Hey,
I’m taking a week to drive from San Fran to LA in a couple days. Any places/spots I should try and check out? And/or anything interesting going on? It’s my first trip to California.
Thanks! Rick.
Fort point underneath golden gate bridge tide sensitive and if no ones out there is a good reason for it so be careful.
Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz
Moss Landing its on the map.
Tarantula’s
Rincon!!!
Muscle shoals aka Little Rincon.
Faria look for the point with all the houses built on it.
Solimar outside reef.
Ventura Overhead aka Ema Wood State beach.
California street used to be a great place to surf
Santa Clara rivermouth near the Ventura harbor
Oxnard shores
Silverstrand beach in Oxnard.
Radar towers look for norther edge of point Magu Missle base.
If its big enough you can try Malibu point.
Topanga point can get ok
El Porto can be really good.
Huntington beach is an ok wave in the winter or Bolsa Chica is fun as well.
Redondo breakwall gets really good.
Furhter south
Drive down to Blacks in La Jolla.
Sunset Cliffs
Mexico
Salsapuedes on giant swells for a roaping right hand point break with crushing barrels.
Good luck!
Use common sense and respect those in the water and usually it will be returned.
Ben
Thanks. Definitely going to be a mellow trip down the coast. Just hoping to get in some decent waves. What’s water temp doing out there? 3/4 suit or 4/5 suit? Boots?
3/4, booties optional.
If you have a longboard you should check out Malibu.
Thanks. Unforunately, I won’t have a longboard with me. But will still be checkin it out. Maybe rent something. Or just move on.
Okay now…first real trip along this coast? That’s fairly limited time to see that much stuff…SF to LA is the same distance as across several complete states back east. While you need to be sure to get your own waves in I would also recomend that you stop at a few of the places dreams have literally been made of even if you don’t surf them…do the drive through Big Sur and allow several hours or more if you score waves…Jalama past Lompoc is worth a visit if time permits…pull off the road at Gaviota State Beach and look up the coast at the mythic Ranch (now supposedly seen on a Land Rover commercial - oh no- the secret is out!)…stop in Santa Barbara, Stearns Wharf, look at the entrance of the harbor and maybe you’ll catch the Sandspit, or maybe not. Just past Carpenteria get off the freeway…lock the car… and go walk Rincon Point or ride it…there is surf all around the Ventura area…drive down Highway 1 to County Line…Leo Carrillo is beautiful…Zuma…and when you get to Malibu park the car, lock it, and walk that beach and pier. If you can, get some kind of board and paddle out. The only other place on the surfing earth it compares to is maybe Waikiki as being a living breathing pulsating bed of surfing origin…there doesn’t need to be surf to feel some places…true energy spots with a resonance beyond any media-painted gloss coats of hype…a mixture of the land, the water, the geographic setup, and the light…just be sure to take a good shower after you get out of the water.
I’m not that intimate with beaches north of Big Sur but there are plenty of them…Santa Cruz has always been a weird energy visit for me with mysto van crappingouts in intersections etc. The Monterey area is also beautiful and a nice chunk of California history both factual and literary (Steinbeck).
Nels
Thanks Nels,
Yeah I know, one week, that’s it. But should be a good time. Submerse ourselves into countless wave riding possiblities. I’m hoping to be overwhelmed with options. But just to hit a couple good days will make me happy.
If you’re on highway 1 the whole way…don’t pass by good surf. You never know when the wind will come up, tide will fill in, swell will go down, school will let out…pick a preposition & it can happen to the surf here, in winter. If you see a wave, pull over, suit up, get some. Who cares if you’ve ever heard of the place before or not. 1 week isn’t enough to chase the off-track spots that are deep within State Parks, Air Force bases, and private land anyway - but you’ll find probably 250 turnouts in view of waves where surfers have parked & paddle out countless times before.
In terms of can’t-miss…and without a longboard…The Lane, Jalama, Rincon, Strands, County Line, Malibu or Topanga, Trestles, Blacks. That’s a week by itself, if they’re all working. If you need to set up camping, use reserveamerica.com - its got all the CA State parks. Jalama is private - first come, first served - but mid week in the winter won’t be a problem. You might find you want to hang there a few days, anyway…
Have you seen these?
http://www.californiacampers.com/index.html
A friend of mine used vwsurfari for a 4-day San O trip in September & the thing was awesome…
I’m in with with the others; a Steamer Lane stop is mandatory as well as Rincon and Malibu.
Obviously you need to drive down Highway 1 not 101. Gawk in Big Sur but figure on camping an hour south of there at Plaskett Creek/Sand Dollar Beach. One of the nicest camp grounds anywhere in California. If there is a peaky windswell, the Sand Dollar beachbreak can get really good. If its bigger you can get out by paddling next to the big rocks at the south end of the beach.
If the surf is big and lined up, just head a few miles south to Willow Creek…
3/4 suit is the way to go, hood and booties for the winter.
Thanks Benny,
I got a '76 curb yellow vw bus camper when i turned 16. My parents had it brand new since '76 and 17 years later gave it to me. One year after that, I totaled it. One of those moments I wish I could have back.
We rented a pruis. Something like 600 miles per tank.
Rick,
for what it’s worth here’s a few more opinions! With a week SF to LA you have a bit of time which is nice. Monterey, Big Sur (Carmel beach can have nice beachie barrels if it all comes together right) are great, and the stretch after Big Sur down to Morro where the road swings up to SLO is fantastic too- beautiful area with lots of little beaches that probably won’t be working too well, but Morro Bay has waves north of the rock, great seafood and it’s a good spot to spend a night.
Rick,
i have to agree with Benny on this one. if you see surf, go get some!
also, please be careful between S.F. and S.C. … the shark scare is
real…
you won’t need more than a 4/3. booties and hood are optional.
have fun!
Hey Rick,
Looks like you’ve got a lot to chew on as far as surf spots (and I agree with all of the above suggestions), so I thought I’d offer some more to chew on as far as literary selections. Reading about others California experiences as you trip down the coast can add a lot of depth to your journey. Some of my favorites:
NorCal. Kerouac’s Dharma Bums, any poems by Gary Snyder you can get your hands on (Turtle Island is stellar, as is a new ‘complete’ reader that came out a few years ago. He even has a collection called Regarding Wave).
CentralCal. Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat is fun and will leave some room in your life for other things, like surfing and cervezas.
SoCal. Chandler’s The Big Sleep is a great read, as is his The Long Goodbye. Wolfe’s The Pumphouse Gang is also a fun look at surfing from an outsider’s perspective. For an insider’s, check out The Tribes of Palos Verdes by Joy Nicholson–more than just a girl’s coming of age story.
Finally, Tim Palmer’s Pacific High chronicles his journey from Baja to Alaska along the Coast Range. This guy walked, ran, rode his bike, backpacked…whatever, the whole way. Totally inspirational–a good book to have around.
Hope the trip’s a good one,
Jamie
Thanks Jamie,
I was actually going to look for a new book today.
Just don’t come to Palos Verdes or we’ll steal your backpack, vandalize your car, give you stinkeye, spalsh at you, cut you off and throw rocks at you as you go down the cliff trails!
Just kidding. PV Cove is a friendly place with lots of history. It’s also beautiful- you can totally forget you’re in one of the largest urban areas in the world. Bring your longboard. Haggerty’s is a fun left, but has a concentrated takeoff zone and gets pretty aggro. Then there’s Lunada Bay, big wave right point. All the things I said above in jest…are a fact of life for an outsider at the Bay. Not much physical violence since a spat of lawsuits and criminal charges in recent years, bu t all the above still happens on a regular basis.
I hate it when people splash at me.
Hey Rick,
You opened the can of worms, so here’s a couple more for you.
Don’t pass up a detour to Ocean Beach, San Francisco. If the swell is up (which is likely this time of year) and the conditions are good (far less likely) you could be in for a real treat at one of California’s great beach breaks. Why it looked like this just the other day…
Another one: Mavericks. Even if the waves aren’t showing, the place is a sight to behold. As you are going south on Highway 1, south of the hamlet of Moss Beach, look for the little airport on your right. That jut of land beyond is the fabled Pillar Point, and beyond that, about a mile out to sea, is hell and glory itself. Turn off at Princeton and follow your nose, you’ll find it.
Have fun amigo and keep your eyes on the road!
Enjoy,
Swaylock
Thanks Swaylock,
‘Eyes on the road’…that’s what my wife is worring about.
“Oh man…look at that!”
Rick.
funny I stumble upon this thread now ! I’m taking the same trip [except all the way down to San Diego] with my father [who doesn’t surf by the way!] in about mid-December. I’m sooo stoked ! Have fun and report back !
-jeremy
I did that. Hwy 1 is a reason to go to CA all on its own, but I agree with Benny, pull over and get some wherever and whenever, and trip out on the drive–your woman is driving when you’re surfed out, right?
I’m green w’envy, but wish you great stuff, classic–I think it’s almost better if you don’t take pics, but you have to.