco and heads south.
Use this listicle as a stop-by-stop guide for planning your drive, choosing your must-see places, and deciding where to spend the most time along the coast.
Itinerary
1. Taco Bell Cantina and Pacifica Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Entry Fee: Food purchase
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to 12:00 am
Start or end your PCH journey with the most scenic Taco Bell in the world, located right on Pacifica Beach. This is just an optional stop for fun.
Note that there may be a Food purchase. Hours are typically Daily 8:00 am to 12:00 am, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
2. Devil's Slide Trail
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 to 1.5 hours
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Opens 8:00 am daily. Closing time varies from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm seasonally.
This walking and biking trail is located on a disused portion of Highway 1. This 1.3-mile one-way hike, or 2.6-mile round trip, is right along the cliffs high above the Pacific Ocean, offering stellar views of the coast.
Benches along the road offer plentiful opportunities to rest and enjoy the view. There is a small parking lot on either side of the hike.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically open 8:00 am daily. Closing time varies from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm seasonally, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
3. Gray Whale Cove State Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes (or more to relax)
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to sunset
A short but steep path leads down to a popular, sandy beach framed by cliffs on both sides.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Daily 8:00 am to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
4. JV Fitzgerald Marine Reserve
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 hour
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Open 8:00 am daily. Closing time varies from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm seasonally.
This family-friendly park invites people to explore and help preserve the shoreline. The park provides a self-guided walking tour that helps interpret the bluffs and the beaches, which include a number of tidepools.
Just a 10-minute walk from the parking lot and ranger station takes you to the beach and tidepools.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically open 8:00 am daily.
Closing time varies from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm seasonally, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
5. Pillar Point Harbor
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 60 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Hours vary by business
One of the last remaining working fishing harbors in California. See what the local fishermen are up to, or grab a meal, a drink, or a souvenir in the shops and restaurants down by the harbor.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours vary by business, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
6. Half Moon Bay Main Street
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: Open-ended
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Hours vary by business
Half Moon Bay is a popular day trip from the Bay Area. Main Street is full of enticing shops and restaurants, perfect for a break from driving or exploring beaches.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours vary by business, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
7. Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 hour
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to sunset
The 11-mile Half Moon Bay Coastal Trail traces the shoreline along Half Moon Bay, with mostly easy paths and unobstructed views. We take you to access points on either side of the Ritz Carlton Hotel.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Daily 8:00 am to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
8. San Gregorio State Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 45 minutes
- Entry Fee: $8 day use parking fee
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to sunset
One of the wilder beaches on this stretch of PCH, San Gregorio features a log-strewn beach and a couple of sea caves to explore. The sea caves are to the right as you walk down to the beach.
Note that there may be an $8 day-use parking fee. Hours are typically Daily 8:00 am to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
9. Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 15 to 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to sunset. Visitor center and park store Thursday through Tuesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, as staffing permits.
One of the tallest lighthouses on the West Coast, Pigeon Point is an automated lighthouse with grounds open for exploring. There's also a hostel on the premises.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically daily from 8:00 am to sunset.
Visitor center and park store Thursday through Tuesday 10:00 am to 4:00 pm, as staffing permits. But you should always check current conditions before you go.
10. Año Nuevo State Park
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Entry Fee: $10 day use parking fee
- Hours: 8:30 am to sunset daily. Elephant seal viewing is open 8:30 am to 3:30 pm daily.
Año Nuevo State Park is famous as home to a colony of elephant seals. The seals are visible by walking a moderately difficult, 3-mile round-trip hike.
During the breeding season in the winter, the park runs guided tours, which are the only way to view the seals.
Besides the elephant seals, the park offers easy beach access, a visitor center with exhibits on marine wildlife, and historical buildings from the park's time as a dairy farm.
Note that there may be a $10 day use parking fee. Hours are typically 8:30 am to sunset daily. Elephant seal viewing is open 8:30 am to 3:30 pm daily, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
11. Cotoni Coast Dairies
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Daily sunrise to sunset
This is one of the only onshore portions of the California Coastal National Monument, protecting open ranch land and small forests, including some redwoods.
From one trailhead, visitors can access a chain of three loop trails, starting easy and getting progressively more challenging.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Daily sunrise to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
12. Shark Fin Cove
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 10 to 20 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
This unmarked cove right off Highway 1 includes a beach and a large offshore rock that resembles the fin on top of a shark. Cliffs surrounding the cove provide unobstructed views of the beautiful spot. Access to the beach is down a steep path.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
13. Natural Bridges State Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 hour (or more to relax)
- Entry Fee: $10 day use parking fee
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to sunset. Visitor center 11:00 am to 4:00 pm daily Oct-Jan. Friday through Monday Feb-Sept.
Rock formations with natural arches sit in the water just offshore this family-friendly beach. Next to the visitor center, a eucalyptus forest is a popular winter destination for migrating monarch butterflies.
Note that there may be a $10 day use parking fee. Hours are typically daily from 8:00 am to sunset.
Visitor center 11:00 am to 4:00 pm daily Oct-Jan. Friday through Monday, Feb-Sept., but you should always check current conditions before you go.
14. West Cliff Drive
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 5 minutes to drive, more to walk and relax
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to sunset. Santa Cruz Surfing Museum 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm Thurs-Mon.
This beautiful road clings to the coast as it passes a residential area and a park that includes a surfing museum.
Easy, paved pathways are perfect for strolling, enjoying the views of Monterey Bay, and watching people surf down on Steamer Lane, one of the most popular surfing spots in the area.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically daily from 8:00 am to sunset.
Santa Cruz Surfing Museum 12:00 pm to 4:00 pm Thurs-Mon., but you should always check current conditions before you go.
15. Santa Cruz Wharf
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 45 minutes
- Entry Fee: Parking $3/hour. $24 daily max.
- Hours: Wharf open daily 5:00 am to 2:00 am. Hours of businesses vary.
Seafood restaurants and tourist shops dominate this wharf, stretching over 2,000 feet into the ocean. Sea lions often congregate in the timbers below, providing an appropriate maritime ambience.
The wharf is located next to Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk, and is a more affordable place to park while exploring this busy part of Santa Cruz.
Note that there may be a Parking $3/hour. $24 daily max. Hours are typically Wharf open daily, 5:00 am to 2:00 am.
Hours of businesses vary. But you should always check current conditions before you go.
16. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Entry Fee: Parking fee, tickets for rides, and arcade games
- Hours: Hours vary by season and attraction. Refer to this calendar.
Old-fashioned fun abounds in this boardwalk amusement park open since 1907.
The park is known for its giant corn dogs, saltwater taffy, arcade games, and the Giant Dipper, one of the oldest wooden roller coasters in the United States.
The park is open year-round, but some attractions have seasonal hours.
Note that there may be a Parking fee, tickets for rides, and arcade games. Hours are typically Hours vary by season and attraction.
Refer to this calendar, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
17. The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Entry Fee: $8 day use parking fee
- Hours: Daily sunrise to sunset
This heavily forested park protects old-growth and second-growth redwood forests. Trails range from easy to challenging.
We suggest sticking to the trailhead at the very front of the park to visit the Old Growth Loop Trail and the Twisted Grove.
In the Twisted Grove, redwoods have twisted over time to compensate for ground shifts caused by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake.
The earthquake was centered in the park.
Note that there may be an $8 day-use parking fee. Hours are typically Daily sunrise to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
18. Moss Landing State Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 15 to 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Daily 8:00 am to sunset
Moss Landing is located at the mouth of the Elkhorn Slough estuary, which is known as a popular wildlife watching hotspot.
Harbor seals, abundant birdlife, and best of all, sea otters can be viewed onshore. Nearby businesses offer kayak rentals and wildlife watching tours. On the other side of the dunes is the beach, where you may spot people surfing in the waves.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Daily 8:00 am to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
Conclusion
The Pacific Coast Highway is one of America's most beautiful and rewarding scenic drives. Shaka Guide has you covered with turn-by-turn directions, trip planning advice, and storytelling to connect you with the land and people around you.
From windswept beaches and cliffside trails to wildlife viewing, historic lighthouses, redwoods, and classic Santa Cruz stops, this stretch of Highway 1 captures some of the best experiences on California’s central coast.
Matt Caracciolo is a travel writer based in Ohio and author of the Shaka Guide tour for the Pacific Coast Highway. Born and raised in Columbus, Matt fell into travel writing while teaching English abroad in South Korea.
He has written two travel books, including the Moon Ohio guidebook, and enjoys writing and editing tours for Shaka Guide. Matt follows Mark Twain’s belief that “travel is fatal,” embracing travel as a way to learn more about the world and ourselves.
Ready to Explore the Pacific Coast Highway?
Take Shaka Guide’s PCH: San Francisco to Monterey Audio Tour for turn-by-turn directions, local stories, and the freedom to explore at your own pace.
Visiting the whole Pacific Coast Highway?
Check out Shaka Guide’s additional Pacific Coast Highway tours to continue the journey between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Still planning?
Check out our Know Before You Go guide to prep for your trip.
Have questions?
We’re happy to help — email us at aloha@shakaguide.com.
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