Pacific Coast Highway offers nearby get-away

California’s first scenic highway still popular with locals and tourists

By RACHELLE GINES
Contributing Writer

All you need is one Highway 1 that is, if you want to drive through a cross section of California that includes pristine beaches, towering redwoods and a mountain-dotted shoreline that hugs the Pacific Ocean.
Highway 1 was dubbed as California's first scenic highway in 1965, then officially named as one of the first All-American Roads by the Federal Highway Administration in 1996, and with good reason. The panorama of scenery that can be found along its windy roads are just as diverse as the people who call California home: the sun-tanned beach bunny who sits along the white sand in Malibu, the hard-working field laborer who rises with the sun in Monterey County and the fisherman who knows the tide in San Francisco.
Spanning 644 miles, Highway 1 begins near the small town of Leggett in Mendecino County and ends near San Clemente. Margie Tirtilli, of the California Department of Transportation, said the highway opened to traffic in June 1929 at the cost of $5 million.
Highway 1 is known to take on different names in different parts of the state. In San Francisco, it is known as "Pacifica," but in southern California, Highway 1 is affectionately known as the "Pacific Coast Highway," or PCH.
One of the most popular destinations on the PCH is, of course, the city of Malibu and Malibu Lagoon County Beach. Hair products have been named after it and the legends of surfers and beautiful sunsets that surround it are all true. Close enough to USC to ditch a morning class, yet far away enough from L.A. that the crashes of the waves drown out traffic, Malibu is the perfect getaway. Take the 10 West until it ends and becomes Highway 1 North and follow the signs.
Even closer than Malibu and a little more for those who can't totally bear to leave civilization is the Will Rogers State Beach. Named after the cowboy humorist, Will Rogers State Beach offers convenient parking, restrooms, showers and a place to grab a bite to eat. However, one drawback is that traffic is still close enough to hear. Families mostly dominate this beach, but a couple of yards down by Pier 18, college students can be found just hanging out among a maze of volleyball nets.
Rincon Beach is another one of Highway 1's popular beaches. Located further up the coast in Santa Barbara County, Rincon Beach is world famous as a surfer's haven. Michael Parker, a sophomore majoring in accounting, said that it is one of the best places to surf because there are virtually no rip tides and the rock bottom provides nearly perfect swells to ride. Parker has been to Rincon more that once and plans on returning.
"It's definitely worth the drive," Parker said.
Further up Highway 1 in Central California lies Asilomar beach, or "refuge by the sea," in Spanish. Located in Monterey County, and about six hours north of Los Angeles, Asilomar is beautiful and unadulterated. A rocky shoreline juts into the water and provides little nooks and crannies for seagulls and visitors alike to breathe in the salty sea air.
Ryan Ashford, a junior majoring in cinema production, said that Asilomar is just one of the many different landscapes that Highway 1 has to offer. He enjoys the scenic beauty of the shoreline.
"I really like Asilomar because it's peaceful and tranquil," he said.
Ashford, who is from Santa Rosa, Calif., said that further up the coast, past San Francisco, Highway 1 offers a different perspective from California's aqua horizons as the road winds and bends its way into some of California's untouched forests in Humboldt County.
"The beaches are nice to visit, but southern California is not green and lush like where up north is. You're just driving through beautiful green valleysŠit's just gorgeous." Ashford said.

Copyright 2000 by the Daily Trojan. All rights reserved.
This article was published in Vol. 141, No. 20 (Tuesday, September 26, 2000), beginning on page 8 and ending on page 10.