Enjoy spectacular views from the San Bernardino Mountain Range, abandoned gold mining towns, giant sequoias, 8,443-foot Onyx Summit, and perhaps some wildlife.
The Rim of World Picturesque Byway aptly describes the drive along Southern California’s highest mountain range, the San Bernardinos, with their spectacular sight of the surrounding mountains as well as the Los Angeles Basin. Along the way, you’ll pass several resort communities and wilderness areas, and you may even catch a little “gold fever” as you search the remains of an abandoned 1860s mining town.
Begin on California Route 18 just north of San Bernardino at the entry to San Bernardino National Forest. You’ll cross the San Andreas Fault at the bottom of the mountain range. Though the fault rumbles everyday, it’s unlikely you’ll be aware of the slight tremors. Read more . . .
The California Route One south drive from Monterey to Morro Bay is a 123-mile, 6-hour trip along the Pacific coastline. Before heading south out of Monterey on Route 1, visit the Custom House, Casa Soberanes, Monterey State Historic Park, Royal Presidio Chapel, Larkin House, Fisherman’s Wharf, and Cannery Row, home of the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Several miles south of Monterey, make a stop in Carmel-by-the-Sea to visit the Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo, founded in 1770; the Tor House, home of poet Robinson Jeffers; and Carmel River State Beach.