Originally Posted by abmj-jr

You intend to drive all the way from SF to Las Vegas, by way of the coastal route, in one day? Are you some kind of masochist?

If you must do this and only want to see the coast for a bit, I'd suggest taking 101/1 south to Santa Cruz and then cut east on SR 152 to Los Banos. The drive along Highway 1 around Half Moon Bay is pretty and Santa Cruz is a quirky seaside town that should satisfy your desire for an experience. Highway 152 takes you over the mountains to the Central Valley and intersects I-5 just before Los Banos. From there, it is a straight, fast but dull shot all the way to Bakersfield, where you would leave I-5 to head up and over Tehachapi Pass and on to Las Vegas.

I hope you will have someone to spell you in the driving. From Los Banos all the way to Las Vegas is a sleep inducing bore of a drive and will seem to take forever.

Originally Posted by Lost

The view is most spectacular (seriously world famous) between Monterey and Cambria so if this is a once in a lifetime trip then I would recommend that section. But you're right: it is a pretty slow drive.

The view down the peninsula (through Half Moon Bay) is also good, but the highway goes back and forth between the coast and a mile inland. I wouldn't recommend using 92 to go back into the bay area as that will put you back into traffic. Taking it down to Watsonville would be better.

Here's a couple suggested routes:

-For the world famous part south of Monterey:

I280 out of San Francisco, CA17 to Santa Cruz, CA1 all the way to Cambria, then CA46 east to CA99 south to Bakersfield, then CA58 east to I15 north.

-For the section through Half Moon Bay:

I280 to CA1 in SF, CA1 to Moss Landing, CA183 to Salinas, US101 to Paso Robles, then CA46 east and continue to Vegas on the same route as above.

Another option would be to take 101 all the way to LA. It has a nice coastal section near Santa Barbara.

Plan on all 3 of these routes taking 14-16 hours.