[sbpark]

So I am relocating from San Diego to San Francisco, and will be taking a week to make the drive, and plan on taking the scenic 101. My 2012 OB will be packed with all of my belongings (I am working as a traveling nurse in SF, so my housing, furniture, etc. is already taken care of my the company so all i need to are personal belongings) and will have a Thule box on the roof for all the camping gear and things I need to get at easily. I'd like to hit wilderness areas, day hikes, and car camping over staying at a hotel. (I used to work for the North Face and have a ton of really nice gear that unfortunately has not been used since moving to SD, and the whole point of relocating to the bay area is to live near a city that has culture AND awesome outdoor activities surrounding it.)

So far I am planning on hitting up Big Sur, and may also take a quick day trip to Hearst Castle, but looking for wilderness areas and campsites to stay at along the way. Any suggestions are welcome!

 

[Subyblue]

Switch over to CA 1 at San Luis and you'll get the great coastal views at Big Sur, Carmel, Monterey, and Santa Cruz. Stop at the Madonna Inn in SLO, just to see the fanasty that the Madonna is. Morro Bay has (used to have) great Clam Chowder, although it's been years since I was there.

 

[DrCloud]

If you haven't done it before , consider first heading east, up to Julian, and then north through the mountains up to at least LA, and then over to the coast. HPH

 

[upflying]

Make sure you drive your new OB on the dunes at Pismo Beach, only legal place I know of where you can drive in the sand and enjoy camping next to the the ocean.
Website says this area is now called Oceano.
http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=406

 

[sbpark]

If you haven't done it before , consider first heading east, up to Julian, and then north through the mountains up to at least LA, and then over to the coast. HPH

been out that way a bunch, especially Julian on my motorcycle. It's cool, but nothing like riding through the twisties in Colorado.

 

[sbpark]

Make sure you drive your new OB on the dunes at Pismo Beach, only legal place I know of where you can drive in the sand and enjoy camping next to the the ocean.
Website says this area is now called Oceano.
Oceano Dunes SVRA

thanks, but I do not think I am going to be too stoked on taking a fully loaded down OB with a loaded cargo box on the roof into soft sand!

 

[rockhopjohn]

The Monterey Bay Aquarium is another great stop.

 

[upflying]

thanks, but I do not think I am going to be too stoked on taking a fully loaded down OB with a loaded cargo box on the roof into soft sand!

A lot of the beach is hard pack, just don't go too far into the dunes you will be fine.
You can always turn around.

 

[sbpark]

A lot of the beach is hard pack, just don't go too far into the dunes you will be fine.
You can always turn around.

sweet! count that one on the list then!

 

[subiesailor]

Check into the yurt rentals just south of monterey. We just went through pismo beach two weeks ago. Not sure i would be into leaving all my belongings in the car unsupervised in pismo. Carmel is a must see and worth staying for a couple of days. There is anu nuevo and then henry coe st park very close to santa cruz. Half moon bay stop by the brewry at the marina. Or have tea at the Ritz out on the bluff in hmb. They filmed american pie II there. Good friend was on the crew and I watched them shoot the registration desk scen. Lol cool place for sure worth a quick stop.

 

[Timberwolf99]

Or you could do some geocaching, Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site. Blatant plug I know, but it's a lot of fun.