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Driving routes in California.

The west coast of America is one of the most scenic places in the continent and the coastal area offers some routes with breathtaking ocean views. Some of the most popular routes are the routes between San Francisco and Los Angeles. Below are listed a few of the options available. As a general tip whichever direction you are driving in try and leave early and avoid the morning rush, roads around both cities are notorious for becoming deadlocked in rush hour.

US101 (Black Route)
This route is about 430 miles long. If leaving Los Angeles start at intersection of I-101 and I-405. Part of this route takes you close to the Getty Museum and Brentwood and close to the original route of the legendary Route 66. The Ventura section takes you past Santa Barbara and the scenic coastal route, then through a pretty valley filled with horse ranches and lakes; from here you can divert into California`s mountain ranges and take in the lush green pastures that fill the valleys. The route then skirts back into the country at Pismo beach going back inland passing typical California towns and Spanish Missions. After passing through the most sparsely populated section of the drive you come to Steinbeck country and Salinas. The last section of the drive is between San Jose and your destination, the 1-280 is recommended as the most scenic route unless you are heading to the airport.

The Coastal Route (Blue Route)
It is possible to drive the Coastal Route in one day but his leaves you little time to stop and admire the scenery, this route sticks to the coastline and is often on winding two lane roads. Some 270 miles long this route gives you the opportunity to pass through the areas where the rich and famous make their homes, while taking in the views and watching the California surf. The places to stop and visit are too numerous to mention here, but as you would expect the California Coast offers plenty of places to stop eat and take in your surroundings.

The most interesting route is known as "The Back Route" Too far to drive in a single day this allows you to climb the eastern side of the mountains, if Tioga Pass is open you can skirt Arizona and travel into Yosemite National park.
Driving in the area is not without its problems. The area has a lot of winding roads, so if any members of your party suffer from travel sickness they are well advised to take remedies before starting out. Mudslides have been known to block areas of the road in bad weather so make sure you keep up to date with travel information and the views are less obscured travelling from South to North. Finally the local law states that if there are five or more vehicles following you and you wish to drive slowly you have to pull into a lay by and allow them to pass.

If you are tempted by a driving tour of California cheap car hire in California will give you a good source of information for vehicle hire. Happy Driving.

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