Travel Planning A California Road Trip Along The Coast With Teenagers

As a lover of road trips, driving a section of the Pacific Coast Highway California, from Los Angeles to San Francisco, or vice versa, was towards the top of my list. Whilst you can drive between these two cities in just 5.5 hours on the Interstate 1-5, this option bypasses everything which is wonderful about a longer drive along the coastal route, such as the wildlife, natural beauty of the coastline and the glistening blue Pacific Ocean. Although this California road trip is a very well-travelled route, it is a real winner with adults and teenagers alike, and did not disappoint.

***January 2025 – Los Angeles and the surrounding area has been severely affected by devastating wildfires and so please check for updates before deciding to visit. My thoughts are with those who have been affected by this disaster***.

Why go on a California road trip with teenagers?

When we first suggested the idea of a California road trip to the kids, teenagers at the time, they seemed most excited about spending time in the cities – Los Angeles and San Francisco – probably because of having seen them in the movies, and the association with Hollywood.

That said, once we started looking at where to stop along Pacific Coast Highway, we quickly realised that there were many more elements for the teenagers to get excited about, such as, spotting sea otters and sea lions, walking in the magnificent trees of the Big Sur and driving dune buggies on the beach.

A classic California road trip along the coast can offer the perfect vacation sandwich for a road trip with teenagers – a big slice of nature and wildlife, sandwiched between two iconic cities!

When should you go on a California road trip with teenagers?

If you’re travelling with teenagers, then the chances are that they are still at school. In which case you will most likely be looking to make the trip in the school holidays.

Although you will have more time in the school Summer holidays for a longer trip, I understand that the route can get very busy in the summer months, and because the roads are single lane in parts, the traffic can be heavy along the route.

We took our coastal California road trip during the UK school Easter holidays and enjoyed clear sunny days on each day of our trip, with a jumper or sweatshirt required for the evenings.

How long do you need for a California road trip with teenagers?

We were limited to 10 days for our California road trip with teenagers – this fit in a two-week school holiday and allowed time for the long-haul travel to and from the UK.

If we had been able to take a three week trip, then we would have circled back to our entry airport via the inland route, visiting Sequoia National Park and Yosemite National Park along the way.

Good to know before booking your California road trip along the coast

Here are some things to be aware of before booking your California road trip along the coast:

• North to South – they say that it is best to drive from north to south along the Pacific Coast Highway, so from San Francisco to Los Angeles.  This is so that you are driving on the side of the road closest to the ocean, with uninterrupted views of the beaches and the water.  Unfortunately, we couldn’t get our flights to work this way round, so drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco, south to north, but it was still stunning!
• California State Route 1 – the Pacific Coast Highway is just one section of the California State Route 1 which is 656 miles (1,056 km) long, running from Leggett in the north to Dana Point in the South.   
• Distance of this route – the drive between Los Angeles and San Francisco is 460 miles.
• Road closures – you should check for road closures along the route before setting off as it is not unusual for the roads, particularly around Big Sur, to close for maintenance and renovation after landslides, or wildfires along the route.  If this is the case, you might need to work around certain sections.
• Road options – we drove most of our journey on two roads
  • Highway 1 – from Venice Beach to just north of Santa Barbara, and from Morro Bay to Santa Cruz.
  • Highway 101 – from just north of Santa Barbara to just north of Pismo Beach.
    • Should coastal Highway 1 through Big Sur be closed, then you will likely be rerouted on the more inland Highway 101.

Where should you stop on your California road trip along the coast with teenagers?

Where you decide to stop really depends on how much time you have for your trip and what you want to see. There are so many different options for this trip, which is one of the great things about planning a road trip along the coast in California. I know several people who have undertaken a California road trip, and we all seem to have taken slightly different routes and overnight stops.

The route for our California road trip along the coast with teenagers was as follows:

• Los Angeles – 3 nights at the start 
  • Pitstops at Paradise Cove Beach, Malibu, and the Danish town of Solvang
• Pismo Beach – 1 night 
  • Ride dune buggies on the beach at Oceano Dunes
  • Spot sea otters in Morro Bay and Elephant Seals at San Simeon
• Big Sur – 1 night
  • Walk in the trees of Pfeiffer Falls State Park 
  • Find purple sand on Pfeiffer Falls Beach
  • Visit Carmel-by-the-Sea and take the Pebble Beach 17-mile scenic drive
• Monterey – 1 night 
  • Pitstops at the Elkhorn Slough Estuary, and Santa Cruz
• Healdsburg – 1 night
  • Visit a winery in the Sonoma region
  • Pitstop at Muir Woods National Park Monument
• San Francisco – 3 nights at the end.

As there are so many options for stops along the way, you won’t be able to see everything. For example, we reluctantly bypassed Santa Barbara on this trip as we thought the teenagers would prefer to see other things, but would like to visit Santa Barbara and the Channel Islands another time.

What accommodation should you book for your California road trip?

Whilst we usually love an AirBnB when we travel with the kids, we ended up only booking hotels on our California road trip, including several hotels from the IHG Hotel chain because we are members of their Loyalty Scheme – Kimpton Everly in Los Angeles, Kimpton Alton Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco, InterContinental Monterey.

Other hotels booked for our trip included: Big Sur Lodge, Vespera Resort Pismo Beach (Marriott), and the Trio Hotel in Healdsburg, Sonoma.

Note – be aware of hidden taxes in some parts of California. When we checked out of our San Francisco hotel, we were taken aback by the long list of additional costs added to our bill under the name of taxes, for example, city tax, state tax, tax for the hotel being in the Fisherman’s Wharf area.

Flights, car rental and essential documentation

Flights to California

There are lots of flight options for Los Angeles and San Francisco as these are popular flight routes, so you should easily be able to find something to suit your travel dates and budget. We booked two one-way flights with British Airways from:

• London Heathrow to Los Angeles, and
• San Francisco to London Heathrow. 

Car Rental and driving documentation

If you book your flights through British Airways, and book your hire care at the same time, then it counts as a BA Holiday and gives you good reward points with the BA Loyalty Scheme, which is what we did.

The period of our car rental started on the day we left Los Angeles and finished on the day we arrived in San Francisco, as we didn’t need the car whilst we were staying in the cities. We then paid for taxis and public transport with the money we’d saved on the days without our rental car.

Don’t forget to pack your driving licence and to have it on your person each time you drive the hire car in the States as this is a legal requirement.

Passports and ESTAs (visa waiver)

Before booking your California road trip, check the entry requirements for the USA related to your nationality and the length of your stay. Also make sure there is enough time left to run on your passport before it expires, in line with entry requirements.

In some cases of short-term travel, an exemption might be in place allowing you to buy a visa waiver. As a British Citizen travelling with a current valid passport, on a short trip to the USA, we each needed to buy an ESTA (visa waiver) on-line before travelling. They came through within hours, but I would advise not leaving it until the last minute, just in case of any processing delays.

Travel Insurance

Taking out good travel insurance which covers you well in case of accident or injury on your trip, to ensure that you can access the health system in the United States if needed.

Driving in California

What were the roads like on the Pacific Coast Highway?

We enjoyed driving on the Pacific Coast Highway and California State Route 1. The hardest section of the journey was driving on the steep, windy roads of the Big Sur when you need to be extra careful, and not get distracted by the spectacular views and dramatic drops by the side of the road.

Potential driving hazards

Landslides – we found the roads to be in good condition when we visited, with no sign of landslides or disruption on the route, however you should check the route conditions for the Pacific Coast Highway before setting off.

Wildfires – there is a real risk of wildfires, which can come down as far as the ocean road in places, so make sure that you keep your eye on the news before travelling, and whilst you are in California in case of evacuation requirements or road closures due to fire. This applies year-round and not just in the hot summer months.

Other drivers – as in your own country, there is always the risk from other drivers on the roads, so be extra vigilant and take your time, making sure that you know the rules of the road in the country you are visiting.

Drugs / Crime / Homelessness

Unfortunately, one of the downsides to visiting California currently is the scale of the homelessness crisis in the State. Homelessness was very visible in Los Angeles, with tents erected under bridges and in particular areas of the city, such as, Venice Beach. We saw less homelessness in San Francisco, but probably because we avoided certain areas of the city, such as, the Tenderloin.

It is upsetting to see the scale of the homeless issue in the States, and also evidence of hard drug use on the streets. Whilst nothing untoward happened to us in either city, it is something which you should prepare yourself, and your teenagers, for. It made us more careful about exploring at night.

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