PCH1 from LA to Seattle

[skirabbit]

Hello All, we are flying in from Italy at the end of the month and are going to take 10 days to Drive from LA to Seattle along PCH1. We are desperately seeking some advice on how to best maximise our trip. Currently looks like this

day1 Santa Monica - SM Pier Venice Beach
day2 Paso Robles - Wine Country
day3 Monteray Bay - Big Sure Drive / Kayak with Sea Otters
day 4 San Francisco - Pier 49
day 5 Mendicino
day 6 Cape Town
day 7 Brooking (could skip this)
day 8 Florence - Sea Lion Cave
day 9 Long Beach
day 10 Seattle

does this look ok - trying to drive 3/4 hours per day then doing some stuff in each place.

We would really welcome suggestions of what to do/see - especially North of San Franscisco - up to Seattle.

thanks

Riccardo

[AZBuck]

Benvenuto! Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

There are a couple of things that you need to be aware of as you plan this trip. First of all, the Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) is an unofficial designation for a couple of different roads, and basically applies to whichever is closest to the coast at any given time. As a rough guide, south of San Francisco, the actual designation (signage) is CA-1, and north of there it is US-101. Secondly, these roads are very slow going. they are typically only two lanes wide (one in each direction) and hug the contours of the coast resulting in only limited passing opportunities. They carry a lot of relatively slow traffic: large recreational vehicles, tourists slowing down to enjoy the views, local traffic for all the beach towns, etc. To be honest, I don't think you can drive the entire length of it from Los Angeles to Seattle in only ten days of three to four hours driving a day.

None of this is meant to discourage you from making the trip. You just need to be a bit more realistic about it, picking and choosing sections where you can afford to go slow, and other areas that you will have to skip and head inland a bit to the Interstate (I-5, a free autostrade)

AZBuck