Highway 101 Scenic Road Trip

This road trip is one of the most popular in the world. US Route 101 traces the Pacific Coast from Washington to California, offering dramatic ocean views, misty forests, and charming coastal towns. This scenic highway takes you past towering redwoods, rugged cliffs, and iconic cities.

1. Heceta Head Lighthouse
• Heceta Head Lighthouse sits 206 feet above the Pacific Ocean. The iconic 56-foot tower, and stunning setting, make it one of the most photographed on the Oregon Coast. The light atop the tower was first illuminated in 1894. Its automated beacon, seen 21 miles from land, is rated as the strongest light on the Oregon coast. The lighthouse viewpoint is among the best on the coast for spotting whales during the winter and spring migration, as well as sea lions and many species of birds. Common murres lay their eggs on the rocks below the viewpoint railing.


2. Big Sur
• Big Sur has been called the "longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the contiguous United States", a sublime "national treasure that demands extraordinary procedures to protect it from development", and "one of the most beautiful coastlines anywhere in the world, an isolated stretch of road, mythic in reputation". The views, redwood forests, hiking, beaches, and other recreational opportunities have made Big Sur a popular destination for visitors from across the world. With 4.5 to 7 million visitors annually, it is among the top tourist destinations in the United States, comparable to Yosemite National Park, but with considerably fewer services, and less parking, roads, and related infrastructure.


3. Natural Bridges Viewpoint
• The Natural Bridges trail is very short, especially if you just going to the viewpoint. It’s about .5 miles to do the whole there-and-back trail, and there’s virtually no elevation. The viewpoint itself is about 50 feet from the parking area if you don’t want to hike this one but still want the view. The parking spaces and the trailhead are immediately off the 101 highway and are marked on the map below as well as Google maps, just search. “natural bridges”.


4. Trees of Mystery
• Trees of Mystery is a park and tourist attraction along U.S. Route 101 near the coastal town of Klamath, California. It features interpretive trails through Giant Redwoods and a number of unusual tree formations, many of which can be seen from its Trail of Mysterious Trees. Its Trail of Tall Tales displays some 50 chainsaw sculptures and carvings illustrating stories of legendary logger Paul Bunyan and his crew.


5. Pescadero Point
• Across the highway is Pescadero Marsh Natural Preserve, a popular spot for bird watchers and other naturalists. Beach has two distinct beach areas that are divided by the Pescadero creek. The northern beach is wider and more sandy and the southern beach is more rocky. The northern beach eventually connects to Pomponio State Beach and San Gregorio State Beach, depending on the tide levels. The park is also host to a natural marsh and wetlands area.


6. Hearst Castle
• Hearst Castle, is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Castle is a museum open to the public as a California State Park.


7. Pismo Beach Pier
• Pismo Beach is a classic California coastal town in San Luis Obispo County, beloved for its long sandy beaches, historic pier, and laid-back surf culture. Known for excellent surfing, fishing, and coastal recreation, this charming beach community offers visitors a blend of outdoor activities, fresh seafood dining, and easy access to nearby wineries, making it a popular stop along Highway 1.


8. Tillamook Creamery
• The Tillamook County Creamery Association is a farmer-owned dairy cooperative headquartered in Tillamook County, Oregon. The association manufactures and sells dairy products under the "Tillamook" brand name. Its main facility is the Tillamook Creamery, located two miles north of the city of Tillamook. The Tillamook Cheese Factory also has a visitor center, the Tillamook Creamery, and hosts over 1.3 million tourists annually. Visitors can learn about the cheesemaking process, cheese packaging process, and the ice cream-making process from a viewing gallery over the main production floor. Tours are self-guided, self-paced, and augmented by video presentations and interactive kiosks.


9. Astoria Column
• The Astoria Column, located atop Coxcomb Hill, is a monument to the natural riches of the Pacific Northwest and the people who settled there. Building and maintaining the Column has been an endeavor requiring the efforts and resources of many over the years. It stands today as one of the finest tributes in America to those who built the West.


10. Prehistoric Gardens
• Prehistoric Gardens consists of 23 life-sized dinosaurs. The sculptures are created with a steel frame base and sculpted with mesh-like metal lath and concrete. The largest sculpture is an 86-foot-long brachiosaurus. Signs provide information about each of the dinosaurs represented, as well as plants indigenous to the area. While the sculptures are anatomically accurate, the paint colors were chosen to be fanciful and photogenic.


11. Thor's Well
• Also referred to as the “Drainpipe of the Pacific,” Thor’s Well is a natural wonder situated on the edges of the Pacific coast of the US State of Oregon. The well forms a part of the large Cape Perpetua Scenic Area in Siuslaw National Forest and is located approximately 5km south of the small coastal city of Yachats in Oregon’s Lincoln County. Thor’s Well has been named after Thor – the Scandinavian God of Thunder and Lightning. As per legends, Thor himself struck the Earth in a fit of rage, creating this 6m deep well.


12. Cayucos State Beach
• Cayucos State Beach is a protected beach in the state park system of Californi. It is located in Cayucos, San Luis Obispo County. The sandy beach environment supports uses of swimming and surfing. Prehistorically this general area of the central coast was inhabited by the Chumash people, who settled the coastal San Luis Obispo area approximately 10,000 to 11,000 BCE, including a large village to the south of Cayucos at Morro Creek. The 16-acre (6.5 ha) park was established in 1940.


13. Stornetta Public Lands
• Situated along the rugged Mendocino County coastline adjacent to the town of Point Arena, the Point Arena-Stornetta unit offers spectacular views of coastal bluffs, sea arches, the estuary of the Garcia River and sandy beaches and dunes with eight miles of marked paths.


14. Pfeiffer Beach
• Pfeiffer Beach is located in the Big Sur region of California. It is one of the most popular beaches on the Central Coast and is well known for Keyhole Rock, a popular photography subject. On a limited number of days in December and January each year, photographers crowd the beach to obtain pictures of the setting sun visible through the arch. Due to the steep terrain prevalent along the Big Sur coast, it is one of the few ocean access points within Big Sur.


15. Cannon Beach
• Cannon Beach and its surrounding coast was previously settled by the Tillamook people. Beach is recognized by the well-known landmark Haystack Rock, located southwest of downtown Cannon Beach. This sea stack has an elevation of 235 feet. Cannon Beach and Ecola State Park have appeared in several films, including The Goonies, Free Willy, Twilight (2008), Hysterical, and Point Break.


16. Devils Punchbowl State Natural Area
• The Devil’s Punchbowl is a unique 1,310 acre geological wonder where visitors can walk, hike or take a horseback ride on a 7.5 mile round-trip trail through a deep canyon formed by the runoff of large quantities of water from the higher San Gabriel Mountains. See spectacular up tilted rock formations created by layers of sedimentary rocks, or visit the Nature Center to learn about the native wildlife and park history. You can also explore the landscape of Joshua trees, California Junipers, Pinyon Pine Woodland and Desert Chaparral shrubs while observing the variety of wildlife.


17. Elephant Seal Vista Point
• San Luis Obispo County has an abundance of sea life throughout the coastal towns including the famous elephant seals. The Elephant Seal Vista Point is located about 5 miles north of Hearst Castle. Visit this lookout between December through April to be sure to see an abundance of these remarkable creatures.


18. Big Creek Bridge
• The Big Creek Bridge is a 589-foot (180 m)-long, open spandrel, concrete deck arch bridge located on the southern portion of the Big Sur coast of California, along State Route 1 near Lucia. Opened for traffic in 1938, it crosses Big Creek Canyon on this scenic, mountainous coast.


19. Oregon Dunes Loop Trail
• The Oregon Dunes are a unique area of windswept sand. They are the largest expanse of coastal sand dunes in North America and one of the largest expanses of temperate coastal sand dunes in the world, with some dunes reaching 500 feet above sea level. They are the product of millions of years of erosion by wind and rain on the Oregon Coast. There are about 7,000 acres of sand dunes, about a fifth of the total area of the national recreation area. The Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area provides numerous recreational activities, including off-highway vehicle use, hiking, fishing, canoeing, horseback riding, and camping. The Carter Dunes Trail and Oregon Dunes Day Use provide forest access for the disabled.