California Coast Road Trip: 15 Destinations You Don’t Want To Miss

California coast road trips are so much fun!  From surf towns to city life and from sand dunes to dense forests, driving the coastal Highway 101 and Highway 1 is always an adventure.  This 2-week California coast road trip will take you to great surf spots near Ventura and Santa Cruz, beautiful hikes in Mendocino and Point Reyes, and some rock climbing near Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.    

As adventure travelers, we are always searching out destinations where we can play. Whether it’s surfing, mountain biking, hiking, or rock climbing, this road trip itinerary will appeal to those looking for some physical movement in the outdoors.

However, this California Coast road trip itinerary is not limited just to adventure sports and many of these spots are awesome places to chill at. Even though I’ve highlighted a lot of great surfing beaches along the way, these same beaches are great for walking at low tide or just relaxing during the day.

If you do plan on surfing or even just playing in the ocean, note that California water temperatures aren’t as warm as you’d think. In the summer, Oceanside rarely gets to 70 degrees, and in the winter, it will drop below 60 degrees. As you go further north, it will just get colder. You may want to bring a wetsuit. Check out our favorite women’s wetsuits here.

If you are looking to mostly surf up the California coast, be sure to check out our Complete Guide to Surfing the California Coast

This California Coast road trip ended up being about 1,400 miles round-trip from San Diego to Mendocino and took us two weeks.  You could do it faster, but then you wouldn’t get as much time enjoying these great road trip destinations.

I’ve listed everything in this blog in order from South to North, going up the coast on Highway 1 and then back down on Highway 101.

At the bottom of the post, I put the itinerary we’ve used when driving this so that we hit half the coastal spots on the way up and the other half on the way down, but for planning purposes, I find it easier to have all the destinations listed so that they appear on a map starting from San Diego.

Road tripping in an RV is so much fun, and every time we’ve taken a Cali coast trip, it’s been in an RV. Check out these RV rentals from popular cities along this itinerary:

• Rent an RV in San Diego
• Rent an RV in Los Angeles
• Rent an RV in San Francisco

1 | Cardiff

San Elijo SB, in Cardiff, is our favorite campground in all of California.  Besides being right on the beach, the surf in front of the campground is some of the best in the world. We camp here all the time and love how easy it is to walk across the street and get delicious food.  

2 | Oceanside

Oceanside Harbor is a great place to start your California Coast road trip. We love to camp in Oceanside by the harbor. There are lots of restaurants here, the surf is usually good, and there’s a super fun playground for kids right on the sand.

3 | Malibu

You have a few great options in Los Angeles’s most popular beach town. You can enjoy the sand and sun at Zuma Beach, shred the epic point break at Malibu’s Surfrider Beach, take in the great views, and maybe spot some whales in the winter from the bluffs at Point Dume, get a dose of art and culture at The Getty, or explore the miles of trails, rock pools, and rock walls at Malibu Creek State Park.

If you choose Malibu Creek State Park, it’s a short 30-minute hike to the pools where you can jump off rocks into the water.  There is also fun rock climbing like Planet of the Apes wall, which has an easy approach, you can top rope all the climbs, there is a safe area for kids to play, and the wall itself has huge pockets (making it a very fun climb).

We’ve also stayed at Leo Carrillo State Park before. This is a beautiful campground, also with hiking trails, and has access to the beach, so you can get a little of both.

4 | Ventura + Carpinteria

Ventura is just as rad as the surf towns in SoCal, but with way fewer crowds. We love surfing C Street in Ventura. You can park at Surfer’s Point at Seaside Park and surf the epic rights that roll through, run, or ride the bike path that takes you up the coast, or just hang out on the beautiful driftwood-filled beach.

Just 15 miles north of Ventura is one of my favorite beach towns, Carpinteria. If surfing isn’t top on your list, I’d stop at Seaside Park in Ventura to take some pics and then head to Carpinteria to eat.

I like the kickback vibe at Island Brewing Co and I usually grab coffee in the morning at Lucky Llama Coffee. If you’re a chocolate lover, stop at Chocolats Du Calibressan on the way there.

We love camping on the beach here; however, while you can surf here, note that it is a shallow, mediocre beach break (great for learning on a higher tide).  If you want good surf, then drive south ten minutes and surf Rincon AKA “The Queen” (be ready for crowds).  

More Camping Options:

• Ventura Beach RV Park, which is pricey but within walking distance of the C-street surf break.
• Emma Wood State Beach, which has great views and is affordable, but doesn’t allow tents and is hard to get reservations for.
• Rincon Parkway, which has a rad vibe, but often fills up fast on the weekends, and also doesn’t allow tents.
• Carpinteria State Beach, which is one of our favorite campgrounds, allows tents.
• If you are discreet, there are also plenty of free camping opportunities around Ventura.

5 | Santa Barbara

After you’ve had your fill of surfing and exploring Ventura and Carpinteria, head to Santa Barbara.

The most iconic place to go see in Santa Barbara is Stearn’s Wharf. It’s your typical touristy boardwalk with food and shopping, but it’s all along the pier. I think it is certainly worth stopping for a few hours before exploring some other unique options like:

• Between November and February, check out the Monarch Butterfly Grove in Goleta
• Rock climbing Fire Crags off Highway 154. It’s easy climbing with epic views. The only drawback is that I couldn’t get my RV up the steep Painted Cave Road to the climbing area. If you have a smaller car or van, you can drive right up to the car.
• Take a short detour and go wine tasting in Los Olivos. We loved the rad vibe at Carhart Winery.  You may also want to spend some time exploring Solvang, known for its Danish-inspired architecture featuring windmills.
• Or sign up for this wine tour that will take you to 4 different wineries in the Santa Ynez Valley.

For more touristy options near Santa Barbara, you can visit:

• The Santa Barbara Zoo,
• Mission Santa Barbara,
• Santa Barbara Courthouse,
• Santa Barbara Botanic Gardens,
• Check out one of the many museums,
• Or do what Santa Barbara is most known for, shopping at Paseo Nuevo or State Street.

If you choose to camp nearby, there are two great campgrounds just north of Santa Barbara, Gaviota and El Capitan State Beaches, that can be reserved here. Note that both of these fill up way in advance. For hotels in Santa Barbara, check here for the latest deals.

Other fun tours in Santa Barbara include:

• Downtown Santa Barbara Food Tour: Includes 7 different restaurants + 2 Wine Tasting Rooms
• Santa Ynez CUPCAKE + Wine Tasting: Wow! Imagine the sugar rush from that one 🙂 There’s also olive oil tasting and a visit to a lavender farm on this one.
• Santa Barbara Funk Zone Food and Photo Tour: A fun culinary and picture-taking tour in Santa Barbara that goes to three different local eateries, a microbrewery, two wineries, and a distillery in the city’s artsy Funk Zone.
• Surf Lessons. Enjoy an authentic day/morning in the life of a surfer with Uncle Micah.

6 | Pismo + San Luis Obispo

Between the giant dunes in Pismo and the rolling hills of San Luis Obispo, there are so many fun things you can do in this area.

We love stopping in Pismo and SLO. Here are some of our favorite things to do:

• Camp on the beach at Oceano Dunes.
• Or if you’d rather have some amenities, camp at North Beach State Campground, which still gives you quick access to fun in the sand and is right next door to another Monarch Butterfly Grove.
• Walk or fat tire bike Pismo Beach at low tide and explore the shops by the Pismo Pier.
• Check out the views or go sea kayaking at Dinosaur Caves Park.
• Rent a quad or buggy and go play at the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area.
• Surf or grab dinner while taking in the sunset at Avila Beach.
• Run or bike ride the scenic, 3-mile Bob Jones Trail.
• Soak those sore muscles in the Avila Hot Springs.
• Hike or Climb Bishop Peak. 
• Take your picture in downtown SLO at Bubblegum Alley.
• Sip on delicious coffee at Scout Coffee Co.
• Grab beer and burgers at SLO Brew.

Between Santa Barbara and Cambria, you may want to stop in Morro Bay for lunch at one of the many fish-and-chip restaurants along the bay.  Then, hit up The Brown Butter Cookie Co for dessert in Cayucos. 

7 | Cambria

Cambria is another cute coastal town that can be explored in just a few hours.

Be sure to explore Moonstone Beach, which is famous for its brightly polished stones.  In the town of Cambria there is a nice coffee shop, Cambria Coffee Roasting Co, or go beer tasting at Cambria Ale House.  

Just a few miles north of Cambria is the famous Hearst Castle and Piedras Blancas, home to a huge rookery of elephant seals. When you drive this section of highway, keep your eyes peeled for the herds of zebras roaming outside of Hearst Castle.

Cambria is a good place to spend the night so that you have a full day to drive up Highway 1 to Big Sur. We camped at San Simeon State Park and loved it.

On the way to Big Sur, stop at the beautiful crescent-shaped beach, Sand Dollar Beach, which is also a great surf break. There is also a campground here, Plaskett Creek, that is good for tents and small RVs.

8 | Big Sur

Just before you get to Big Sur is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.  This is where you want to stop to take the iconic picture of the McWay Waterfall.

Big Sur isn’t exactly a town; it’s more of an area, so you may not even realize you’ve reached Big Sur when you get there.

We usually grab coffee and pastries at Big Sur Bakery, and it’s fun to eat at the Big Sur Taphouse next door because they have a ton of board games to play while you enjoy your meal.

Big Sur is great for hiking, and there are 3 areas worth exploring.

1) Pfeiffer Big Sur (not to be confused with the Julia Pfeiffer Burns) has a few nice hikes. The one I recommend is called Buzzard’s Roost, which is 2.6 miles round trip and gains 800 feet.

2) Andrew Molera State Park is also a great stop and has a lot of trails overlooking the ocean and some that take you to private beaches.

3) Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, which has trails along the bluff and provides a good viewpoint for spotting wildlife.

We stay at Big Sur Campground and Cabins, but that’s because our RV is too long for Julia Pfeiffer campground.

On your way to Santa Cruz, spend a few hours in the fairytale town of Carmel-by-the-Sea and walk down to enjoy the gorgeous white sand beach. We also enjoyed spending one day in Monterey.

9 | Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz is an uber-popular surf town and famous for its boardwalk filled with rides, games, and food. The boardwalk is a little too pricey and chaotic for my taste; however, I think The Mystery Spot is one of the coolest places we’ve ever been to.

Just on the border of Santa Cruz is the oh-so-cute surf town of Capitola. It too is one of my favorite places ever.  I liked wine tasting at It’s Wine Tyme and picking up a delicious organic sourdough baguette at Gayle’s Bakery to go with the French cheese we had bought in Point Reyes.

If you surf, then Steamer Lane is a must.  Even if you don’t, it’s fun to watch the surfers and all the wildlife in the ocean here. You might also want to check out the surfing museum in Santa Cruz.

Driving just a few minutes out of the city of Santa Cruz will bring you to some beautiful hiking trails near Little or Big Basin Redwoods State Park.

There are 2 great camping options in Santa Cruz: Sea Cliffs State Park and New Brighton State Park. Or, if you are a Thousand Trails member, you can stay in nearby Scott’s Valley, where there are plenty of hiking and mountain biking options.

If you have time to spare on your drive towards San Francisco, make a pit stop to check out Half Moon Bay.  The coastline gets even wilder and I love how the state campground sits right on the edge of a beautiful stretch of sandy beach.

10 | Pacifica

I love the surf vibe in Pacifica, too, and how the backdrop of the forested mountains reminds me of the Basque region of Spain, especially Playa Rodiles.

There are so many cute restaurants here. I always stop in and grab a bottle of wine at Table Wine.

There are great mountain biking and hiking trails on the coast, and it’s usually a great place to learn to surf. You could easily spend a few days enjoying the nature and adventure here.

Pacifica is one of my favorite places to stay. There aren’t any campgrounds close by. If you are in an RV, you’ll probably want to stay at the San Francisco RV resort and use that as a jumping-off point for Pacifica and San Francisco.

11 | San Francisco

There is so much to explore in San Francisco, and it’s easy to hop on buses, trolleys, or just explore the city on foot. If you choose to brave the narrow streets of San Francisco with an RV, do so early and park down at the Embarcadero. It’s expensive but easy. Or park by the beach or Golden Gate Park and bus in.

Some of our favorite places in San Fran:

• Chinatown is a must. Go hungry and taste as much as you can.
• We also loved North Beach and foodies might love taking this culinary walking tour of North Beach.
• The coffee and desserts at Dandelion Chocolate is also top on our list. Try their amazing sipping chocolate or sign up for a San Francisco chocolate tour.
• I want to go back and take the kids on a tour of Alcatraz.
• Take in the views of the city from Coit Tower, which is included in most of the city tours
• Walk down Lombard Street.
• And bike or walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.
• Don’t forget to stop by Fisherman’s Wharf and Ghirardelli
• Finish the day with a sunset catamaran cruise.

There are many more rad tours and excursions you can do in San Francisco. For a full list, click here.

San Francisco is great for a day, but I love the area just north and west of San Francisco, Marin County. Check out the Marin County farmers market if you can, and go explore Mount Tamalpais, Muir Forest, Stinson, and Muir Beach.

12 | Point Reyes

Point Reyes National Seashore is a hidden gem. It’s filled with great hikes, like Tomales Point, that provide you with epic coastal views, and there are usually elk right along the trail. While hiking Tomales Point in Point Reyes, we were treated to an up-close encounter with a Coyote hunting

Numerous trails start from the Bear Valley visitor center in Olema, and if you head north past all the dairy farms, there are more great hikes down to the beach.

Just north of Point Reyes, stop at Tomales Bakery and grab delicious pastries to eat on the hike.

13 | Fun Stops On Highway 1 Before Mendocino

There is so much to do along Highway 1. We started by camping at Bodega Dunes Campground.

Fort Ross State Park is cool if you like learning about California’s history and the influence the Russian fur traders had in the area in the early 1800’s.  

Then it was a short hike to explore Bowling Ball Beach, where the kids loved climbing over all the large, round stones that line the shore.

Our last stop before arriving in Mendocino was the Point Arena Lighthouse, which reminded me of being in Ireland.

14 | Mendocino

Right before you arrive in Mendocino, you’ll reach Van Damme State Park. This was an awesome place for us to camp, and there were some great hikes right from the campground.

One thing you have to do in Mendocino is explore the Mendocino Headlands. The kids loved playing on the beach, and this would be a great spot to have a picnic or just relax and take in the scenery.  

Just 3 miles north of Mendocino is the jaw-droppingly beautiful redwood forest of Russian Gulch. I would’ve loved to camp here, but they only take RVs up to 24 feet, which means our RV couldn’t even park in the parking lot. Luckily, there is a pull-off on the south side of the bridge on Highway 1 where you can park and then take the trail by the headlands into the gulch.

I highly recommend doing the six-mile round-trip Fern Canyon trail hike to the 36-foot waterfall that is in the Russian Gulch. It’s an easy, mostly paved hike, with very little elevation gain (perfect for young kids who aren’t stoked to hike every day like our two youngest).

15 | Redwoods

Way up at the top of the California Coast is the famous California Redwoods. If you have the opportunity to visit this gorgeous forest, I highly encourage it. I know it’s a little out of the way to get here, but the forest just north of Eureka is beautiful.

My favorite part, though, is driving the Avenue of the Giants. This arrow-windy road weaves inches past the most enormous trees you’ve ever seen. There is some time to stop and admire the trees, take a hike, or have a picnic.

There is great camping at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

Score Cheap Flights + Car Rental

I hope that inspires you to go and explore the California Coast! California is one amazing state.  

Other Noteworthy California Destinations

If beautiful coastlines and cute surf towns aren’t your thing, head to the mountains and experience the incredible granite rock domes and gorgeous meadows in Yosemite Valley, explore the desert and scramble the giant boulders of Joshua Tree, or hike to waterfalls near Mount Shasta.

Related Blogs:

• Complete Guide to Surfing the California Coast
• 3 Epic Waterfalls in Northern California
• Big Sur Road Trip
• Weekend Guide to Tuolumne, Yosemite
• Outdoor Adventure Guide To San Diego
• Best Women’s Wetsuits

Got questions about hitting the road for an adventurous trip in California?  Let us know in the comments below!

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