Epic Southern California Drives

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Much thanks to the California Travel and Tourism Bureau - this list is just a subset for Southern California:

Highway 101 from Malibu to Lompoc

Length: 120 miles

Prime Season: Year-round

This stretch of Highway 101—which overlaps with parts of Highway 1—gives you a greatest-hits road trip of both beach and wine country. Start in iconic Malibu, where the highway runs along the base of the rugged Santa Monica Mountains before passing through Oxnard, Ventura, and then idyllic Santa Barbara. Look west, out over the water, for signs of Channel Islands National Park and walk in the sand on one of Santa Barbara’s local beaches, such as El Capitán, Refugio, or Gaviota. The highway then turns inland through rolling ranchlands, bound for Lompoc. Most famous for its summer flower fields, Lompoc also has excellent Pinot Noir. Sample a few at the Lompoc Wine Ghetto, a collection of tasting rooms run by leading boutique producers.

  

Rim of the World Scenic Byway

Length: 117 miles

Prime Season: Year-round

For more than 100 miles, narrow State Highway 18 winds around the cliffs of the San Bernardino Mountains, through small villages on the way to Big Bear Lake, and offering such panoramic views that it’s been dubbed The Rim of the World. Prime stops include Lake Arrowhead (a slight detour onto State Route 173), and the mellow, half-mile educational Sequoia Trail at Heaps Peak Arboretum. For big views, keep driving to the town of Running Springs and take the winding, five-mile drive up to Keller Peak Fire Lookout, with expansive views of mountains, lakes, and—on a clear day—the Pacific Ocean. Keep heading to Big Bear for water sports and hiking in the summer, or snow play in the winter—and great homemade fudge year-round at the North Pole Fudge & Ice Cream Co.

 

Surf Safari through Orange County

Length: 30 miles

Prime Season: Year-round

This endless-summer drive through Orange County starts at the southern origin of Highway 1: Dana Point, a harbor town with excellent whale-watching during winter. Head north to cruise through art-gallery-lined Laguna Beach, home of summer’s Pageant of the Masters Tournament, then stop for a walk on one of the state’s prettiest beaches at Crystal Cove State Park. Next, head to Newport Beach, known for both its yacht-filled harbor and its tempting frozen bananas and creamy Balboa Bars. Finally, cruise through Huntington Beach—dubbed Surf City USA—and try catching a wave yourself, or watch the experts from the bustling Huntington Pier.

 

Beach-to-Desert Drive from San Diego

Length: 90 miles

Prime Seasons: Late Winter and Spring

Bounce from the coast to the mountains and then the desert in this scenery-packed trip across Southern California. From the beaches of La Jolla or Del Mar, take State Road 56 east to Highway 67, which winds through rural Ramona, dotted with farm stands. Then turn onto Highway 78 and into the Cuyamaca Mountains toward Julian, the mountain town known for its apple crops (and, hence, lots of pie, like those at Julian Cafe and Bakery). Then ease back down the road’s twists and turns into the desert, where the 600,000-acre Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is home to an explosive wildflower bloom every year, around February and March. Stay the night at a local hotel like La Casa del Zorro, and be sure to stay up late: Borrego Springs is an International Dark Sky Community known for its epic stargazing.