“California Regions – the last leg of your journey. From the desert and the mountains to the sea. Ending In Santa Monica at the Pier. It’s all there if you dare!”
And, when standing at the end of the pier you look at the beaches to your left and right, you realize your next road trip adventure calls you with its siren song.
You want rugged?
Check.
You want mysterious deserts?
Check.
You want Redwood coastal wilderness?
Check.
In California the travel regions vary greatly, ranging from the rugged interior mountains to the harsh southern desert to the forested northern coastal regions.
California’s 10 travel regions are broken down into:
- Southern California
- Desert
- Central Coast
- San Joaquin Valley
- Sacramento Valley
- Sierra Nevada
- Gold Country
- Bay Area
- North Coast
- Shasta Cascades
If you’re interested in the Desert and part of the Southern California region, you may enjoy the “California Regions” edition of “Best West Road Trips – Route 66“
“California Regions – the last leg of your journey. From the desert and the mountains to the sea. Ending In Santa Monica at the Pier. It’s all there if you dare!”
The Mother Road ends at the Santa Monica Pier.
Well, not exactly, but the attraction more than makes up for historical inaccuracy.
You can’t drive any further west unless you plan to plunge into the Pacific Ocean.
Here’s my recommendation.
Park.
Stroll out onto the pier and take a selfie at the End of the Trail sign.
Then go for it.
Make your way past the crowds and attractions to as far as you can walk.
Then standing there at the end of the pier look at the beaches to your left and right.
Turn around and look back to where you came.
That’s when you realize your next road trip adventure calls you with its siren song.
The iconic, and more breath-taking scenic road trip on Pacific Coast Highway.
That’s what we did.
We invite you to retrace our coastal steps.
We begin in the South Coast Region with the historic beach Hotel del Coronado in San Diego.
Then we head north with the ocean on our drivers side.
Always on our drivers side.
We hug the coast, not necessarily always on PCH, but traveling through Southern California beach towns to the laid back Central Coast, into the Bay Area and finally to the North Coast before terminating at Pacific Northwest towns and destinations like Tumwater and Port Angeles, Washington.
We’re taking our time.
Exploring everything we can on a road trip in sequence.
One town after another up the Pacific Coast.
Vacation beach towns, missions, piers and light houses.
And so much more.
More for road trippers, vacationers and more for anyone who wouldn’t mind moving to a resort community.
Fall in love on vacation, stay for a lifetime.