Pacific Coast Highway

Before leaving the sprawling L.A. metro area behind you'll pass the upper-crust suburb of Pacific Palisades and famed Malibu, where there are oodles of celebrity beach homes. The Santa Monica Mountains form an impressive backdrop. At Oxnard SR 1 merges with US 101. Seaside Santa Barbara is scenically wedged between the Pacific and the Santa Ynez Mountains.

SR 1 and US 101 run concurrently as far as Gaviota. Then SR 1 veers inland, rounding Point Conception and Point Arguello. It returns to the coast at Grover Beach and Pismo Beach, where a popular activity is digging for Pismo clams (you'll need a saltwater fishing license to do so). The highway heads inland again to San Luis Obispo, founded as a mission in 1772.

This leg boasts arguably the most spectacular views of the entire trip, courtesy of the Big Sur coast from San Simeon to Carmel-by-the-Sea. SR 1 snakes along in a seemingly endless series of sinuous S-curves. Parking pull-offs are high above the Pacific, with breathtaking panoramic views of rocky headlands extending for miles against a backdrop of steel-blue ocean.

Utterly charming Carmel boasts a gorgeous beach and Monterey has a fascinating historical pedigree. Both of them are also packed with shopping and sightseeing diversions. Once past the quintessential beach town of Santa Cruz, SR 1 runs right along the coast all the way to San Francisco, with plenty of places to pull off, stretch your legs and do some beachcombing.