The Pacific Coast Highway Is An Iconic Road Trip - But It's Even Better By Train

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The Pacific Coast Highway Is An Iconic Road Trip - But It's Even Better By Train
By Skye Sherman/ Trip Ideas/ Bus and Train Travel/ Travel + Leisure/ travelandleisure.com

"For travelers who prefer the convenience of being able to get up, stretch their legs, and wander for coffee — all without having to hold out for the next exit — there’s a hassle-free way to enjoy the scenery of the Pacific Coast Highway without having to drive until your eyes cross.

There’s one thing I love about road trips: when they’re over. Folding into a cramped seat, fighting nausea in stop-and-go traffic, and that anxious sense of inefficiency that plagues type-A travelers like me who are forever aware of all we could be accomplishing if we didn’t have our hands glued to a steering wheel? No, none of it appeals to me. Whether the excursion is cross-city or cross-country, getting there by car is not my preferred method of transportation.

But iconic American adventures like the Pacific Coast Highway are hard to resist for an ever-wandering Sagittarius — so imagine my delight at discovering there’s a roomy, Wi-Fi-equipped alternative to road tripping the scenic 1,377-mile stretch between Los Angeles and Seattle: Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. Board the bi-level train, store your carry-on overhead, and click your footrest into position as you settle in with a good book or an open laptop — no need to think about one logistic more. That is, until an attendant comes by to book your dining reservation in the restaurant car. And did I mention there are floor-to-ceiling windows in a separate observation car, just in case you tire of the view from your seat?......"

Richard

 

[Luanne]

I have taken this trip, but in two different segments at two different times. I went from Los Angeles to San Luis Obispo years ago, and honestly don't remember much about the scenery.

Some years back dh and I took our two dds from the San Francisco Bay Area (Martinez station) to Seattle. Scenery was gorgeous. It was an overnight trip and about one night is all I could take on this train. Sleeping quarters were small and uncomfortable. We didn't have to stay there during the day and spent much of our time in the observation car.

 

[Carol C]

This is on my bucket list!

 

[Blues]

Pet Peeves #1: PCH is the name of Highway 1 only in the southern California region, south of about Oxnard. They're describing a trip of over 1000 miles up the entire west coast of the US, of which maybe 100 miles is PCH.

#2: While I'm sure the Coast Starlight is a wonderful, scenic trip, and I'd like to take it some day, it does not go up or down the Big Sur coast, which is the most scenic part of the entire auto trip. Indeed, after doing coastal scenery in southern California, after about Pismo Beach it heads inland up the Salinas Valley, within a mile of my house, and then follows US 101 (not CA 1) up to the SF Bay area. After that, I don't know. But, while scenic, it's not as scenic as taking CA Hwy 1 via car.

 

[Luanne]

But, while scenic, it's not as scenic as taking CA Hwy 1 via car.

However, taking the train all passengers can enjoy the view. If you are the driver on CA Hwy 1 you'd better be watching the road.

 

[Blues]

However, taking the train all passengers can enjoy the view. If you are the driver on CA Hwy 1 you'd better be watching the road.

I agree. And as I said, I'd like to take it sometime. I'm just taking issue with how it's described in the article.

 

[am1]

Did it in a convertible from Seattle to San Diego. On the train could not compare.

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

And it's inland all the way from Martinez in the Bay Area all the way to Seattle. There is/was a very scenic stretch along Puget Sound from Olympia to Tacoma, but that is being rerouted inland due to conflicts with freight trains.

If you want to travel the Pacific Coast, the only option is vehicle.

 

[Luanne]

And it's inland all the way from Martinez in the Bay Area all the way to Seattle. There is/was a very scenic stretch along Puget Sound from Olympia to Tacoma, but that is being rerouted inland due to conflicts with freight trains.

If you want to travel the Pacific Coast, the only option is vehicle.

Unless you are the driver or get car sick. As a child I slept all the way down Hwy 1 from Carmel so I wouldn't get sick.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

It is one of the more spectacular and interesting drives in the world, IMO, with the scenery constantly changing. I have done this trip in three segments at three different times, so far. LA to San Diego, San Francisco to LA and from a point parallel to Eugene, Oregon to San Francisco. Still to do the segment covering northern Oregon through Washington State to Seattle and on to Vancouver.