California Scenic Drives: Big Sur to Death Valley, 13 Stops

Explore California's most iconic scenic drives spanning 3,944 km across the state. This route encompasses the Pacific Coast Highway along Big Sur, the high alpine passes of Tioga Road through Yosemite, and the otherworldly landscapes of Death Valley, showcasing California's dramatic geography from coastline to desert floor.

Mode
Places
Start
Pacific Coast Highway
End
Tenaya Lake
Stops
13
Video author
travmap
Updated

Stops on this route

  1. Pacific Coast Highway — Iconic 72-mile coastal drive where granite cliffs drop directly into the Pacific Ocean, featuring the historic Bixby Creek Bridge completed during the Great Depression.
  2. Death Valley Scenic Byway
  3. Avenue of the Giants — 31-mile scenic corridor through the largest remaining old-growth coast redwood forest, featuring the world's tallest trees standing over 350 feet high for 2,000+ years.
  4. Napa's Wine Country — Rolling valley dotted with prestigious vineyards and wineries producing world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, offering tastings amid picturesque grapevine-covered hillsides.
  5. Southern Cali Coast
  6. Angeles Crest Highway — Mountain pass winding through the San Gabriel Mountains with alpine forest vistas, wildflower meadows, and high-elevation scenic pullouts near Los Angeles.
  7. Highway 395
  8. Monterey Peninsula
  9. Bixby Creek Bridge — Historic 714-foot concrete arch bridge built in 1932, rising 260 feet above the creek, constructed by convict laborers and once the world's tallest single-span arch bridge.
  10. Yosemite National Park — UNESCO World Heritage site featuring granite cliffs, waterfalls, and alpine meadows carved by ancient glaciers in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
  11. Tioga Road — 60-mile high-altitude highway crossing California's highest pass at 9,945 feet, connecting Crane Flat to the eastern Sierra Nevada through alpine meadows and ancient forests.
  12. Tuolumne Grove — Protected stand of giant sequoias in Yosemite, featuring ancient trees over 2,000 years old that were thriving during the height of the Roman Empire.
  13. Tenaya Lake — Crystal-clear alpine lake at high elevation in Yosemite, known for mirror-like reflections of surrounding Sierra Nevada peaks on calm days.

Useful for your trip

Transport
Drive south on Pacific Coast Highway 1 to keep your vehicle in the lane closest to the ocean for the best views of the edge of the world.
Timing
Tioga Road is only accessible a few months each year, roughly November through May it is closed due to heavy Sierra snowfall.
Avoid
Death Valley requires serious preparation: vehicles break down, cell service vanishes, and extreme heat is a genuine danger, not just an inconvenience.
Timing
Visit Tuolumne Meadows in spring when wildflowers cover every inch of the alpine meadow in an explosion of color.
Timing
Experience Mesquite Flat sand dunes in early morning or late evening when light is low and shadows stretch long, resembling Mars.
Tip
Zabriskie Point's eroded mudstone hills glow in shades of gold and amber at sunrise, making it one of the most photographed viewpoints in the American West.
Tip
Columbia State Historic Park is an actual preserved 1850s Gold Rush town with wooden sidewalks, a working blacksmith shop, and a stagecoach that still runs on schedule.
Tip
Railtown 1897 in Jamestown offers genuine steam train rides through Sierra foothills on a railroad that has appeared in over 200 Hollywood productions.
Tip
Scribe Winery in Napa Valley is housed in a historic hacienda surrounded by gardens and offers personal winery experiences beyond typical tasting rooms.
Tip
Zuma Beach in Malibu is a wide, uncrowded local favorite compared to neighboring beaches and offers some of Southern California's most powerful surf breaks.

Video on this route

California Unfolded: The Most Scenic Drives in the Golden State

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