From the laid-back beach towns south of Santa Barbara to the rugged beauty of Big Sur, California’s Central Coast offers a spectacular triptych of landscapes — surf, forests, and picturesque towns — spread out along a legendary, sweeping, winding coastline that has to be experienced to be believed.
This is California unplugged and remarkably unspoiled.
It’s also the setting of my newest book, Santa Barbara and California’s Central Coast, an Explorer’s Guide (Countryman Press, January 2011).
Tidepools in Shell Beach
and Los Angeles to the south, the Central Coast straddles more than 200 miles along the
western edge of the continent. It’s a world of farmers, foodies, cowboys, surfers, and
urban refugees — one of my favorite places to roam. The choice of destinations is endless
– El Capitan, Shell Beach, Paso Robles, the Santa Ynez Valley, Morro Bay, and Big Sur, just to name a few idyllic spots. Getting there is a big part of the thrill.
Take the car: The drive along Highway 1, the westernmost thoroughfare in the continental United States, overlooks the rocky coastal cliffs and broad flat beaches, and in the Big Sur region the hairpins and switchbacks offer unforgettable vistas.
Better still, take the train: The oceanfront journey between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo is mesmerizing, offering vantage points you simply can’t see when traveling by car. I like to grab a window seat on the ocean side of the train, crank up my iPod, and sit back in comfy seats as Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner zips along the coast. The ride offers mile after mile of breaking waves and ventures deep into the wild lands of Vandenberg Air Force Base.
Santa Ynez Valley
Swaths of California’s coastline, from the Santa Barbara area to the wilds of the Big Sur Coast, remain largely pristine and undeveloped. That means that you’ll find an endless expanse of wild spaces and wide-open beaches to explore as you cruise California’s middle ground. It’s a beautiful place to hike, swim, surf, kayak, or camp out right along the shore. The region also is a hot spot for wine lovers. In the past decade the wineries of the Santa Ynez Valley and neighboring San Luis Obispo County, particularly in Paso Robles, have expanded to rival the quality of California’s famous grape producers up north in Napa and Sonoma.
Perhaps the best part is that the Central Coast is so vast and so varied that you can return again and again, as I do, and still discover something new, surprising, and delightful with each visit.
