Highlights and Tips America's West Coast (Highway 1 – 101) | Roadtrip USA (54)
We've been working on our ultimate tour across America and Canada for 8 months now and we're still dropping one surprise after another. From Canada , we made the crossing from Vancouver Island to Ljubljana with the Port Angeles ferry in the continental state of Washington, America . The bucket-list tour continues from here, starting with an 1,800-mile drive along Route 101 and Highway 1 along what many say is the most beautiful West Coast. roadtrippot of America and maybe even the world!
Our trip across the US and Canada
About Highway 1 / US Route 101
Before I go any further, I would like to clarify that Highway 1 is a very different road than most people think. Anyone who says Highway 1 thinks of the coastal road on the west coast of America , as shown in the image below.
However, this is not quite correct and below I will (try to) explain exactly how this works. It's a pretty confusing story. The "real" Highway 1 is the first north-south highway on the East Coast of America , as shown in the image below.
Tip : During the first months of our trip across the United States, we drove much of the 'real' Highway 1 along the East Coast. Read the ' Highlights of the US East Coast ' blog for more photos and information.
Why is there confusion about Highway 1?
So where does this confusion come from? It's a complicated story... For those interested: read the explanation below. If you are not interested, skip this chapter. No offense!
Why is the road called Highway 1
De US Route 101 of US Highway 101 is an American highway that runs along the West Coast of the United States through the states of Washington, Oregon and California. The road connects Los Angeles in Southern California with Olympia in Northwest Washington.
To a large extent, US Route 101 is therefore along the coast of the Pacific Ocean. The road thus covers almost the entire coast of Washington and Oregon. The exception to this is the section between Los Angeles and San Francisco, where California State Route 1 is a coastal road; 101 is usually several tens of kilometers from the coast on this stretch.
US Route 101 and Highway 1 overlap
The route to US Route 101 also overlaps with California State Route 1 several times , including between Oxnard and Gaviota and between Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. Also, the two roads share a section where they meet north of San Francisco over the Golden Gate Bridge .
In Southern California, US Route 101 is usually 101 (one-o-one). The California State Route 1 is what is "recognized" (by residents of California) as " Highway 1 ".
This is actually not true, but this is how the road was promoted in tourist magazines for decades. And with success, because it definitely caught on with people. This is still happening in 2022, so this confusion is likely to continue for some time.
How long is highway 1?
Highway 1 on the west coast of America (officially US Route 101/Highway 101) is 1,550 miles (about 2,500 km) from north to south and crosses three states (Washington State, Oregon, and California).
How long does it take to drive on Highway 1?
Anyone who drives continuously on the road at a hundred kilometers per hour would do no less than 25 hours without stops . However, this is impossible, as on many sections of highway 1, driving is only allowed at a speed of 25 km/h. The road twists and turns a lot in many places, and you will also be constantly driving through mountains.
I drove about 1,800 of the 2,500 miles total on Route 101/Highway 1 and it took me about a week. My average speed with our 4×4 motorhome was about 60 kilometers per hour. So this week I was behind the wheel for just under 30 hours! For a full 2,500 kilometers, it should take about 42 hours to drive at this speed.
Highlights: What to do and see on Highway 1
Highway 1 on America's west coast is truly fantastic to drive. There is so much to do and see along the way. From visiting state and national parks to simply endlessly meandering along the winding coastal road and staying overnight in the most epic wilderness camping sites you've ever seen. Below I tell you more about my personal top 10 things to see and do during a road trip on one of the most beautiful roads in the world.
1. Driving along the beach (with 4×4)
America is one of the few countries where you can still drive a car on the beach (in certain places) if you have a 4×4. If, like us, you have a 4×4 motorhome, then this opportunity is not to be missed!
Note : I have already driven our 4×4 Motorhome on the beach on Amelia Island , Florida, on the east coast of America. It was a lot of fun to do, so I went looking for a place to do it again!
One place where you can still hit the beach in your 4×4 is at Sunset Beach State Recreation Site in Washington State, northwest of Portland. It is a large, very wide and long beach. Below is a short video of my ride on the beach.
Tip : You can drive to the beach in three different places. Here , here one here . Before driving to the beach, always go spotting on foot; how fine and deep is the sand? Try to assess whether your 4×4 combination is capable of driving on loose sand before you plunge into the deep end.
Of course, the experience is not just a 'drive' on the beach. Take your time! Park your car or 4×4 camper like a true American right on the water to enjoy a wonderful day at the beach. Drink a beer, fire up the grill, take a dip and then take a saltwater shower. You have everything with you in the motorhome, so make the most of it!
Tip : wash your car well after driving on the beach. Spray well, especially the bottom! Salty sand and water are bad for your vehicle's undercarriage. The nearest car wash can be found here .
2. Experience epic sunsets
Because the sun always sets in the west, you have endless beautiful sunsets on the west coast of America. A roadtrip across Highway 1 / Route 101 along the coast is therefore the perfect way to watch the sun sink into the sea again and again. Several evenings in a row I chose a nice spot for this natural spectacle.
I parked the motorhome high up on a steep cliff, with the sea roaring below me or right on the beach. Every day I welcomed the last rays of the sun with open arms.
Note : It might sound silly, but I felt so damn good every time after sunset. Whether this had something to do with the serenity I experienced, or whether the colors on the horizon had anything to do with it, I dare not say. I know those were moments I will never forget.
It really doesn't matter where you go during your roadtrip stop to watch the sunset, everywhere is equally beautiful. A simple extract, as they call it here, is often good enough. There are literally thousands of pull-offs along the coast on Highway 1/Route 101 where you can stop for a while.
3. Whale watching
Did you know that huge numbers of whales migrate along the west coast of America? Now you have! Humpback whales, gray whales, and even killer whales can be seen off the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California almost year-round.
I saw whales in several places. They even woke me up once! (see chapter on wild camping). Sometimes the whales are really close to shore, but most of the time they are a little further away. They are generally easier to see than to capture in a photo. They usually only appear for a short time and you will need good timing and a high zoom on your camera to get a good picture!
Tip : Get comfortable and watch some whales off the west coast of America. Look forward to the sea. Look for white plumes that seem to pop out of the water. these clouds are caused by the exhalation of whales. Often, after viewing the plumage, a beautiful tail appears at the back. It's like fishing: Be patient!
4. Drive among the giant sequoias
Southern California redwoods may be the world's thickest and tallest trees by volume, but Northern California is home to the world's tallest trees; giant sequoias. US Route 101 passes through the ' Redwood National and State Parks ', a collection of natural parks that are protected at both the state and national levels.
You don't even have to leave the 101 to see the Giant Sequoias, but it's definitely worth turning off the main road and taking the scenic route to see them up close. The Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway (see the arrow on the map above or click here to open the location on Google Maps) is a good option for this.
If you've never seen a sequoia up close, you really can't imagine how gigantic they are. In the photo above, the sequoias are still relatively young and about 60 meters tall. Do you want to see the biggest giant sequoias? Then you can go on short walks to these trees. The most famous trees to see on the Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway are:
- Corkscrew Tree : twisted tree (location here ).
- Big Tree Wayside : 1500 year old tree (location here ).
- Atlas Grove : several large redwoods close together (location here ).
Or, if your vehicle can handle it, you can hit the Cal Barrel Road for a bit . Do you have a 4×4 and is this road open? Then I can absolutely recommend it! It's wet and slippery. Sometimes narrow, steep and full of large caves and rocks.
Still, the trip is absolutely worth it. The photos speak for themselves! I'm Cal Barrel Road below with Wereldreizigers.nl 4×4 motorhome among giant redwoods 100+ meters tall. Bizarre!
Watch out : Cal Barrel Road (off-road trail) usually closed in winter .
5. Experience the mists and wild seas
Especially in the morning and afternoon, it regularly happened that huge fogs suddenly piled up over the mountains or the fog suddenly rose from the sea to the land.
Sometimes the fog disappeared as quickly as it came. One moment you're basking in the sun, and the next you can barely see 50 meters in front of you. Very unusual... I experienced this just south of Ecola State Park (Location here ), which I will talk more about below.
It's amazing to see how quickly this can change the whole experience of driving along this beautiful coastal road. From grey, dark and depressing you sometimes return to sunshine, warmth and colors in a few minutes. All this while the great ocean crashes violently against the beaches and rocks.
Example : The 4 photos below were taken over about 30 minutes of leisurely driving along the winding Highway 1/Route 101 coastal road, stopping regularly at lookouts. It gives a good idea of how quickly the weather (and color) can change here.
The fog and clouds were moving rapidly towards the sea. Suddenly, some color seems to come alive again and I take the photo below in the north direction from where I came.
But what I saw 5 minutes later (looking south), I couldn't believe it. Suddenly I saw the end point of the thick fog going towards the sea. It was an unusual sight. It was still gray and dark under the thick fog at sea, and the sun was shining on the coast from the east. What a contrast!
I went from dark and depressed to sunny and colorful in about 30 minutes. When I first saw this, I thought it was an exception. However, I experienced it several times in the following days.
It is a natural phenomenon that is completely normal in our country. You can see this regularly on the northern part of the Coastal Road in Washington and Oregon. It also occurs regularly in the northern part of California, up to and including San Francisco.
6. Mark hundreds of vantage points
I drove a total of 1800 miles up the west coast of America and stopped maybe 200 times to enjoy the view. Behind every mountain and around every corner it was a surprise what you could see. Beautiful views one after another!
From gigantic long and beautiful beaches to mountain peaks and rocks rising out of the sea out of nowhere to clear blue skies and fog. Here, no two photos are alike.
I soon realized why this is called the most beautiful roadtrip route in America . It is a truly unique route that winds for thousands of kilometers along the Pacific Ocean.
Highway 1 / Route 101 completely stole my heart. I could be entertained here for weeks without getting tired of it. I used to drive for hours when my body was actually already tired from driving in the RV. Also, this car is really manageable on twisty roads!
Still, I couldn't stop. I wanted to move on. Each time I wanted to know what to see around the next bend as the sun slowly reached the golden hour before sunset, turning the coast orange and red. fantastic!
7. Stargazing (gazing at galaxies!)
At Devonte Lookout (Location here ), a vantage point half an hour north of Fort Bragg, California, the sky was so incredibly clear that I could see the Milky Way before it got dark. It was crazy! So right after sunset I grabbed my camera and started taking pictures.
After it got really dark, I took a few more pictures. Devonte Lookout is very remote, far from civilization. I immediately decided to stay here for the night. There is literally 0.0 light pollution here and I wanted to take advantage of that on this beautiful day.
There was no moon this evening and the weather was remarkably clear. I just couldn't believe what I saw when I looked up. I have never seen such a crystal clear galaxy with the naked eye before. I was trying to get a nice picture of the fat tire with the stars behind me and the RV and it hit the spot!
While I was quietly drinking a Hazy IPA in the RV and staring at the starry sky ahead, I saw twenty shooting stars. They were so easy to see here! But the heavens were far from done with their treats this evening. About an hour later, the center of our solar system emerged from the sea.
Tip : Yes, just like the sun and moon rise and set, so does the galaxy! I use the free app star walk 2 (Download here ) to know where to find specific stars or planets.
I couldn't believe my eyes again. Dense star clusters and large clouds of stardust with hues of yellow, purple and blue were visible to the naked eye. I decided to pick up my Fuji X-T4 camera again.
I tried a few different settings on the Fuji X-T4 to get a good picture of both the stars and the RV. I just did something, tweaked some settings and tried again. After a few failed photos, I figured out what worked and what didn't, with the following result.
Tip : The images below show the settings I used to photograph the starry sky if you want to try it yourself.
Although I really enjoyed what I saw in front of me, I also began to realize that in 2022 such a starry sky will simply not be visible anymore due to light pollution .
It's such a shame that light pollution took away our view of this beautiful starry sky. you don't see such a starry sky in the Netherlands anymore. Never again . That's why I feel lucky that this overlapping 'experience in North America occasionally takes me to really uninhabited places without light pollution. I cherish these moments.
Sometimes you don't know what you've lost until you see it again. It was definitely one of those moments when I realized it. So I decided to have another beer and stay awake longer. Just to enjoy the starry sky in front of me and the sound of the waves below me.
8. Admire the Golden Gate Bridge
Of course, you shouldn't miss a visit to the Golden Gate Bridge on this trip. Highway 1 and Route 101 literally merge here to cross this famous bridge into downtown San Francisco.
Tip : From Battery Spencer (an old fort, location here ), you have a great view of both the bridge and the city.
I spent the night 'secretly' in the Spencer Battery parking lot so I could enjoy the sunrise in the morning. All night there were people driving up and down here, mostly young people, drinking something, so unfortunately it wasn't exactly a peaceful night.
A few 'parkers' drove by and left the young people and me alone. Overnight stays were apparently tolerated here. There were two other vans in the parking lot that did the same thing as me and the parking attendants left them alone.
The next morning, I got out of bed at 06. As usual, I made a cup of coffee from the water of the EcoFlow power plant in the motorhome and walked back to the viewpoint with coffee and camera bag in hand. Fifteen minutes before sunrise, the horizon turned into a rainbow. Wow!
But I wasn't the only one with this idea. It was 06:00 on a Saturday morning, but it was already quite busy. Many people come here to watch the sunrise over San Francisco. It was so beautiful this morning that I also took the drone into the air to take a panoramic picture of the Golden Gate Bridge with the city behind.
9. Wild camping in epic places
Of the entire American West Coast experience, this is my favorite: wild camping in epic locations . During my road trip I stopped at some fantastic wild camping spots along the west coast of America. All right on highway 1/101 and just a few steps from the sea. Everyone is beautiful in their own way.
Below is a selection of my favorite wild camping spots on America's West Coast, including their respective locations or coordinates via Google Maps so you can find them quickly and easily. you can save for your own use . Use it to your advantage!
Location Name : Devonte Lookout, Northern California.
Google Maps link : Click here .
The most beautiful wild camp I have been to. Here I saw many whales in the distance as the wild sea crashed against the rocks below me. It is very remote and therefore there is no polluted air. Except for the raging sea, you can't hear anything here at night. This is the location where I also took wonderful night photos of the starry sky. There is room for several motorhomes. Towards evening, two more 'overnighters' came and stood next to me.
Location Name : Coastal Highway 1, 3 hours north of San Francisco
Coordinates : 38°29'20.6″N 123°11'31.4″W
google map link : Click here .
This location is on a slightly busier road in California at about 100 meters above sea level. It's an easy haul, but the view here is truly fantastic. You are looking at a winding road with a wild sea below you. There is room for several motorhomes.
Location name : Port Orford Visitor's Center, Oregon
Coordinates : 42°44'35.8″N 124°29'32.9″W
google map link : Click here .
This place is close to where you can shop or go out for dinner. What makes this place so beautiful is the beautiful large beach directly below it. In the morning I took a lovely morning walk here and drank coffee on a bench while the clouds rolled over the mountains.
Location Name : Boiler Bay State Viewpoint, Oregon
google map link : Click here .
This is a large parking lot / rest area / lookout point where you can stand directly next to the sea. This was the place where I woke up to the sound of whales in the morning! PSSHHH!!
I opened the bedside window and immediately saw whales less than 50 meters away. According to my overnight neighbor (a local), whales can be seen here all year round, close to the coast. Unfortunately, I was unable to take a decent picture in the morning due to the thick fog. Let's hope you have better luck!
Location name : Silver Point Interpretive Overlook, Washington
google map link : Click here .
Another viewpoint where I decided to spend the night. Here you have a nice view both to the north and to the south. With a huge beach on your doorstep (see how small the people are?), it's also a great place for a beach walk.
10. Keep calm and enjoy!
Finally: What is perhaps most important during the ultimate road trip along America's west coast is to remember to enjoy yourself. That's easier said than done, especially if you're the one behind the wheel. Then your eyes are fixed on the road and not on the beautiful view.
So take it slow. It is not an easy road to travel. You're really constantly steering and you're constantly going up or down.
Stop often. Take plenty of breaks. Stay longer if you are in a nice place. Highway 1 and Highway 101 have hundreds, maybe thousands, of drop-offs, lookouts and parking lots where you can stop and even sleep. Stop in time every day to watch the sun sink into the sea. Treat yourself to moments of enjoyment!
Why not Big Sur?
Many of you may be wondering why we don't see anything here from the stretch of Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles? This must be a very beautiful section, perhaps the most beautiful section of Highway 1 along the California coast.
Mainly Big Sur (Location here ) is a huge must-see attraction, they say. Maybe that's true, but I just didn't feel like it anymore!
The reason is this: I thought the 1 freeway was just too busy between San Francisco and Los Angeles. In addition, wild camping along the entire stretch of the Coastal Road is prohibited and fines are regularly handed out. I saw ' No Overnight Parking ' everywhere and on iOverlander all the wild camping sites were greyed out with 'permanently closed'.
I didn't like looking for campsites. At first they were very expensive ($70-90 a night) and that completely missed my mark...I REALLY wanted to spend the night in epic, remote places. That's why I'm here!
I want to be right next to the sea, while I can enjoy a beer at sunset in peace. I don't want to be lined up in a campground among 50 RVs with full hookups. It was not. So I decided to end my west coast journey at Highway 1 and Route 101 here before I even got to Big Sur.
Conclusion
If you're talking about roadtrips that belong on your list , then the West Coast of America at the end of Highway 1 en Route 101 through Washington, Oregon and California is perhaps the most ultimate you can imagine.
2,500 kilometers along rugged coasts, mountains and forests. A wild sea crashing against the rocks. Mists, migrating whales, hundreds of vantage points and epic views. In addition, you will find wild camps in sparsely populated areas that are extremely remote and so extremely beautiful that you will hardly believe they exist. All along one and the same coastal road.
De roadtrip route along the American West Coast on Highway 1 and Route 101 does something for you. It even made me a little upset at times. Sometimes you spend hours navigating endless winding roads that never end, hoping for a place to rest.
This time I used to daydream with the feeling and realization of how incredibly beautiful the world can be. The whole experience really made me feel human again.
A beautiful new view around every corner. Waking up to whales blowing which I could hear and see right outside the RV. I enjoyed another sunset while pelicans flew overhead. Here I saw the most intense starry sky of my life.
I really experienced Highway 1 and Route 101 on the West Coast of America and what they say is true: it is definitely one of the most beautiful roads in the world. I consider myself lucky to be able to cover 1,800 kilometers of this ultimate road trip. An experience you will never forget!
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