Alex71

Thank you for your post, this closure will also impact our plans for the summer. How interesting is Highway 1 between the intersection with Highway 46 and Morrow bay, where it curves away from the ocean anyway? Is it worth the detour vs. staying on 101?

TWA884

PCH between Cambria and Morro Bay is more scenic and pleasant than US 101, however, that part of CA SR 1 is nowhere nearly as interesting as the spectacular section between Big Sur and San Simeon.

The_Bouncer

It sounds like this closure cuts out the best section of road. To be honest, I am seriously considering abandoning my plans to drive Highway 1 this year, and coming back in a couple of years when the bridge is replaced.

This leaves me with a dilemma. I am spending some time with friends in Wisconsin, before the following planned itinerary:

12/04: Fly ORD-SFO (Avios redemption - easily cancelled/changed)

11 days driving to SAN

3 days in SAN

12/18: Fly SAN-ZRH (part of cheap DOJ from Europe - not so easy to change.

So basically, I have 11 days to get from Wisconsin to San Diego.

It's not long enough to do Route 66 in the kind of depth that I would want to, but I could do part of the route - maybe Chicago to Albuquerque, then fly to SAN.

Alternatively, fly to somewhere like DFW and drive across to SAN?

I already covered highlights like the Grand Canyon and Vegas on a 30-day road trip last fall.

abmj-jr

If you want to see and drive some really spectacular coastline, take a look at flying into Portland (PDX) then driving over to the coast and down the Oregon and Northern California coastal route. You could take several days doing that and then fly SFO-SAN.

I did that drive a few years ago and got a ton of great photos.

The Oregon coast is a close second to the PCH for beauty.

CDTraveler

If you're looking for spectacular scenery, California has a lot more than just Hwy 1 to offer.

If your endpoints are SFO and SAN and you have 11 days:

1. start by heading north of San Francisco, to Marin County and maybe as far as Eureka
2. see some of the coastal redwood parks
3. take Hwy 299 inland, turn north and spend a day on Mount Shasta
4. Head southeast to Burney Falls, just right for a hike and a picnic
5. from Burney head south to Mount Lassen, an active volcano and great National Park
6. Head down Hwy 5, which is a more authentic California drvining experience than Hwy 1 - go less than 80 mph and you may get run off the road
7. Next you have a choice of 4 amazing National Parks: Yosemit, Sequoia, Kings Canyon and Death Valley
8. alternatively, head west and cut over to the coast to see Morro Bay, Pismo Beach, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara

Then you just have to decide how much time to allocate to get through the great traffic jam known as Los Angeles en route to San Diego.

The_Bouncer

Both of these suggestions sound great. Thanks for this.

My end point is San Diego - that us fixed. But my start point does not have to be SFO. My flights are:

Open-jaw STR-ORD//SAN-ZRH, plus:
One-way Avios award ORD-SFO.

The Avios award can easily be switch to PDX, SEA, LAX, or anywhere else. I'm travelling alone, so I can be pretty flexible.

I did a wonderful road trip last fall from SFO, via Yosemite, Death Valley, Vegas, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Grand Canyon, Phoenix and Tucson, and it was fabulous.

I'm sure I'll get another good road trip out of this one. I quite like the look of the PDX-SFO route. What's this route like in December?

But then I quite like the look of Sequoia too.

Either way, this definitely won't be my last road trip in this part of the world.

MADPhil

The Oregon coast is great and, if you don't meet up with a storm, shouldn't be too bad in December. Inland and high up can be dodgy. You might consider flying to Seattle and taking the train south (with padding for delays). Unfortunately some of the best scenery is at night, which will be long at this time of year, but you get some good bits of coast near LA.

You could break the journey in SJC and drive as far south as you can as a round trip, there are rental locations within walking distance of the SJC station. We spent an interesting few days in downtown LA last year so you could also break there. There are hotels within walking distance of the station and public transit is quite serviceable. Then finish the trip by train, which is a pretty good ride.

dhuey

What others said. The closed parts are incredibly scenic, but there is still all sorts of gorgeous scenery open on the California and Oregon coast.

The_Bouncer

I have done some research on the Oregon coast today, and I'm pretty sold on it. I'm thinking now I will switch my Avios flight to PDX and start from there. Then I'll meander slowly dow the coast to SFO and either fly down to SAN or drive express with a short stop in maybe Santa Barbara. The daylight train journey from SJC is also an option, although last time I took an Amtrak journey I was climbing the walls wanting a cigarette.

Then I can leave the SFO-LAX section of coastline to enjoy on a separate trip when the works are completed.

MADPhil

If you decide to use the train then you would get the best scenery in daylight on the Pacific Surfliner out of San Luis Obispo to San Diego. Assuming that you can drop a car there or do an overnight stop between trains. The smoking problem will still be there though! A stopover in Santa Barbara might help.

The_Bouncer

Thanks MADPhil. It looks like a nice journey, but I've more or less decided to drive all the way now. I have 3 days in San Diego at the end of the tour, and I'm guessing I'll want to have a car there.

I've managed to do a lot of research today. Being stuck in apartment on an island in the Adriatic on a rainy Friday afternoon helps!

MADPhil

You are welcome! The advantage of the train is that you see some coast where there is no road, but the Oregon and N. California coast is very scenic too. If you like that sort of thing there are some excellent wineries south of Portland and the aviation museum in McMinnville for a rainy day!

The_Bouncer

I do like the look of the train, but looking at the schedules, it seems like there would be a lot of messing around with having to plan overnight stops, etc, as well as turning in one car in Santa Barbara and renting another in San Diego.

I'll probably just push on in the car and visit a couple of national parks on the way through California.

I love wine too, although the wineries might be a bit dodgy as a solo driver! Maybe I could pick up a few bottles to enjoy in the evenings, when the car is safely parked.

As for Oregon, should I book any accommodation in advance, or just wing it? Right now, I'm leaning towards winging it. I'm not fussy - I'm perfectly happy at EconoLodges, etc.

darthbimmer

Same deal as California's Central Coast, I'd say. December is off season (it's rainy and cold), so choosing a hotel on short notice shouldn't be too hard. For Fri/Sat nights you may want to book a little in advance just in case weekenders fill places up.

dhuey

Reservations aren't a bad idea, but in the current situation, it's probably vacancies galore, up and down the coast.