A journey south along California?EUR(TM)s Route 1

AppId is over the quota

Skirting the Pacific coast from north of San Francisco to the well-to-do towns of Newport Beach and Laguna Beach on the periphery of sprawling Los Angeles, the journey south on the picturesque Highway 1 is considered by many to be one of the world's unmissable driving experiences.

The history of this iconic drive dates back to the late 19th Century when a doctor from Monterey took three and a half hours to journey on horseback to Point Sur where the S.S. Los Angeles had run aground. Dr Roberts realised there was a need for a road that ran along the coast, creating access to this remote but beautiful area. The highway was not commissioned until the doctor's friend, Elmer S Rigdon, advised that the need for a road had military value in order to defend California.

The road was finally built between 1919 and 1937, facing many major challenges along the way including steep terrain and numerous landslides. Prisoners from San Quentin Prison were sent to three temporary camps to provide labour during the seventeen-year period.

Although Highway 1 starts over 200 miles north of San Francisco, the classic drive really starts at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. After setting off, the first landmark you reach is the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, which links Marin County to the City by the Bay. As one of the modern wonders of the world, the bridge is probably one of the first images that springs to mind when one thinks of California. Built between 1933 and 1937, it was once the longest suspension bridge in the world and is painted in the unique 'international orange', a colour that stands out in the bay's infamous fog.

Driving over the bridge, the city of San Francisco lies to the left while the prison island of Alcatraz casts its eerie shadow over the waters of the bay. Leaving the urban sprawl behind, the highway passes through state beaches, wildlife refuges and nature reserves, and past creeks, coves, villages and towns before reaching the historic town of Monterey. Part of the Monterey Old Town Historic District, it was the capital of California under Spanish and Mexican rule. Perhaps consider a visit to Custom House, the oldest governmental building and the sight of the first American flag raised in the state for a flavour of the region's history.

The next stop of note is the Point Lobos Natural Reserve, a state park boasting tide pools, coves, rocky outcrops and headlands which are home to a myriad of wildlife including barking sea lions, harbour seals and elephant seals. At certain times of the year people may be lucky enough to spot orcas, migrating gray whales, dolphins and porpoises.

Sparsely populated and with unbeatable Pacific vistas, the 89-mile Big Sur section of Highway 1 epitomises the romanticism of driving in the USA. Perched precariously along dramatic cliffs, the road twist and turns as the Saint Lucia Mountains rise up from the shoreline of the Pacific. Before the construction of the coastal route, this was one of the most inaccessible wilderness areas in the country.

After miles of wilderness, towns start to flash past more frequently including affluent Santa Barbara, which is resplendent in its Spanish colonial revival architecture and hillside grand estates. Before long the beachside cities of Malibu and Santa Monica, home to some of Hollywood's elite, mark the start of the vast urban area of Los Angeles, California's largest city and the second largest in the United States.

The drive takes in two of the United States most iconic cities but also the natural world that separates them. Most multi centre holidays tend to involve flying from place to place which means missing out on the highlights in-between - another option is to hire a car and make the journey part of the adventure.

Bruce Giles writes for a digital marketing agency. This article about multi centre holidays has been commissioned by a client of said agency. This article is not designed to promote, but should be considered professional content.

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