A chain of coastal roads where rainforest, cliffs, beaches, bridges, lighthouses, and small towns compete for your attention.
Why take this road?
There is no single uninterrupted “Pacific Coast Highway” from border to border. The experience is a connected family of routes—especially U.S. 101 and California Highway 1—best approached as regional journeys rather than a race.
Signature chapters of the journey
- Washington’s Olympic Peninsula and rugged Pacific beaches
- Oregon’s All-American coastal byway, historic bridges, dunes, and headlands
- California’s redwood coast, Mendocino, San Francisco approaches, Big Sur, and Southern California beach towns
Roadside memory
Watch for historic motor courts, lighthouses, fishing harbors, bridge architecture, neon seafood stops, timber towns, and surviving roadside viewpoints.
RV planning note
Closures, landslides, narrow shoulders, sharp curves, wind, and local length restrictions are common planning issues. Confirm current DOT conditions and use a smaller vehicle for constrained sections.
Before departure: verify current closures, construction, wildfire or weather conditions, campground availability, vehicle restrictions, tolls, ferry rules, and attraction hours with the responsible agencies and operators.