PCH Road Trip Itinerary with A Baby

We drove the Pacific Coast Highway, otherwise known as the PCH, from San Francisco to Cambria with JL when he was only 3 months old. I think this was the perfect time for a road trip because he was still napping several hours a day and did not mind being in the car for so long. Our PCH Road Trip itinerary is tailored to accommodate traveling with a baby.

Need advice for road tripping with an infant? Check out this post!

Perfect Ride for a PCH Road Trip

Hands downs, some type of convertible is the best car for a road trip on the PCH. Since we had JL with us, we opted for a hard top Jeep we could take the roof off so it would not be too much wind for him. It also gave us plenty of space for all of our luggage.

We picked up our rental car at SFO and started our journey south from there. Therefore we skipped the northern part of the PCH.

PCH Road Trip Itinerary: Day 1

Our goal for day one of our PCH road trip was to make it from San Francisco to Monterey. Since it was our first day, we were adjusting for Eastern Time Zone. Therefore, we did not want to over schedule ourselves. We took our time to stop and take some great pictures. To save on time, we stopped at a grocery store along the way to grab snacks, drinks, and some food for lunch and dinner. Later, we were glad we grabbed food for dinner too. The grocery store stop let us relax once we got to our hotel room that night.

Where to Stay

We chose to stay in Monterey which I think would have been the perfect choice if JL was older and could enjoy more of the attractions there. Being that he was only 3 months old, I wish we had stayed in Carmel because it is such a cute little town. Monterey definitely has more for kids where as Carmel has more of an adult vibe. Keep your baby’s needs in mind when choosing where to stay!

That being said, we splurged on a room with a view which was great since we spend much more time in our hotel room now that we have JL.

PCH Road Trip Itinerary: Day 2

We chose to start day 2 with a stroll down Monterey’s Fisherman’s Wharf to stop in for some breakfast. It was a quick walk from our hotel and quick and easy.

Day 2: Pebble Beach 17 Mile Drive

After filling up on breakfast we headed to our plan for day 2 of our PCH road trip, the 17 mile drive in Pebble Beach. It was so picturesque and not to be missed! My husband loves golf so this was a must on our trip. At the time we went, admission is $11.25 per vehicle but can be reimbursed if you spend more than $35 in a Pebble Beach Resort restaurant. Here’s the official website for updates, 17 mile Drive Pebble Beach. We brought snacks since we had a big breakfast and chose to skip the restaurants in the resort.

Points of Interest on the 17 Mile Drive

We started at the Pacific Grove Gate making our first stop Spanish Bay Beach. As you can see from the picture above, there are picnic tables you can use if you want to start your day earlier and eat while listening to the waves roll in.

One of the great things about the 17 mile drive at Pebble Beach is you can spend as much time there as you like. We spent several hours so we could stop at most of the points of interest on the map. Also, so that my husband could drive slowly by the golf courses and check out which he may want to play in the future. If you’re in more of a time crunch, you can drive through in less than an hour if you do not want to stop and take pictures at most of the points of interest.

The iconic lone cypress of the Pebble Beach logo is closer to the Carmel Gate which is the other end of the resort from the Pacific Grove Gate where we started. It is close to the restaurants and the pro shops so we wanted to end on this side in case we were hungry.

Pebble Beach Resort Shops

We spent probably close to an hour checking out all the shops. They have one for women, men, kids, and more so it is definitely something you want to check out if you are a serious golfer. While we were there, we found there was ample parking at all the stops along the way but this may change depending on the traffic that day.

JL napped during part of the 17 mile drive. However, we felt like when he was awake it was pretty easy to get him in and out of the car quickly to take some pictures. The parking spots are within close walking distance of the points of interest.

Day 2: Carmel and Monterey

After we finished the 17 mile drive we headed over to Carmel for dinner. We did not make any reservations as we did not want to feel rushed on the 17 mile drive. So we walked around and popped in stores until we found a restaurant that could seat our party for an early dinner.

After checking out Carmel, we headed back to Monterey. It was a beautiful night and we wanted to check out the Cannery Row area of town. Since we knew it would be late, we got JL ready in his pajamas before heading out so we could put him straight to bed when we finished. We decided to stop for some wine at The Wine Experience. We did a flight of wine and a charcuterie board. The weather was perfect to sit outside and enjoy the evening. It was dark by the time we finished but we felt safe walking through Monterey back to our hotel.

PCH Road Trip Itinerary: Day 3

This is the day as was most excited about on our PCH road trip itinerary. Personally when I think PCH, I think of the iconic views of Big Sur.

JL was only 3 months old at the time of our trip and still taking multiple naps a day. We opted to grab a quick breakfast in Monterey prior to hitting the road so we could leave at nap time. However, with older children taking one nap a day, you may want to leave earlier to see the sights before they go to sleep. This will also allow you to travel further on this day if that is your goal.

Big Sur: PCH Road Trip Itinerary Highlight

As I said earlier, this was my main point of interest on our PCH road trip. So we chose to take it slowly, stop, and enjoy the views. So this entire day is dedicated to enjoying the drive in Big Sur.

Our main focus was do do the drive and enjoy the sights along the way. The first stop we had planned was for lunch about an hour from our hotel without stopping.

Lunch in Big Sur

We stopped for lunch at Nepenthe. It was first come, first serve. Ideally, I would have liked to get there right when they opened to get a table with the best view. Since we were enjoying the views, we did not want to rush. Therefore, we got there slightly after 1130. We did have to wait about 15 minutes for a table.

They have some tables right on the edge with amazing views but given that we had JL we did not want to wait too long. Also they were only seating parties of two in those seats while we were there. A baby makes you a party of three!

They also have indoor seating if you prefer to enjoy the views out of the direct sunlight. We typically try to be outside in case JL makes loud noises but if it is a really sunny day we opt for the indoor tables. They let us just pull our stroller up right beside the table.

In addition to the views, we also really enjoyed the food. I had a salad with beets which was made with care and the freshest ingredients. The parking lot is not huge so if you do not make it early you may have to circle a few times for a spot. They have a gift store at the restaurant if you want to pick up some Big Sur souvenirs and eat in one stop.

PCH Road Trip Itinerary Highlight: Bixby Bridge

One of the iconic photographs on a PCH road trip in Big Sur is the Bixby Bridge. The best photos can be taking when you are heading south on Highway 1 before you reach the bridge.

Unfortunately when we were passing by the pull off point to get the best picture it was packed. JL’s safety is our top priority and we did not feel it was safe to park there. We opted to wait to take a picture on the other side of the bridge when we found a less crowded pull off to park our car. I am not a professional photographer. I travel for the fun memories I make with my loved one. If getting the best photo is super important to you, you can always turn around, and try the pull off again at a time when it is less crowded!

Big Sur has a lot to offer like hiking trails if you want to see the coast from different perspectives. There are accommodations in the area if you want to stay over night. We planned our PCH road trip a few weeks in advance so most of the places we would have liked to stay were already booked so we chose to travel a little further on the PCH this day.

San Simeon

San Simeon is a popular stop on many PCH road trip itineraries. It is home to Hearst Castle which is quite a work of architecture. Unfortunately, Hearst Castle was under renovation when we were passing through so we were unable to visit. If we had been able to tour, we would have spent several hours there. Instead we stopped to see the elephant seals at the elephant seal vista point and drove on to our hotel in Cambria.

While JL was a little young to truly enjoy the elephant seals, I think they would be a huge hit with older children. There is actually a visitor’s center if you want to learn more and make it a truly educational experience!

Cambria

We chose to stop for the night in the cute little beach town of Cambria. It was the hidden gem of our trip. I initially wanted to stay overnight a little further down the road in Morro Bay but was unable to find a hotel there that met our needs. That is how ended up in Cambria and we were so happy there I wish we had planned to stay longer.

Dining in Moonstone Beach

Of note in terms of grabbing dinner in Cambria, it is a small beach town so there are not many restaurants right at the beach. When we arrived to our hotel we noticed people waiting in line outside the restaurant next door before it was even open! Apparently this is common at the restaurants there. So if there is somewhere specific you want to eat, be sure to arrive early!

Luckily we were able to find a restaurant within walking distance of our hotel with only a twenty minute wait. We ate at Moonstone Beach Bar and Grill where I had delicious fish tacos.

What I Would Do Differently

What I did not realize about this area of California is how many wineries are close by. Such a missed opportunity! When planning our trip we decided to end our PCH road trip in Cambria and then travel north to Napa since my husband had never been.

If I had realized how much good wine they had in this area, we could have just stayed in Cambria an extra night. Then we could have continued down the PCH into Santa Barbara which is another place on my list to visit. That would be my recommendation instead of heading to Napa! My husband is named Justin and therefore we often enjoy Justin wine which is located in this area.

Part of the reason I wanted to start this blog is to share what I have learned in my travels, so for this trip it is how much wine is located in this area of California!

PCH Road Trip with an Infant

If you are interested in combining your PCH with a trip to Napa, check out my post on Napa Family Friendly Wineries with a Baby!

Also keep in mind the PCH continues on way past Cambria where we stopped. We only wanted to spend a few days road tripping during our trip and then have some time to relax in one place. Do what works best for your family!

BV,

Megan

Feel free to leave comments or questions below!