By Matt Meltzer for Thrillist
The Most Underrated Stops Along the Pacific Coast Highway
Wine, ocean views, and wildlife on America’s most beautiful coastal drive.
Plenty of things have happened during the past year to convince us we’ve entered some kind of bizarro, Matrix-adjacent simulation. But one of the strangest occurrences? Road repairs in California finishing ahead of schedule.
After the Pacific Coast Highway saw a series of unfortunate road closures this winter, it somehow got fixed two months ahead of schedule and reopened on April 30—conveniently, just in time for road trip season.
Now you’re probably ready and raring to embark on America’s most beautiful coastal road trip—but we guarantee you’re not the only one with that idea. Luckily, while slow-moving cars are unavoidable, crowded wineries, parks, and otter-filled pit stops don’t have to be.
Pick up a rental car from LA, roll back the sunroof, and get ready to enjoy these less-traveled PCH highlights—all of which are just as fantastic as the world-famous ones.
The Luffa Farm
Nipomo
Moving out of the valley and back towards the coast, you’ll pass through the town of Nipomo. If you’ve ever wondered where loofah sponges come from—or, for that matter, what they actually are—here’s where you’ll find your answer. At the Luffa Farm, among colorful signs and mismatched sculptures, you’ll find one of the world’s largest producers of the luffa plant, which grows on vines—not near the ocean, despite its resemblance to coral.
Point San Luis Lighthouse
Avila
After filling your brain with invaluable sponge knowledge, it’s time to fill your lungs with some salty sea air. Less than half an hour up the 101 is the calming seaside town of Avila Beach. Venture past the main beach to the marina and Avila Beach Paddlesports, where you can rent a kayak and explore the bay. You’ll paddle past adorable sea otters and slightly-less-adorable elephant seals sunning themselves on makeshift docks. Paddle for about 30 minutes, and dock on the rocky beach at the base of the Point San Luis Lighthouse, the last Prairie Victorian lighthouse left on the West Coast. Take a 15-minute trek up the cliffs and you’ll be treated to views as picturesque as the lighthouse.
Oceanpoint Ranch
Cambria
Meandering back up the coast, take in stunning views of the Pacific Ocean as you descend from the hills of San Luis Obispo down into Morro Bay. Continue along to the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery, which you’ll smell before you see. Along the beach, hundreds of blubbery, belching elephant seals relax on the sand while you stand closer to them than you can at any other publicly-accessible rookery in the world.
Assuming your legs have gotten a little stiff along the drive, head through town to the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve. This 437-acre park is crisscrossed by smooth, easy trails, all of which offer panoramic views of the ocean and the hills beyond. You can even take a class with Tula Yoga, a nice way to decompress that doesn’t involve a tannin hangover.
Once you’re good and rejuvenated, head to Downtown Cambria, a welcoming mix of small restaurants and local bars. The best among them is Robin’s, where Indian, North African, Asian, and Californian cuisine are served in an indoor-outdoor garden. Forego dessert and grab a slice of Olallieberry pie at Linn’s, instead. It’s kind of like a cross between raspberry and blueberry—and even if you don’t like either fruit, the small-town café atmosphere is worth the cost of the slice.
Cambria has no shortage of waterfront lodges, but the one you’ll want to call home is Oceanpoint Ranch. The sprawling, eight-acre ranch sits right on Moonstone Beach and offers rooms with fireplaces and s’mores for their guests. You can also roast your dessert at the outdoor fire pits right off the parking lot, where you’ll be especially popular with fellow travelers if you show up with a local wine you grabbed at the front desk.
Nitt Witt Ridge
Cambria
Traverse the windy streets of Cambria and you’ll pass what looks like a ramshackle Bourbon Street hotel set atop the lost city of Atlantis. This is Nit Wit Ridge, the former home of local garbage collector-slash-artist-slash-recluse Art Beal, who fashioned his hillside estate out of…well, a bunch of stuff. The odd home is constructed from beer cans, shells, tires, and rocks, along with some objects Beal allegedly lifted from his other job as a tour guide at Hearst Castle. Daily tours of “The Poor Man’s Hearst Castle” are run by Mike O’Malley, the property’s current owner, who’s nearly as eccentric as the man who built the place. If this seems like the kind of tour you’d want a beer for, stop at 927 Beer Company at the bottom of the hill before you go.
Hearst Ranch Tasting Room
San Simeon
Heading out of Cambria, nobody’s going to blame you if you want to tour Hearst Castle. But if the crowds and dusty tour bus rides leave you a little bit frazzled, San Simeon has just the place to decompress: the Hearst Ranch Tasting Room, where you’ll taste wine with a front-row view of the Pacific.
The road to Big Sur
Big Sur is certainly a tourist focal point of the Pacific Coast Highway, thanks to Instagram-friendly Bixby Bridge and postcard hikes in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. But, heading into the less-traveled and similarly-named Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park can be just as magical. You’ll be dwarfed by towering redwoods for miles, with far fewer people around than you’d encounter visiting them in their namesake national park.
If you want a drink with a view, avoid the masses at Nepenthe and instead kick back at Coast Big Sur, a combination art gallery and restaurant fashioned out of old redwood water tanks along the side of the highway. The sunny rooftop is magnetic, and you’ll find yourself savoring the craft beer you bought downstairs for a lot longer than you meant to.
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