Upper Central California Coast & Santa Cruz, california
Attractions Guide

The following attractions are listed in order along a recommended route up part of California's Pacific Coast Highway. This route covers the upper half of the Central California Coast, beginning north of Big Sur at Point Lobos and concluding near San Francisco.

Start you day by visiting the gorgeous Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, which features magnificent scenery such as China Cove, the 0.8 mile (1.3 km) round-trip Cypress Grove Trail, and Whaler's Cove. Both of these coves feature stunning blue-green waters, while the Cypress Grove Trail traces around the wooded area of the westernmost point of Point Lobos.

Continue to Carmel-By-The-Sea just north of Point Lobos, where you can visit the 250 year old Carmel Mission Basilica Museum, an historic Spanish mission that's quite impressive.

17 Mile Drive

From Carmel-By-The-Sea you can take the extremely scenic 17 Mile Drive coastal route where you can stop at the picturesque Lone Cypress Tree aas well as various viewpoints, the most popular being the Bird Rock Visa Point overlooking the rocky coastline.

Continue along the coast to the Cannery Row district of Monterey, which features many shops and restaurants, as well as the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium. This massive aquarium is considered to be the top aquarium on the western coast of the United States, and was even featured in the movie Finding Nemo 2.

After enjoying Monterey you can continue along the coast to Santa Cruz, where you can visit the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk, which features many carnival games and amusement park rides along the beach. Nearby the Boardwalk is the Santa Cruz Wharf, a giant pier from which you can hear and observe sea lions which reside below the end of the pier.

Santa Cruz also hosts the Natural Bridges State Beach, which is known for its stunning sea arch. Another popular attractions (although somewhat of a tourist trap) is Santa Cruz's Mystery Spot, a trippy place in the woods with many optical illusions, some seeming to defy gravity.

Panther Beach

Further northwest along the coast from Santa Cruz are several more beautiful beaches, including Panther Beach. This beach features very strange and mesmerizing cliff formations that you can explore along the beach.

Shark Fin Cove

Just north of Panther Beach is Shark Fin Cove, which is named for the striking fin-like rock formation in the middle of the beach, which is quite picturesque.

Much further up the coast near the San Francisco Bay area is Pescadero State Beach. At this beach you can take a short walk north from the parking lot to the clifftop peninsular viewpoint, from which you can enjoy excellent panoramic views over the rocky coastline.

Devil's Slide Bunker

One more attraction to consider located just south of San Francisco is the Devil's Slide Bunker, a fascinating abandoned concrete structure which sits atop a tall hill above the coast. You can reach this unique sight with a round-trip walk of about 0.8 miles (1.3 km) from the parking lot, and also enjoy enjoy marvelous coastal views from the bunker.