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Scenic Views

Perhaps no other American road has caught the imagination of leisure travelers as California’s Highway One has. Old Route 66 may have been longer, but now it has disappeared in a tangle of interstates; Highway One still clings stubbornly to its two-lane, cliff-hanging, original nature.

It isn’t a road for rushing down. Southbound is the better direction to travel, as it puts the scenic overlooks and parking areas on your right, much easier for quick stops. There are plenty of viewpoints for those who can’t, or prefer not to, hike to the outlooks in Garrapata or Andrew Molera State Parks. Among photographers’ favorites is the pull-out at Bixby Creek Bridge. If your vehicle has four-wheel drive, you might venture up the Old Coast Road, just past Bixby Bridge: it climbs Serra Grade for spectacular views over miles of coastline.

For another superb vantage point overlooking Monterey Bay, head up the twisting lane to Jack’s Peak County Park (reached from Highway 68, opposite the turn into Monterey Airport). Its 525 acres are criss-crossed by trails evocatively named Skyline and Coffeeberry Lower Ridge Loop, many of which offer surprising vantage points looking north across the bay.

Aerial Views

While the views of Monterey's coastline are pretty good from the top of Jacks Peak, they're even more impressive from the air. Del Monte Aviation offers a variety of different air excursions that explore Big Sur, the Salinas Valley, Pebble Beach and Carmel Valley's emerald golf courses, and much more. You can also take to the skies by learning to skydive. Skydive Monterey Bay, flying from Marina's little airport, can get you up - and out - in Monterey's skies in a day!

 
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