Monterey to SF

[Khurram]

I already got some great advice for my trip to SF and Big Sur.  I am leaving tuesday night and had one other question regarding the best route for going from Monterey to SF.

Originally, i had planned to take the main highway (101) from Monterey to SF, AS I heard it is considerably fasater then driving along the coast.  Now i am considering stopping at big basin and thought it might make more sense to drive along the coast.  we will be heading to SF on saterday and i'd like to know how much longer it is to drive along the coast.

Taking the highway route would also allow us to stop at the outlet malls in Gilroy (in order to appease the wife).   If the route along the coast  requires about the same as taking the highway back to SF, are there other outlet mall options along the way or in SF (we are staying near the presideo in SF), or close by on the other side of the GG???

[pfigen]

Instead of the outlet malls, why not take the coast from Monterey through Moss Landing and the arthichokes and brussel sprouts and hit Pacific Garden Mall in Santa Cruz and then head up Hwy 1 from there. Davenport, Año Neuvo, Half Moon Bay. You'll love that drive so much more than going  through Gilroy and San Jose - yuck! If you have time, ride the old wooden roller coaster at the beach in SC.

[Ken Doo]

I already got some great advice for my trip to SF and Big Sur.  I am leaving tuesday night and had one other question regarding the best route for going from Monterey to SF.

Originally, i had planned to take the main highway (101) from Monterey to SF, AS I heard it is considerably fasater then driving along the coast.  Now i am considering stopping at big basin and thought it might make more sense to drive along the coast.  we will be heading to SF on saterday and i'd like to know how much longer it is to drive along the coast.

Taking the highway route would also allow us to stop at the outlet malls in Gilroy (in order to appease the wife).   If the route along the coast  requires about the same as taking the highway back to SF, are there other outlet mall options along the way or in SF (we are staying near the presideo in SF), or close by on the other side of the GG???
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Taking Hwy 1 from Monterey to SF does not add that much time to your commute versus Hwy 101 North.  I would estimate Hwy 1 is no more than 30 minutes longer.  If you stop in Gilroy at the Outlets, you'll certainly take longer than taking Hwy 1!

[Ken Doo]

If you take the scenic route north on Hwy 1 from Carmel-Monterey, here are a few places to snoop:

Moss Landing and Elhorn Slough---20 miles from carmel
Wilder Ranch is jsut past Santa Cruz
Davenport---54 miles from Carmel
Watch for Davenport Landing Road--55 miles from Carmel
Big Basin Redwood Park
Ano Neuvo SP 64 miles from Carmel
Gazos Creek access 68.5 miles from Carmel
Pigeon Pt Lighthouse 70 miles from Carmel
Bean Hollow St Beach 73 miles from Carmel
Pescadero
Pompanio State Beach 79 miles from Carmel
San Gregorio St Beach 80 miles from Carmel
Tunitas St Beach 83 miles
Half moon Bay

[joedecker]

Pigeon Pt Lighthouse 70 miles from Carmel
Bean Hollow St Beach 73 miles from Carmel
Pescadero
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In this section of the drive there are several unmarked or barely-marked
bits of coast access, as well as Pebble Beach.  (not the one of golf course fame)
At low tide, there are some nice tidepools there, and some nicer rock formations on some of the unmarked beaches farther South.

[Khurram]

thanks for the suggestions - sounds like taking the hwy 1 route is better as there is more to see on the way.  Appreciate the distances provided as well.  Does anyone know roughly how long that would be in driving time given weekend traffic?  

The difficulty i have is that a couple of her friends have been raving about the great deals they got at the outlet malls in Gilroy and one other location that they don't remember.  

So in order to appease the wife, i'm trying to find another outlet mall that she can get her shopping done during the "non-ideal" times to be taking photos.

Ideally, i'd like to be able to shoot for a few hours on after sunrise in the monterey area, get breakfast and then travel from our motel in Big Sur to SF.  ALont the way way stop for 2 hours for her shopping and still have time for me to make it back to SF to a sunset location.

If there is another outlet mall around northern SF (within an hour of our hotel that is near the presidio), I thought i could take her to the outlet mall for a couple of hours some other afternoon, and spend the day we are traveling from SF to Monterey to stop by Big Basin Redwood park.  As given the amount of time we have on the trip, Big Basin and John Muir are really the only two redwood parks that we probably have time to go to.

[pfigen]

Well, you could come up from Big Sur to Marina, pop over to Gilroy to do her shopping (frankly, most outlet stores are not a great deal) and then from Gilroy, shoot over the beautiful Hecker Pass Road (forgot the road number) back to the coast and then on up HWY 1. Or you could go to San Jose and over to Santa Cruz from there. Many choices.

[Khurram]

Well, you could come up from Big Sur to Marina, pop over to Gilroy to do her shopping (frankly, most outlet stores are not a great deal) and then from Gilroy, shoot over the beautiful Hecker Pass Road (forgot the road number) back to the coast and then on up HWY 1. Or you could go to San Jose and over to Santa Cruz from there. Many choices.
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Is Pacifica Garden Mall in Santa Cruz fairly large?  I did like your suggestion of going along the hwy1.  If we left big sur early enough, that might leave enough time to go to Big Basin and make it back to SF for sunset.

[Ken Doo]

The Gilroy Outlets are not the "deals" of the century for shopping.  You can probably expect maybe a 5% discount average, maybe 15% max----trade for less service, or for "irregulars."  It is a large outlet center, thus the attraction.  There is a small outlet mall in Monterey (Cannery Row Outlets) just a block up from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Good breakfast can be found there also---First Awakenings.  Also highly regarded for breakfast are Katie's Place in Carmel (about a dozen different types of eggs benedict) and the Wagon Wheel just a few miles off Hwy 1 on Carmel Valley Road.

Your wife can empty her pocket book (and yours) shopping in Carmel.  Small mall in Monterey.  Mall in Santa Cruz is bigger----typical pickings.  Probably much more selection in the City (SF).  There are several large malls around the SF Bay area.

[Khurram]

The Gilroy Outlets are not the "deals" of the century for shopping.  You can probably expect maybe a 5% discount average, maybe 15% max----trade for less service, or for "irregulars."  It is a large outlet center, thus the attraction.  There is a small outlet mall in Monterey (Cannery Row Outlets) just a block up from the Monterey Bay Aquarium.  Good breakfast can be found there also---First Awakenings.  Also highly regarded for breakfast are Katie's Place in Carmel (about a dozen different types of eggs benedict) and the Wagon Wheel just a few miles off Hwy 1 on Carmel Valley Road.

Your wife can empty her pocket book (and yours) shopping in Carmel.  Small mall in Monterey.  Mall in Santa Cruz is bigger----typical pickings.  Probably much more selection in the City (SF).  There are several large malls around the SF Bay area.
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Thanks for the information - if i can get away with just taking he shopping in monterery or carmel i'll be very happy - as it won't be out of the way  

I'd rather not go shopping in SF - particluarly in downtown, as i think given the parking situation and congestion, it would end up eating away more time.

Coming from Canada where prices are a lot higher and given the strong canadian doller, the wife really wants to make sure i leave some time for her shopping as well.

[Ken Doo]

I'd rather not go shopping in SF - particluarly in downtown, as i think given the parking situation and congestion, it would end up eating away more time.

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Parking at the Gilroy Outlets on the weekends also sucks.....

[andyfrazer]

I already got some great advice for my trip to SF and Big Sur.  I am leaving tuesday night and had one other question regarding the best route for going from Monterey to SF.

Originally, i had planned to take the main highway (101) from Monterey to SF, AS I heard it is considerably fasater then driving along the coast.  Now i am considering stopping at big basin and thought it might make more sense to drive along the coast.  we will be heading to SF on saterday and i'd like to know how much longer it is to drive along the coast.

Taking the highway route would also allow us to stop at the outlet malls in Gilroy (in order to appease the wife).   If the route along the coast  requires about the same as taking the highway back to SF, are there other outlet mall options along the way or in SF (we are staying near the presideo in SF), or close by on the other side of the GG???
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I know that you took this trip three years ago, but I'm adding my comments for future readers...

1). I agree that the Gilroy Outlets are no longer great savings, and the parking sucks. Try to avoid them.

2). There's nothing to photograph up 101 between Gilroy and San Francisco. There's tons to photograph along Highway 1.

3). If you must stop at the Gilroy Outlets, as suggested above, take 101 to Gilroy, then cut back to Highway 1 on Rte 152 (Hecker Pass Rd). 152 is a nice drive, and it will get you back onto Highway 1 well south of Santa Cruz.

4). If you stop at Wilder Ranch (just north of Santa Cruz), make sure you take the hike out to the bluffs overlooking the ocean. It's about a twenty-minute walk. The views over the ocean on a clear day are spectacular.

Andy Frazer