
Originally Posted by
Ben
That's a lot of miles for only a week. I wouldn't attempt to start on the coast north of Monterey Bay if you're destination is Santa Barbara in only two days. You'll just be driving past everything to get there. In fact, you might not want to start farther north than Morro Bay.
A good place to camp is Montana de Oro. Places nearby to check out include Avila Beach, Pismo Beach, and the towns of Arroyo Grande, and Solvang. There's more than a weekend's worth of things to see and do right there.
It's not that Monterey, Carmel, the Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns park, Ragged Point, Cambria, Cayucos, and Morro Bay aren't anything to see, but I spent a whole week with my family in those places last year. In two days, all you could do is drive past it all.
As you come back through the Sierra, there's a lot of different options. If it's early May, the Tioga Pass may be closed but it may open in late May, although more likely even later. Driving through Yosemite and Tuolumne Meadows is certainly worthwhile. Highway 108 is another good option with a stop and camp in Kennedy Meadows. Highway 4 is always a good choice when it's open, and there's good camping around Ebett's Pass. Try Highland Lakes. Or just stop in gold country towns like Jamestown, Angels Camp, Mokulmne Hill and return on Highway 88.
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