The entire length of the Pacific Coast Highway stretches all the way up the West Coast of the country and you could drive all the way from San Diego up through Washington State. This would be an epic road trip and takes in the whole Californian coast where the majority of the road is situated.

The road itself is relatively young having been built in the 1930s. It was part of a major effort to connect Canada to Mexico as well as series of other smaller communities. This local effort meant that coastal communities became increasingly connected. The whole highway was not connected though and was a series of segmented roads. One of these was named after Theodore Roosevelt and it was only in 1964 that the entire highway became connected and was thereafter known as the Pacific Coast Highway. Due to its proximity to the oceans and the erosion along the shore- there’s a constant need for repairs to ensure the road’s safety.

We do drive some sections on the PCH on our trips but we also take the train for the portion between LA and Salinas. This route is hassle-free, relaxing and hugs the coast-line for truly magnificent views of the water. The train first operated in 1971 and has been in operation ever since. It is operated by Amtrak and was the first to offer a direct service between Seattle and Los Angeles. In 2019, over 400,000 passengers boarded the train. The whole journey is almost 35 hours and this runs three time a week. we do this train ride on our California Calling tour and West Coast Adventure and The Full Coyote.