11 Great Scenic Drives in California

[Music] hey everyone this week I wanted to talk about some of my favorite scenic drives in California I tried to pick drives that are shorter and can be done in a day so you won't find the entirety of Pacific Coast Highway or highway 395 on here both of which are two of the best drives of the state this list focuses on short scenic routes that have amazing payoffs and will allow you to see a unique part of California let's jump into it and let me know where I left off in the comments this list starts in Southern California and ends in Northern California my first recommendation is to Anza Borrego area Anza Borrego is an impressive state park east of San Diego which is an excellent spot for a scenic drive you can take highway 78 from Escondido through Julian and into the park or you can take my personal favorite s22 down into the park both drives start up in the mountains and descend down to the desert with impressive views of the surrounding Peaks and out towards the Salton Sea once you get two hands Abrego State Park you can explore the metal sculptures found all around the park and some of the great hikes in the area or if you're looking to extend the drive you could even head out towards Salton Sea and loop back around to Palm Springs it's not a drive that many people have done but it's a fun desert road trip just don't do it in the summer my next suggestion is rim of the world scenic byway this route starts the Cajon Pass and traverses through the mountains going close to crest line Lake Arrowhead and then over to Big Bear along the way you will have stunning views down into the Inland Empire and looking out towards the ocean if it's a clear day there are mini pull outs along the drive so you can take your time and soak it all in you can also make this a longer adventure by spending the night in Big Bear and exploring what that city has to offer as well from Big Bear the road descents all the way back down into the towns of Redlands and Mentone completing the drive my next recommendation is route 66 California is a last state you would get to on a route 66 road trip the end point is in Santa Monica and it's actually a great place to start or end if you want to drive a small portion of the route in California I would recommend making a day out of it and driving from San Bernardino along route 66 to Santa Monica along the way you can see reconstructed old gas stations the original McDonald's museum stopped to have a drink at Fair Oaks pharmacy and soda fountain and even walk along the Colorado Street bridge while a lot of route 66 history is gone now in California it's still a great Drive also I drove the whole route last year with my dad and made a 2-hour video of it that you can see in the description if you're interested my next recommendation is the Death Valley scenic byway Death Valley is another remote part of California and one that you definitely don't want to visit in the summer however in the spring our fall driving highway 190 the Death Valley Scenic Byway is a great way to explore the park I recommend starting with a detour to Dante's view an excellent view point over Death Valley and bad water and then making your way to Furnace Creek along the way you'll pass a brewski point another stunning view in the park before making it to the visitor center of Furnish Creek from here you can detour south to popular spots like bad water artist palette and devils golf course or continue on the root path salt Creek and the mesquite flat sand dunes as you make your way out of the park be sure to stop at father Crowley point which is known as star wars Canyon and if you're lucky you may even see a jet fly through there next up it's hard to beat Kings Canyon Scenic Byway this drive is on highway 180 and it goes 50 miles down into the Cedar Grove area with amazing views the entire way this is not a drive you should take if you're afraid of heights and don't like whiny roads as it's very windy and has big drop-offs the slow drive is rewarded though with views as you make your way down and a plethora of waterfalls Peaks rivers and hiking trails when you get to Cedar Grove and roads end it's amazing to see this side of California on Kings Canyon Scenic Byway and it's definitely one of my favorite scenic drives in the state my next scenic drive is the June Lake loop the June link loop or Highway 158 is one of the shortest drives on this list at only 13 miles this route is an easy detour off highway 395 however it is one that you will definitely want to spend some time on the roof features mini lakes towering mountain peaks and some great hiking trails I've driven it many times and I always find new things to do each time i drive through the area plus you can make a day out of it and go swimming in june lake as well my next recommendation is Tioga Pass Tioga Pass or highway 120 is one of the most beautiful drives in the state as it takes you from highway 395 through yosemite high country to the yosemite valley the road crosses an elevation of almost 10,000 feet as it passes Lakes Meadows and stunning Peaks it's an excellent jumping-off point for exploring a lot of the park's best hikes as well like clouds rest and North dome or you can just soak in the views from Olmsted Point my next suggestion is a drive along the Big Sur coastline Pacific Coast Highway should definitely be on your list to drive at some point in your life the entire drive is stunning with some of the best coastline in the entire world leading to views you'll never forget to me the best part of this drive is the Big Sur area where the two-lane road weaves along massive cliffs with waves crashing on the shore below this area has historic bridges a waterfall that falls directly on the beach and hundreds of miles of hiking trails if you can only do one scenic drive in the state this should probably be it my next suggestion is the Avenue of the Giants Avenue of the Giants is a 32 mile drive in the northern portion of the state that travels under stunning redwoods and past dozens of amazing groves you can drive through it quickly and just see the trees towering above you but if you take the time to get out and explore some of the stops you'll be blown away by what you can see I've driven this room many times and I still set aside a day to do it each time I'm in the area plus you can drive through a tree along the way as well that's something that you've always wanted to do my next recommendation is to take the drive around Lake Tahoe the drive around Lake Tahoe is 72 miles on multiple highways and it is beautiful most of the time while there are a few small towns cities and private homes that block your view around the lake there are still a lot of opportunities to see Lake Tahoe in all its glory places like Sand Harbor on the Nevada side and Emerald Bay on the California side are two of my favorites while you can drive around the whole Lake in a day I would encourage you to spend some time in this area and make a weekend out of it it's definitely one of California's most beautiful places to explore my last recommendation is the volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway many people never make it up to this part of the state since it's so far from the major areas like San Francisco and Sacramento it's certainly worth the effort to see such a unique part of the California landscape though the drive through Lassen National Park allows you to see massive volcanic Peaks geothermal areas and beautiful lakes continuing on towards Mount Shasta you can take a detour and see Bernie Falls one of my favorite waterfalls in the state after that you can drive by a subway cave that you can hike to and another set of great waterfalls near McLeod eventually you'll end at Mount Shasta easily one of California's most stunning mountains it's a great place to spend a weekend exploring Lake Siskiyou in the shadow of the mountain itself and getting to know the charming mountain town also this isn't the end of the volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway it actually goes into Oregon and it's around 500 miles so you can keep exploring if you wanted to there you have it my favorite scenic drives in the state what did I leave off that you love let me know in the comments and we'll see you on the next video [Music]

Channel: California Through My Lens

Views: 477,586

Keywords: california scenic drives, california road trips

Id: kSjm0N4Hdvc

Length: 8min 22sec (502 seconds)

Published: Sat Jun 20 2020