California State Route 1
Encyclopedia
State Route 1 more often called Highway 1, is a state highway
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 that runs along much of the Pacific coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...

 of the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. It is famous for running along some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...

.

Highway 1 does not run over the entire Pacific coastline of California. It starts at Interstate 5 (I-5) near Dana Point
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...

 in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

 and runs north to U.S. Highway 101 (US 101) near Leggett
Leggett, California
Leggett is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River northwest of Laytonville, at an elevation of 984 feet . It is home to some of the largest trees in the world...

 in Mendocino County. Highway 1 also at times runs concurrently
Concurrency (road)
A concurrency, overlap, or coincidence in a road network is an instance of one physical road bearing two or more different highway, motorway, or other route numbers...

 with US 101, most notably through a 54 miles (86.9 km) stretch in Ventura
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

 and Santa Barbara Counties
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...

, and across the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...

. It also serves as a scenic alternative in several locations; and a major thoroughfare in the Greater Los Angeles Area
Greater Los Angeles Area
The Greater Los Angeles Area, or the Southland, is a term used for the Combined Statistical Area sprawled over five counties in the southern part of California, namely Los Angeles County, Orange County, San Bernardino County, Riverside County and Ventura County...

, the San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...

, and other coastal urban areas along its route.

Highway 1 has several portions designated as either Pacific Coast Highway (PCH), the Cabrillo Highway, the Shoreline Highway, or the Coast Highway.

Route description

Highway 1 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...

 and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...

. However, only a few stretches between Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

 and San Francisco have officially been designated as a scenic highway. The Big Sur
Big Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...

 section from San Luis Obispo to Carmel is an official National Scenic Byway
National Scenic Byway
A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for its archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and/or scenic qualities. The program was established by Congress in 1991 to preserve and protect the nation's scenic but often...

.

The entire route is also designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway
Blue Star Memorial Highway
Blue Star Memorial Highways are highways in the United States that are marked to pay tribute to the U.S. armed forces. The National Council of State Garden Clubs, now known as National Garden Clubs, Inc., started the program in 1945 after World War II. The blue star was used on service flags to...

 to recognize those in the United States armed forces. In Southern California, the California Legislature has designated the segment between Interstate 5
Interstate 5 in California
Interstate 5 is a major north–south route of the Interstate Highway System in the U.S. state of California. It begins at the Mexico – United States border at the San Ysidro crossing, goes north across the length of California and crosses into Oregon south of the Medford-Ashland metropolitan...

 (I-5) in Dana Point
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...

 and US 101 near Oxnard
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...

 as the Pacific Coast Highway (commonly referred to as "PCH"). Between U.S. 101 at the Las Cruces junction (8 miles south of Buellton
Buellton, California
Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city of Buellton is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley...

) and U.S. 101 in Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach, California
Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 7,655 at the 2010 census, down from 8,551 at the 2000 census...

, and between U.S. 101 in San Luis Obispo and Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (California)
Interstate 280 is a 57-mile long north–south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It connects San Jose and San Francisco, running along just to the west of the cities of San Francisco Peninsula for most of its route.I-280 from its northern end at King...

 in San Francisco, the legislature has designated State Highway 1 as the Cabrillo Highway, after Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo was a Portuguese explorer noted for his exploration of the west coast of North America on behalf of Spain. Cabrillo was the first European explorer to navigate the coast of present day California in the United States...

. The legislature has also designated the route as the Shoreline Highway between the Manzanita Junction near Marin City
Marin City, California
Marin City, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marin County, California, United States. It is located northwest of downtown Sausalito, at an elevation of 23 feet . Marin City was developed for housing starting in 1942, to accommodate war-time shipyard workers and other...

 and Leggett
Leggett, California
Leggett is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River northwest of Laytonville, at an elevation of 984 feet . It is home to some of the largest trees in the world...

. Smaller segments of the highway have been assigned several other names by the state and municipal governments.

In addition to connecting the coastal cities and communities along its path, Highway 1 also provides access to numerous beaches, parks, and other attractions along the coast, making it a popular route for tourists. The route runs right besides the coastline, or close to it, for the most part, but it also turns several miles inland to avoid several federally-controlled or protected areas such as Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....

, Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Diablo Canyon Power Plant
Diablo Canyon Power Plant is an electricity-generating nuclear power plant at Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, California. The plant has two Westinghouse-designed 4-loop pressurized-water nuclear reactors operated by Pacific Gas & Electric. The facility is located on about in Avila Beach,...

 and Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue...

.

Orange County

At its southernmost end in Orange County
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...

, Highway 1 terminates at I-5 in Capistrano Beach
Capistrano Beach, Dana Point, California
Capistrano Beach, while possessing its own zip code, is in fact a part of the city of Dana Point in Orange County, California. It is bordered by San Clemente to the south and Laguna Beach to the north. Other nearby cities include San Juan Capistrano. Capistrano Beach is one of the few remaining...

 in Dana Point
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...

. It then travels north into the city center, where, for about 1 miles (1.6 km), northbound traffic continues along the original PCH alignment and southbound traffic is diverted onto the parallel Del Prado. After the two roads merge back, Highway 1 continues north along the coast through Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...

 and Crystal Cove State Park
Crystal Cove State Park
Crystal Cove State Park is a state park of California, USA, encompassing of Pacific coastline, inland chaparral canyons, and the Crystal Cove Historic District of beach houses. The park located in Newport Beach. Crystal Cove is a stretch of coastal cliffs and a beachfront cove situated between...

.

Highway 1 then enters Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...

, where it is known as simply Coast Highway. It passes through several affluent neighborhoods, including Newport Coast and Corona Del Mar
Corona del Mar, Newport Beach, California
Corona del Mar or CdM is a neighborhood in the affluent city of Newport Beach, California. It generally consists of all land on the seaward face of the San Joaquin Hills south of Avocado Avenue to the city limits, as well as the development of Irvine Terrace, just north of Avocado...

, and spans the entrance to the Upper Newport Bay
Upper Newport Bay
The Upper Newport Bay is a large coastal wetland in Southern California and a major stopover for birds. Dozens of species, including endangered ones, can be observed here. Upper Newport Bay Nature Preserve and Ecological Reserve represent approximately 1,000 acres of open space...

. Upon entering Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...

, Highway 1 regains the Pacific Coast Highway designation. It passes Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach
Huntington State Beach is a protected beach in Southern California, located in the City of Huntington Beach in Orange County.The California State Park extends two miles from Newport Beach north to Beach Blvd. where the Huntington City Beach begins.This beach is a popular destination for many...

 before reaching Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach
Bolsa Chica State Beach is a beach in the state park system of California, USA. It is located in the Huntington Beach community of Sunset Beach in Orange County....

 and the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. PCH then continues along the coast into Seal Beach
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...

, the final city on its journey in Orange County.

Los Angeles and Ventura counties

PCH enters Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...

 and the city of Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

 after crossing the San Gabriel River
San Gabriel River (California)
The San Gabriel River flows through southern Los Angeles County, California in the United States. Its main stem is about long, while its farthest tributaries extend almost altogether...

. Highway 1 then continues northwest through the city to its junction with Lakewood Boulevard (State Route 19) and Los Coyotes Diagonal at the Long Beach Traffic Circle, more than 2 miles (3.2 km) from the coast. From the traffic circle, it continues inland west through Long Beach, including approximately one mile adjacent to the southern boundary of Signal Hill
Signal Hill, California
Signal Hill is a small city in California located in the Greater Los Angeles area. Signal Hill, completely surrounded by the city of Long Beach, was incorporated on April 22, 1924, roughly three years after oil was discovered in Signal Hill. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...

. PCH then passes through the Los Angeles districts of Wilmington and Harbor City. While bypassing the immediate coastline of Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes
Palos Verdes is a name often used to refer to a group of coastal cities in the Palos Verdes Hills on the Palos Verdes Peninsula, within southwestern Los Angeles County in the U.S...

, Highway 1 continues to head west into the cities of Lomita
Lomita, California
Lomita is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 20,256 at the 2010 census, up from 20,046 at the 2000 census...

 and Torrance
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...

.

PCH then turns north through Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...

 and Hermosa Beach
Hermosa Beach, California
Hermosa Beach is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Its population was 19,506 at the 2010 census, up from 18,566 at the 2000 census....

. Upon entering Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...

, it becomes Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles, California, which stretches some 42.8 miles from Rinaldi Street at the north end of the San Fernando Valley to the city limits of Hermosa Beach, where it "jumps" east and continues on to Long Beach. It generally runs north-south, passing underneath...

 and continues through El Segundo
El Segundo, California
El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...

 and Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...

 (LAX), passing under two runways via the Sepulveda Boulevard Tunnel
Airport Tunnel (Los Angeles)
The Airport Tunnel , also known as the Sepulveda Boulevard Tunnel, is a highway tunnel in Los Angeles, California, carrying Sepulveda Boulevard underneath several runways and taxiways at Los Angeles International Airport. This section of Sepulveda is a part of California State Route 1....

.

After leaving LAX, State Highway 1 turns northwest, becoming Lincoln Boulevard and passing through the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westchester, Playa Vista, Marina Del Rey
Marina del Rey, California
-Demographics:-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Marina del Rey had a population of 8,866. The population density was 6,094.6 people per square mile...

, and Venice. It then enters the city of Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...

, where Highway 1 turns southwest, merging onto the final segment of the Santa Monica Freeway. Passing through the McClure Tunnel, Highway 1 emerges along the beachfront in Santa Monica and continues along the coast; it is known locally also as Palisades Beach Road and formerly as Roosevelt Highway. Upon leaving Santa Monica, it once again regains the name PCH as it follows the coast, curving west through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood before becoming Malibu's main thoroughfare, spanning the entire 21 miles (33.8 km) of that city.

After leaving Malibu, Highway 1 crosses into Ventura County
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...

 and continues along the coast through Point Mugu State Park
Point Mugu State Park
Point Mugu State Park is a state park located in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area in Southern California. Part of the Western Santa Monica Mountains, the park is located at 9000 West Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu, California. There is a fee-based parking lot that is open from 8...

 to just beyond the park's western boundary. Approaching the Oxnard Plain
Oxnard Plain
The Oxnard Plain is a large coastal plain in southwest Ventura County, California bounded by the Santa Monica Mountains, the Santa Susana Mountains, and Oak Ridge to the east, the Topatopa Mountains to the north, the Santa Clara River Valley to the northeast and the Pacific Ocean to the south and...

, it passes through a notch in the mountain that forms Point Mugu. The road cut left a very large rock formation at the tip of the point that is called the Mugu Rock. At that point, PCH leaves the coast and heads north, and then northwest as a freeway along the northeastern boundary of Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu
Naval Air Station Point Mugu
Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu or NBVC Point Mugu is a military airbase located in Point Mugu, Ventura County, California, United States. Due to realignment actions which occurred in 2000, the base is now part of Naval Base Ventura County , a consolidated organization that also includes...

 for several miles to an interchange at Rice Avenue, Pleasant Valley Road, and Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...

. From there, Highway 1 continues northwest onto Oxnard Boulevard to Wooley Road, then heads due north further inland to US 101, where it begins its first concurrency with that U.S. Route.

After traveling through Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...

, Highway 1 separates from US 101 to travel along the beach from Emma Wood State Beach
Emma Wood State Beach
Emma Wood State Beach is a protected beach in California, located west of the city of Ventura. The beach was named after Miss Emma Catherine Wood.-Activities:Although popular for fishing, it is probably most famous for its amazing surf...

 to the Mobil Pier Undercrossing, where it rejoins US 101 about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the Santa Barbara County
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...

 line near La Conchita
La Conchita, California
La Conchita is a small unincorporated community in western Ventura County, California, on U.S. Route 101 just southeast of the Santa Barbara county line...

.

Central Coast and Big Sur

The US 101/Highway 1 concurrency (although actual signage mentioning Highway 1 through this segment is nonexistent) from the Mobil Pier Undercrossing runs for 54 miles (86.9 km), passing through the City of Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...

 and its neighboring communities along the coast of Santa Barbara County. Afterwards, Highway 1, now named Cabrillo Highway, splits again from US 101 north of the Gaviota Tunnel
Gaviota Tunnel
The Gaviota Tunnel is a tunnel on U.S. Route 101 completed in 1953 north of Gaviota State Park, 33 miles northwest of Santa Barbara, California. It is long and tall. Only the northbound lanes of U.S...

, and heads to the coastal city of Lompoc
Lompoc, California
Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city was incorporated in 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census....

. It is briefly joined with Highway 246
California State Route 246
State Route 246 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs from Lompoc to Santa Ynez and cuts through the Santa Barbara Wine Country.-Route description:...

 along Lompoc's east-west Ocean Avenue, before turning north as H Street to Harris Grade Road, where it then regains the Cabrillo Highway name.

After reaching Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....

, Highway 1 turns inland, northeast, to join Highway 135
California State Route 135
State Route 135 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, entirely within Santa Barbara County, and is basically a bypass of U.S. Route 101 in northern Santa Barbara County between the town of Los Alamos and the city of Santa Maria....

. Route 135 then splits from Route 1 south of Orcutt
Orcutt, California
Orcutt is an unincorporated township located in the Santa Maria Valley of California, and a census-designated place; it is in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William W. Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil...

, and the Cabrillo Highway turns northwest back towards the coast to Guadalupe
Guadalupe, California
Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the U.S. Census of 2010, the city has a population of 7,080. It was incorporated as a city on May 19, 1946...

. It then enters San Luis Obispo County
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...

, passing through Grover Beach
Grover Beach, California
Grover Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 13,156 at the 2010 census, up from 13,067 at the 2000 census. This city was originally called, "Grover City". The name was changed by popular vote in 1992 to emphasize the seaside...

 before joining US 101 for the third time at Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach, California
Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 7,655 at the 2010 census, down from 8,551 at the 2000 census...

.

Highway 1 then splits from US 101 at San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...

 and resumes as the Cabrillo Highway. It runs through Morro Bay
Morro Bay, California
Morro Bay is a waterfront city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,234, down from 10,350 at the 2000 census.- History :...

 as a freeway, where it crosses Morro Creek
Morro Creek
Morro Creek is a coastal stream in San Luis Obispo County, California, USA. This watercourse discharges to the Pacific Ocean at the city of Morro Bay.-Natural history:...

 at the site of a prehistoric Chumash settlement dating to the Millingstone Horizon
Millingstone Horizon
Millingstone Horizon is an archaeological period of Native American dominance denoting a period in California, USA involving extensive use of manos and other grinding technology. The interval is a subset of the Archaic Period; specifically Millingstone is usually applied to the period 6500 to...

. From there, Highway 1 proceeds north to Cayucos
Cayucos, California
Cayucos is a census-designated place located on the coast in San Luis Obispo County, California along California State Route 1 between Cambria to the north and Morro Bay to the south...

 until it again becomes a winding, two lane road with occasional passing lanes. It then continues along the coast through San Simeon
San Simeon, California
San Simeon is a census-designated place on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California. Its position along State Route 1 is approximately halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, each of those cities being roughly 230 mi away...

 and past the elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas Light
Piedras Blancas Light
Piedras Blancas Light Station is a lighthouse on Point Piedras Blancas, about five and half miles west by NW of San Simeon, California.-History:...

.

Highway 1 then enters the Big Sur
Big Sur
Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur", "the big...

 region, crossing the San Carpoforo Creek just south of the Monterey County
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...

 line. For about 90 miles (144.8 km) from the San Carpoforo Creek to the Carmel River
Carmel River
The Carmel River is a river on the Central Coast of California in Monterey County that originates in the Santa Lucia Mountains. The river flows northwest through the Carmel Valley with its mouth at the Pacific Ocean south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It is often considered the northern boundary of Big Sur...

, the road winds and hugs the cliffs of Big Sur, passing various coastal parks in the area. This segment of the highway, built between 1919 and 1937, also crosses several historic bridges, including the scenic Bixby Creek Bridge, a reinforced concrete arch with a 320 feet (97.5 m) span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge, and the Rocky Creek Bridge.

Monterey Bay area

After crossing the Carmel River, Highway 1 runs along just outside the eastern boundary of Carmel before becoming a freeway in Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...

. The freeway then heads north along the coast of Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean, along the central coast of California. The bay is south of San Francisco and San Jose, between the cities of Santa Cruz and Monterey....

 through Sand City
Sand City, California
Sand City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, located on the shores of Monterey Bay, and surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Seaside. Sand City is located northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 72 feet . The population was 334 at the 2010 census, up from 261 at...

, Seaside
Seaside, California
Seaside is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, with a population of 33,025 as of the 2010 census. Seaside is located east-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 33 feet...

, and Marina
Marina, California
Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The population was 19,718 at the 2010 census. Marina is located along the central coast of California, west of Salinas, and 8 miles north of Monterey, at an elevation of 43 feet . Marina was incorporated in 1975 and is the newest city...

. At the interchange with Highway 156
California State Route 156
State Route 156 is a state highway in California, USA, running from Castroville to State Route 152 near Hollister.This route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.-Route description:...

 near Castroville
Castroville, California
Castroville is a census-designated place in Monterey County, California, United States. Castroville is located northwest of Salinas, at an elevation of 23 feet . The population was 6,481 at the 2010 census, down from 6,724 at the 2000 census. Castroville calls itself "Artichoke Center of the...

, Highway 1 continues north as a two-lane rural road to Moss Landing
Moss Landing, California
Moss Landing is a census-designated place in Monterey County, California, United States. Moss Landing is located on the Pajaro Valley Consolidated Railroad north-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 10 feet . As of the 2010 census, the CDP population was 204, down from 300 at the 2000...

.

Highway 1 becomes a freeway once again just before entering into Santa Cruz County
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...

. This four-lane freeway continues up the Monterey Bay through Watsonville
Watsonville, California
Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...

 to its interchange with Highway 17 in Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...

 (the Highway 1/17 interchange is locally known as The Fishhook due to its tight loop ramps that resemble a fishhook when viewed from above). Upon reaching downtown Santa Cruz, it continues as Mission Street and Coast Road, before regaining the Cabrillo Highway name after it leaves the city and continues north as a two lane road up the coast.

San Francisco Bay area

Entering San Mateo County
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...

, Highway 1 follows the west coast of the San Francisco Peninsula
San Francisco Peninsula
The San Francisco Peninsula is a peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area that separates the San Francisco Bay from the Pacific Ocean. On its northern tip is the City and County of San Francisco. Its southern base is in Santa Clara County, including the cities of Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain...

, passing by the marine mammal colonies at the Año Nuevo State Reserve
Año Nuevo State Reserve
Año Nuevo State Park is a state park of California, USA, encompassing Año Nuevo Island and Año Nuevo Point, which are known for their pinniped rookeries. Located in San Mateo County, the low, rocky, windswept point juts out into the Pacific Ocean about south of San Francisco and the Golden Gate...

, and the historic Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Pigeon Point Lighthouse
Pigeon Point Light Station or Pigeon Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse built in 1871 to guide ships on the Pacific coast of California. It is the tallest lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States. It is still an active Coast Guard aid to navigation...

, before reaching Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....

. Between Half Moon Bay and Pacifica
Pacifica, California
Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...

, the highway travels through a treacherous stretch known as Devil's Slide, known for periodic landslides and closures.

Highway 1 then becomes a freeway once again at Sharp Park in Pacifica before turning inland to join Interstate 280
Interstate 280 (California)
Interstate 280 is a 57-mile long north–south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It connects San Jose and San Francisco, running along just to the west of the cities of San Francisco Peninsula for most of its route.I-280 from its northern end at King...

 in Daly City
Daly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...

. Just short of reaching the City and County of San Francisco, Highway 1 splits from Interstate 280, where the road becomes Junipero Serra Boulevard
Junipero Serra Boulevard
Junipero Serra Boulevard is a major boulevard in and south of San Francisco. Within the city, it forms part of the route of State Route 1, the shortest connection between Interstate 280 and the Golden Gate Bridge. The remainder, in San Mateo County, has been bypassed or replaced by I-280, the...

. Shortly thereafter, the highway makes a slight left, becoming the six-lane wide 19th Avenue
19th Avenue (San Francisco)
19th Avenue in San Francisco, California, is a five-mile long, eight-lane arterial thoroughfare that bisects the southwestern part of the city....

. Highway 1 then turns into Park Presidio Boulevard after it passes through the city's Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park
Golden Gate Park, located in San Francisco, California, is a large urban park consisting of of public grounds. Configured as a rectangle, it is similar in shape but 20% larger than Central Park in New York, to which it is often compared. It is over three miles long east to west, and about half a...

. Then after entering the Presidio of San Francisco
Presidio of San Francisco
The Presidio of San Francisco is a park on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula in San Francisco, California, within the Golden Gate National Recreation Area...

, it goes through the MacArthur Tunnel
MacArthur Tunnel
The MacArthur Tunnel, formally known as the General Douglas MacArthur Tunnel, is a highway tunnel located on the grounds of The Presidio of San Francisco in San Francisco, California...

 before joining US 101 for a fourth time on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...

 known as Doyle Drive.

After crossing the bridge and entering Marin County
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...

, Highway 1 then splits from US 101 again near Marin City
Marin City, California
Marin City, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marin County, California, United States. It is located northwest of downtown Sausalito, at an elevation of 23 feet . Marin City was developed for housing starting in 1942, to accommodate war-time shipyard workers and other...

, where it leaves the city and, as the Shoreline Highway, returns to a winding, two lane road as it passes over the Marin Hills
Marin Hills
The Marin Hills are a series of steep high ridges and peaks in southern Marin County. They are a part of the long Pacific Coast Ranges mountain system. The centerpoint of these hills is the 2,571 foot Mount Tamalpais near Mill Valley...

 to rejoin the coast at Muir Beach
Muir Beach, California
Muir Beach is a census-designated place , unincorporated community, and beach that is located northwest of San Francisco in western Marin County, California, United States...

. Leaving the Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...

, the highway passes the Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore
Point Reyes National Seashore is a park preserve located on the Point Reyes Peninsula in Marin County, California, USA. As a national seashore, it is maintained by the US National Park Service as a nationally important nature preserve within which existing agricultural uses are allowed to continue...

 and Tomales Bay
Tomales Bay
Tomales Bay is a long narrow inlet of the Pacific Ocean in Marin County in northern California in the United States. It is approximately 15 miles long and averages nearly 1.0 miles wide, effectively separating the Point Reyes Peninsula from the mainland of Marin County. It is located...

, eventually entering Sonoma County
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....

 just south of Bodega Bay
Bodega Bay, California
Bodega Bay is a town and census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 1,077 at the 2010 census. The town is on the eastern side of Bodega Harbor, an inlet of Bodega Bay on the Pacific coast....

, where its name changes to Coast Highway past the Sonoma Coast State Beach
Sonoma Coast State Beach
Sonoma Coast State Beach is a State of California property in Sonoma County consisting of public access use on lands adjoining the Pacific Ocean. This extent of beach runs from a coastal point about north of Jenner and continues for approximately to the south to terminate at Bodega Head...

es. After bridging the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...

 at Jenner
Jenner, California
Jenner is a small coastal town and census-designated place with a population of about 136 in Sonoma County, California, U.S. It is located on the Pacific coast near the mouth of the Russian River. State Route 1 runs through the town and State Route 116 runs nearby, along the Russian River...

, Highway 1 winds along the rugged coast to Fort Ross
Fort Ross, California
Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment on the Pacific Coast in what is now Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlements in North America in between 1812 to 1841...

 and Salt Point State Park
Salt Point State Park
Salt Point State Park is a state park located at in Sonoma County, California, United States. The park covers on the coast of Northern California with of hiking trails and over six miles of a rough rocky coast line including Salt Point which protrudes into the Pacific Ocean. The park also...

s.

Mendocino County

Highway 1 then crosses the Gualala River
Gualala River
The Gualala River is a river on the northern coast of California. Most of the river is in Sonoma County, but a portion is in Mendocino County. The headwaters of the river are high in the Coast Range, and it empties into the Pacific Ocean...

 and enters Mendocino County
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...

. The highway enters the city of Point Arena
Point Arena, California
Point Arena is a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Point Arena is located west of Hopland, at an elevation of 118 feet . The population was 449 at the 2010 census, down from 474 at the 2000 census, making it one of the smallest incorporated cities in the state...

, in which it becomes Main Street, before following School Street to the northwest and then becoming Shoreline Highway once again. It bridges the Garcia River
Garcia River
The Garcia River is a river on the northern coast of California, in southern Mendocino County. The river's watershed covers and its mainstem is long. The watershed receives of precipitation per year near the coast and inland. The watershed's elevation ranges from sea level near the ocean to in...

 and then, near Elk, the Navarro River
Navarro River
The Navarro River is a river in Mendocino County, California. It flows northwest through the Coastal Range to the Pacific Ocean. Encompassing , its watershed includes the Anderson Valley, a well-known wine-growing region in Mendocino County. The main stem of the Navarro River begins less than ...

, where it meets Highway 128
California State Route 128
State Route 128 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting the Mendocino coast to the Central Valley through the state's Wine Country.-Route description:...

.

At the town of Albion
Albion, California
Albion is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located south of Fort Bragg, at an elevation of 174 feet . Albion had a population of 168 at the 2010 census.-Geography:...

, the Albion River
Albion River
The Albion River is an river in Mendocino County, California. The river drains about on the Mendocino Coast and empties into the Pacific Ocean near the town of Albion, California, where California State Route 1 crosses it on the Albion River Bridge. The river's overall direction is east to west,...

 is spanned by the Albion River Bridge
Albion River Bridge
The Albion River Bridge is a wooden deck truss bridge crossing the Albion River in Mendocino County, California. It is the only remaining wooden bridge on California State Route 1; dramatic views of the bridge are visible from the nearby town of Albion, California.The Albion River has been crossed...

, the only remaining wooden trestle bridge on the highway. Highway 1 then passes through Little River
Little River, California
Little River is a small census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It lies at an elevation of 66 feet . It is located two miles south of the town of Mendocino and running along the Pacific Ocean coast on State Route 1...

 and Van Damme State Park
Van Damme State Park
Van Damme State Park consists of about of land in Mendocino County, California, near the town of Little River on State Route 1. It was named for Charles Van Damme , who was born in the area and purchased the land that is now the park with profits from a San Francisco ferry business...

, crosses Big River
Big River (California)
The Big River is a river in Mendocino County, California, draining an area of about . The Big River watershed borders the watersheds of the Noyo River to the north, the Eel River and Russian River to the east, and the Little River, Albion River, and Navarro River to the south.The river's...

 and passes through Mendocino Headlands State Park
Mendocino Headlands State Park
Mendocino Headlands State Park is a California State Park in Mendocino, California. It consists of of undeveloped seaside bluffs and islets surrounding the town of Mendocino, two beaches , and the much larger Big River Unit stretching for eight miles along both banks of the nearby Big River.The...

 and the Victorian community of Mendocino
Mendocino, California
Mendocino is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California, United States. Mendocino is located south of Fort Bragg, at an elevation of 154 feet...

. Continuing north, Highway 1 crosses Russian Gulch State Park
Russian Gulch State Park
Russian Gulch State Park is a California State Park in coastal Mendocino County, California, two miles north of Mendocino and seven miles south of Fort Bragg.-Park features:...

 on the Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge
Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge
The Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge, more commonly known as the Russian Gulch Bridge, is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel deck arch bridge on California State Highway 1, spanning Russian Gulch Creek in Russian Gulch State Park, Mendocino County, California, USA.The bridge was designed by Henry E....

, and passes through the town of Caspar
Caspar, California
Caspar is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located north of Mendocino, at an elevation of 82 feet . Caspar is located on the Pacific Ocean. In the Caspar area is the historic Point Cabrillo Light Station, which was built in 1909...

. Just south of the intersection with State Highway 20, a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...

 is under construction at Simpson Lane. Highway 1 widens to two lanes at the western terminus of Highway 20, bridges the Noyo River
Noyo River
The Noyo River is a river on the north coast of California in Mendocino County. The river's headwaters are in the steep Mendocino Range, but downstream the river flows through gently sloping marine terraces before draining into the Pacific Ocean...

 at Noyo
Noyo, California
Noyo is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located south of the center of Fort Bragg, at an elevation of 108 feet...

, and becomes Main Street of Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, California
Fort Bragg is a city located in coastal Mendocino County, California along State Route 1, the major north-south highway along the Pacific Coast. Fort Bragg is located west of Willits, at an elevation of 85 feet...

, where it crosses the California Western Railroad
California Western Railroad
The California Western Railroad , popularly called the Skunk Train, is a heritage railroad in Mendocino County, California, running from the railroad's headquarters in the coastal town of Fort Bragg, and the interchange with the Northwestern Pacific Railroad at Willits.The CWR runs steam and...

.

North of Fort Bragg as a single-lane highway again, the highway passes MacKerricher State Park
MacKerricher State Park
MacKerricher State Park in Northern California offers a variety of habitats: beach, bluff, headland, dune, forest, and wetland. Tide pools are along the shore. Seals live on the rocks off the park’s Mendocino coast. More than 90 species of birds visit or live near Cleone Lake, a former tidal lagoon...

 and the towns of Cleone
Cleone, California
Cleone is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located north-northeast of Fort Bragg on California State Highway 1, at an elevation of 79 feet . It most likely takes its name from Kelio, a division or village of the Pomo people...

 and Inglenook
Inglenook, California
Inglenook is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located on Inglenook Creek south of Westport and approximately north of Cleone, at an elevation of 102 feet . California State Highway 1 passes through the town, connecting it to Cleone and Fort Bragg to the south and...

 before crossing Ten Mile River
Ten Mile River (California)
Ten Mile River is a river in northern Mendocino County, California, United States. It is named for the fact that its mouth is ten miles north of the mouth of the Noyo River. The middle and north forks of the river are each long, and the river extends for seven more miles from their confluence to...

. At Rockport
Rockport, California
Rockport is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located north-northwest of Westport, at an elevation of 30 feet ....

 the highway turns away from the Lost Coast
Lost Coast
The Lost Coast is a mostly undeveloped section of the California North Coast in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, which includes the King Range. It was named the "Lost Coast" after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s...

 to avoid steep and unstable highlands created by Mendocino Triple Junction
Mendocino Triple Junction
The Mendocino Triple Junction is a geologic triple junction where the San Andreas Fault meets the Mendocino Fault and the Cascadia subduction zone, separating three tectonic plates: the Pacific Plate, the North American Plate and the Gorda Plate...

 uplift. The highway follows Cottaneva Creek inland through redwood-forested mountainous terrain before terminating at US 101 just outside Leggett
Leggett, California
Leggett is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River northwest of Laytonville, at an elevation of 984 feet . It is home to some of the largest trees in the world...

.

History

State construction of what is now Highway 1 started after the state's third highway bond issue passed in the 1900s – 1910s. At that time, California highways were not publicly referred to by any route numbers, and the Highway 1 name came about several years later. The legislature and Highway Department referred to roads either by a name or as "Legislative Route Numbers." The first two approved sections of what is now Highway 1 were Legislative Route 56 from San Simeon to Carmel (connecting with existing county highway
County highway
A county highway is a road in the United States and in the Canadian province of Ontario that is designated and/or maintained by the county highway department...

s at each end) and Legislative Route 60 from Oxnard via the coast to San Juan Capistrano, intended as links in a continuous coastal roadway from Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

 to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

. A 1921 law extended Legislative Route 56 south over the county road to Cambria, and Legislative Route 60 was extended from Oxnard to El Rio (midway to Ventura, now the site of the Oxnard Boulevard interchange with US 101) in 1925. The latter law, in theory, made Legislative Route 60 a continuous coastal loop, with both ends at what became US 101 in Oxnard and at Capistrano Beach (since 1964 the southern terminus of Highway 1 at Interstate 5
Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is the main Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Ocean coastline from Canada to Mexico . It serves some of the largest cities on the U.S...

 in Orange County). Legislative Route 56 was extended further south from Cambria to connect to present-day US 101 in San Luis Obispo in 1931.

A large expansion of the state highway system in 1933 resulted in Legislative Route Number 56 being extended in both directions. To the south, a second section was added, beginning at Pismo Beach on US 101 (Legislative Route 2) and heading south through Guadalupe and Lompoc to rejoin US 101 at a junction called Los Cruces (sic), just north of Gaviota Pass. (A short piece near Orcutt
Orcutt, California
Orcutt is an unincorporated township located in the Santa Maria Valley of California, and a census-designated place; it is in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William W. Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil...

 and Los Alamos had been part of Legislative Route Number 2, which originally followed present Highway 135 from Los Alamos to Santa Maria.) To the north, Legislative Route Number 56 was continued along the coast from Carmel through Santa Cruz to San Francisco. Several discontinuous pieces were added north of San Francisco, one from Legislative Route Number 1 (US 101) north of the Golden Gate
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...

 to the county line near Valley Ford, another from the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...

 near Jenner (where the new Route 104 ended) to Westport
Westport, California
Westport is an unincorporated community in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the Pacific Ocean north of Fort Bragg, at an elevation of 125 feet ....

, and a third from Ferndale to Route 1 near Fernbridge. Except for the gaps in Legislative Route Number 56 north of San Francisco, these additions completed the coastal highway, with other sections formed by Legislative Route Numbers 1, 2, and 71.

Before the completion of its present alignment in 1937, a narrow, winding, steep road known as Pedro Mountain Road
Pedro Mountain Road
Pedro Mountain Road describes a series of historical road crossings of Pedro Mountain, a promontory ridge located between Montara Mountain and the coastal cliffs of Devil's Slide in San Mateo County, California. This Pedro Mountain headland blocks the easy passage of coastal travelers between the...

 connected Montara
Montara, California
Montara is a census-designated place in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 2,909 at the 2010 census. Nearby communities include Moss Beach and Princeton-by-the-Sea.-Geography and environment:...

 with Pacifica. That highway was completed in 1914 and provided competition to the Ocean Shore Railroad
Ocean Shore Railroad
The Ocean Shore Railroad was intended to be built from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, California, via a route along the Pacific coastline.-History:...

, which operated between San Francisco and Tunitas Creek from 1907 to 1920. Highway 1 also used to run along the coast between Pacifica and Daly City but this segment was damaged and rendered unusable after a 5.3 magnitude earthquake on March 22, 1957. A small stub remains near Thornton Beach.

California Highway 1 is a famous brand name around the world now, but California 1 was called several other names and numbers prior to 1964. When the road was first envisioned in the World War I era, it was referred to either by a highway name or by a "Legislative Route Number" or LRN. LRNs were used by state highway planners and the Legislature from 1915 until 1964, but were never posted on highways, referred to by the auto clubs or public, nor used on maps. Various portions of State Highway 1 have been posted and referred to by various names and numbers over the years. The section of Highway 1 from Santa Monica to Oxnard, via Malibu, went out to contract in 1925 as "Coast Boulevard" but was designated "Theodore Roosevelt Highway" when it was dedicated in 1929.

California Highway 1 signs first went up after California decided to number its highways, in 1934. But only the section from Santa Barbara County north was posted as Highway 1, that section of the road known Legislative Route Number 56 (Las Cruces to Fernbridge, including the gaps). In Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties, Legislative Route Number 60 (San Juan Capistrano to the Oxnard area) became California Highway 3, and a few Route 3 signs were actually posted. But the Route 3 signs were replaced by "U.S. Route 101 Alternate" shields and strips by 1936, as the road was built out; this change also allowed the extension of US 66 to end at another U.S. Route, in Santa Monica.

The gaps of non-state highway along the northern coast were finally filled in by the Legislature in 1951, though the State Department of Public Works was not required to maintain the newly-added portions immediately. A short connection from near Rockport to Highway 1 at Leggett
Leggett, California
Leggett is a census-designated place in Mendocino County, California. It is located on the South Fork of the Eel River northwest of Laytonville, at an elevation of 984 feet . It is home to some of the largest trees in the world...

 was also included, as the existing county road north from Rockport to Ferndale had not yet been paved. The Leggett connection became State Route 208.

The state Legislature in 1963 tossed out the old conflicting Legislative Route Numbers (1964 renumbering), got rid of some famous old U.S. routes (like U.S. 66), and renumbered many state highways. It abolished US 101A in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties and renumbered it as state Highway 1. The cover of "California Highways" magazine in fall 1964 shows state engineers posting the new shield at Point Mugu. The same year, the Legislature by state law named Highway 1 "Pacific Coast Highway" in Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and "Cabrillo Highway" from San Luis Obispo north to San Francisco. Many cities, however, did not change the name of city streets that are part of Highway 1, such as Lincoln and Sepulveda boulevards in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and El Segundo; Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard; and Junipero Serra and Park Presidio boulevards in San Francisco.

The freeway portion of Highway 1 from Highway 68 in Monterey to Munras Avenue opened in 1960. The segment from Munras Avenue to the northern border of Sand City and Seaside opened in 1968, and bypasses the original highway alignment of Munras Avenue and Fremont Street in Monterey, and Fremont Boulevard through Seaside. North of Seaside, the freeway was built over the original Highway 1 alignment through Fort Ord
Fort Ord
Fort Ord was a U.S. Army post on Monterey Bay in California. It was established in 1917 as a maneuver area and field artillery target range and was closed in September 1994. Fort Ord was one of the most attractive locations of any U.S. Army post, because of its proximity to the beach and California...

 in 1973. North of Fort Ord, Highway 1 now veers to the left of the original alignment and bypasses Marina to the west. This segment including the interchange with Highway 156
California State Route 156
State Route 156 is a state highway in California, USA, running from Castroville to State Route 152 near Hollister.This route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.-Route description:...

 and the short, 2-lane Castroville Bypass opened in 1976. Originally Highway 1 followed the Highway 156 alignment to the Highway 183 intersection in Castroville, then turned northwest, following the present-day Highway 183 through Castroville before rejoining its existing alignment at the northern terminus of the Castroville Bypass.

In 1980, another section was added northwest of Ventura, when several miles of the old two-lane alignment of US 101 were posted as Highway 1 where the freeway had bypassed it in about 1960. At its northern terminus, in 1984 State Highway 1 replaced State Highway 208, with the old alignment to Fernbridge, never constructed south of Ferndale, becoming State Highway 211. This part of the Pacific coast, the only long section in California not served by a state highway, has been termed California's "Lost Coast
Lost Coast
The Lost Coast is a mostly undeveloped section of the California North Coast in Mendocino and Humboldt Counties, which includes the King Range. It was named the "Lost Coast" after the area experienced depopulation in the 1930s...

".

For the 1932 Summer Olympics
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the X Olympiad, was a major world wide multi-athletic event which was celebrated in 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. No other cities made a bid to host these Olympics. Held during the worldwide Great Depression, many nations...

, the segment of the Highway 1 between Oxnard and Santa Monica (then known as the Theodore Roosevelt Highway) hosted part of the road cycling events
Cycling at the 1932 Summer Olympics
The cycling competition at the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles consisted of two road cycling events and four track cycling events, all for men only. The program of events was unchanged from the previous Games.-Medal summary:-Medal table:...

.

Maintenance

Frequent California landslides
California landslides
Landslides in California occur mainly due to the dynamic tectonics along the San Andreas Fault Line. Southern California proves to be a particularly active tectonic area, and also a common place for residential development.-California Geological Survey:...

 and erosion along the coast have caused portions of Highway 1 to either be closed for long periods of time, or be re-routed entirely. Some of these examples include:
  • A segment right along the coast between Pacifica and Daly City in what is now Thornton Beach was damaged and rendered unusable after a 5.3 magnitude earthquake on March 22, 1957. Highway 1 was then eventually re-routed to turn inland to join Interstate 280.
  • The Piedras Blancas Realignment Project plans to re-route the road up to 475 feet further inland to avoid the expected coastal erosion from the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse to the Arroyo de la Cruz Bridge in San Luis Obispo County.
  • The Devil's Slide
    Devil's Slide
    Devil's Slide is a coastal promontory in California. It lies on the San Mateo County coast between Pacifica and Half Moon Bay at .-Natural setting:...

     area has also been prone to major landslides. One in 1995 caused the road to be closed for five months, while another in 2006 led to a four-month closure. A tunnel to bypass the area is scheduled to open by the end of 2011.
  • Major reconstruction is also planned between Muir Beach and Stinson Beach, including the addition of a 523-foot-long, 20-foot-high, but mostly buried, retaining wall. This follows a four-month, $25 million reconstruction that repaired damage from a 2007 landslide.
  • A March 2011 landslide in the Big Sur region forced the highway to be closed for several months.

Other future projects

There is a future plan to re-route Highway 1 in Oxnard. Once a new Rice Avenue-US 101 interchange is completed, PCH between Pleasant Valley Road and US 101 will be moved from Oxnard Blvd onto Rice.

Major intersections

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.

{| class=wikitable
|-
!County
!Location
!Postmile

!Exit
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....



!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=16|Orange
Orange County, California
Orange County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Santa Ana. As of the 2010 census, its population was 3,010,232, up from 2,846,293 at the 2000 census, making it the third most populous county in California, behind Los Angeles County and San Diego County...


ORA R0.13-33.72
|rowspan=6|Dana Point
Dana Point, California
-Climate:Dana Point enjoys a mild climate where temperatures tend to average around the 60's. The warmest month of the year is August with an average temperature of 79 degrees Fahrenheit. The coldest month is December with an average minimum temperature of 44 degrees Fahrenheit.-2010:The 2010...


|R0.13
|
|Camino Las Ramblas
|Continuation beyond I-5
|-
|R0.13
|
|
|Interchange
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|R0.78
|
|Coast Highway south, Doheny Park Road – Capistrano Beach
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|-
|4.32
|
|Crown Valley Parkway, Monarch Bay Drive
|
|-
|Laguna Beach
Laguna Beach, California
Laguna Beach is a seaside resort city and artist community located in southern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southwest of the county seat of Santa Ana...


|9.42
|
| to Laguna Canyon Road
|
|-
|rowspan=4|Newport Beach
Newport Beach, California
Newport Beach, incorporated in 1906, is a city in Orange County, California, south of downtown Santa Ana. The population was 85,186 at the 2010 census.The city's median family income and property values consistently place high in national rankings...


|
|
|
Newport Coast Drive to SR 73
California State Route 73
State Route 73 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. The route runs from Interstate 405 to Interstate 5 through the San Joaquin Hills in Orange County. From its northern terminus, the first three miles of the highway are called the Corona del Mar Freeway; this section of highway...


|
|-
|16.25
|
|
MacArthur Boulevard to I-405
Interstate 405 (California)
Interstate 405 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass of Interstate 5, running along the western areas of the Greater Los Angeles Area from Irvine in the south to near San Fernando in the north...

 – Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...

, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...

, Santa Ana
Santa Ana, California
Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....


|Former SR 73
California State Route 73
State Route 73 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. The route runs from Interstate 405 to Interstate 5 through the San Joaquin Hills in Orange County. From its northern terminus, the first three miles of the highway are called the Corona del Mar Freeway; this section of highway...

 north; serves John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport
John Wayne Airport is an airport in an unincorporated area in Orange County, California, with its mailing address in the city of Santa Ana, which is also the county seat, hence the International Air Transport Association airport code. The main entrance to the airport is off of MacArthur Blvd in...


|-
|17.43
|
|Jamboree Road
Jamboree Road
Jamboree Road is a major route through Orange County, California.-Route description:The southern terminus of Jamboree Road is at Bayside Drive, immediately before Balboa Island. It changes names, into Marine Ave., to make the very short journey over the water that separates Balboa from Newport...

 – Balboa Island
|
|-
|19.80
|
|
|Interchange
|-
|rowspan=3|Huntington Beach
Huntington Beach, California
Huntington Beach is a seaside city in Orange County in Southern California. According to the 2010 census, the city population was 189,992; making it the largest beach city in Orange County in terms of population...


|22.09
|
|Brookhurst Street – Fountain Valley
Fountain Valley, California
Fountain Valley is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 55,313 at the 2010 census. A classic bedroom community, Fountain Valley is a middle-class residential area.- History :...


|
|-
|23.74
|
|
|
|-
|25.89
|
|Goldenwest Street
|Interchangeably spelled Golden West Street
|-
|Sunset Beach
Sunset Beach, California
Sunset Beach is a beachfront community in Huntington Beach in Orange County, California. In 2011, it was annexed by Huntington Beach and is now part of that city. Prior to, it was a census-designated place, with a population of 971 at the 2010 census....


|29.89
|
|Warner Avenue
|
|-
|Seal Beach
Seal Beach, California
-Neighborhoods:Seal Beach encompasses the Leisure World retirement gated community with roughly 9,000 residents. This was the first major planned retirement community of its type in the U.S...


|32.72
|
|Seal Beach Boulevard – Los Alamitos
Los Alamitos, California
Los Alamitos is a small city in Orange County, California. The city was incorporated in March 1960. The population was 11,449 at the 2010 census, down from 11,536 at the 2000 census...


|
|-
|rowspan=41|Los Angeles
Los Angeles County, California
Los Angeles County is a county in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 U.S. Census, the county had a population of 9,818,605, making it the most populous county in the United States. Los Angeles County alone is more populous than 42 individual U.S. states...


LA 0.00-62.69
|rowspan=7|Long Beach
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...


|
|
|2nd Street
|
|-
|1.97
|
|
|
|-
|2.75
|
|Anaheim Street, Los Altos Plaza
|
|-
|3.56
|
|Lakewood Boulevard, Los Coyotes Diagonal – Downey
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter lived and died...

, Bellflower
Bellflower, California
Bellflower is a city in Los Angeles County, California, and is a suburb of Los Angeles. It was incorporated on September 3, 1957. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 76,616, up from 72,878 at the 2000 census....


|Lakewood Boulevard was former SR 19 north
|-
|6.26
|
|Long Beach Boulevard
|
|-
|7.29
|
|
|Interchange
|-
|8.27
|
|
|Interchange
|-
|rowspan=7|Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...


|8.43
|
|2200-2400 East Pacific Coast Highway – Port of Los Angeles
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles, also called Los Angeles Harbor and WORLDPORT L.A, is a port complex that occupies of land and water along of waterfront. The port is located on San Pedro Bay in the San Pedro neighborhood of Los Angeles, approximately south of downtown...


|Interchange
|-
|9.25
|
|Alameda Street (SR 47
California State Route 47
State Route 47 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, connecting Terminal Island to the mainland in the Los Angeles area. From its south end at I-110 in San Pedro, it heads east across the Vincent Thomas Bridge to the island and the end of state maintenance...

) via O Street
|Interchange
|-
|10.53
|
|Avalon Boulevard
|
|-
|11.61
|
|, San Pedro
San Pedro, Los Angeles, California
San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...


|Interchange
|-
|12.17
|
|Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue
Vermont Avenue is one of the longest running north/south streets in Los Angeles, California with a length of about . Located just west of the Harbor Freeway for the major portion south of Downtown Los Angeles, it starts in Griffith Park at the Greek Theatre in the Los Feliz neighborhood as a...


|
|-
|12.52
|
|Normandie Avenue
Normandie Avenue
Normandie Avenue is one of Los Angeles County's longest north-south streets. With a stretch of about 22.5 miles , it lies between Vermont Avenue and Western Avenue, starting off north of Franklin Avenue. At Wilshire Boulevard, the Metro Purple Line intersects at an underground subway station. ...


|
|-
|13.10
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Torrance
Torrance, California
Torrance is a city incorporated in 1921 and located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. Torrance has of shore-front beaches on the Pacific Ocean, quieter and less well-known by tourists than others on the Santa Monica Bay, such as those of neighboring...


|14.63
|
|Crenshaw Boulevard – Rolling Hills
Rolling Hills, California
Rolling Hills is a city in the Palos Verdes Hills, in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,860, down from 1,871 at the 2000 census...


|
|-
|16.01
|
|
|
|-
|Redondo Beach
Redondo Beach, California
Redondo Beach is one of the three Beach Cities located in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 66,748 at the 2010 census, up from 63,261 at the 2000 census. The city is located in the South Bay region of the greater Los Angeles area.Redondo Beach was originally part of...


|19.52
|
|Torrance Boulevard
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Manhattan Beach
Manhattan Beach, California
Manhattan Beach is the wealthiest beachfront city located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, USA. The city is on the Pacific coast, south of El Segundo, and north of Hermosa Beach. Manhattan Beach is the home of both beach and indoor volleyball, and surfing. During the winter, the...


|21.92
|
|Artesia Boulevard, Gould Avenue
|Artesia Boulevard was former SR 91
California State Route 91
State Route 91 is a major east–west freeway located entirely within Southern California and serving several regions of the Greater Los Angeles metropolitan area...

 east
|-
|22.90
|
|Manhattan Beach Boulevard
|
|-
|rowspan=2|23.92
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|Rosecrans Avenue
|rowspan=2|
|-
|rowspan=2|El Segundo
El Segundo, California
El Segundo is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located on the Santa Monica Bay, it was incorporated on January 18, 1917, and is one of the Beach Cities of Los Angeles County and part of the South Bay Cities Council of Governments...


|-
|24.91
|
|El Segundo Boulevard
|
|-
|rowspan=9|Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...


|25.92
|
|
|Interchange
|-
|26.90
|
|Century Boulevard
Century Boulevard
Century Boulevard is a street in South Los Angeles, extending from Wilmington Avenue in the east to the passenger terminals at Los Angeles International Airport in the west ....

 – LAX Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...


|Interchange
|-
|27.36
|
|LAX Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...

 (96th Street)
|Interchange
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|
|Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard
Sepulveda Boulevard is a street in Los Angeles, California, which stretches some 42.8 miles from Rinaldi Street at the north end of the San Fernando Valley to the city limits of Hermosa Beach, where it "jumps" east and continues on to Long Beach. It generally runs north-south, passing underneath...


|No left turn from SR 1 south
|-
|28.50
|
|Westchester Parkway
|Interchange
|-
|29.08
|
|Manchester Avenue – Playa del Rey
|Former SR 42 east
|-
|31.29
|
|
|
|-
|31.78
|
|Washington Boulevard
Washington Boulevard (Los Angeles)
Washington Boulevard is the longest continuous east-west arterial road in Los Angeles, California. It starts by the Pacific Ocean just west of Pacific Avenue in Marina del Rey, and ends far to the east in the city of Whittier, on Whittier Boulevard. It is south of Venice Boulevard for most of its...


|
|-
|32.17
|
|Venice Boulevard (SR 187 east) – Culver City
Culver City, California
Culver City is a city in western Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 38,883, up from 38,816 at the 2000 census. It is mostly surrounded by the city of Los Angeles, but also shares a border with unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County. Culver...

, Venice
|
|-
|rowspan=4|Santa Monica
Santa Monica, California
Santa Monica is a beachfront city in western Los Angeles County, California, US. Situated on Santa Monica Bay, it is surrounded on three sides by the city of Los Angeles — Pacific Palisades on the northwest, Brentwood on the north, West Los Angeles on the northeast, Mar Vista on the east, and...


|R34.58
|
|
|Interchange
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|35.18
|
|Ocean Avenue
Ocean Avenue (Santa Monica)
Ocean Avenue is a road in Santa Monica, California that starts at the residential Adelaide Drive on the north end of Santa Monica and ends at Pico Boulevard...


|Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; former SR 187 east
|-
|Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...


|39.33
|
|Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...


|
|-
|
|40.77
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Malibu
|48.17
|
|
|
|-
|54.02
|
| to Ventura Freeway
Ventura Freeway
The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California running from Ventura to Pasadena. It is the principal east-west route through Ventura County and in the southern San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County. From Ventura to its intersection with the Hollywood Freeway in the southeastern San...


|
|-
|59.90
|
|
|
|-
|
|62.30
|
|Mulholland Highway
Mulholland Highway
Mulholland Highway is a scenic road in Los Angeles County, Southern California that runs approximately 50 miles through the western Santa Monica Mountains from the near U.S...


|
|-
|rowspan=33|Ventura
Ventura County, California
Ventura County is a county in the southern part of the U.S. state of California. It is located on California's Pacific coast. It is often referred to as the Gold Coast, and has a reputation of being one of the safest populated places and one of the most affluent places in the country...


VEN 0.00-43.62Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along US 101 rather than SR 1.
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|
|10.23
|107
|Las Posas Road – USN Point Mugu
Naval Air Station Point Mugu
Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu or NBVC Point Mugu is a military airbase located in Point Mugu, Ventura County, California, United States. Due to realignment actions which occurred in 2000, the base is now part of Naval Base Ventura County , a consolidated organization that also includes...


|
|-
|
|11.59
|108
|Wood Road – USN Point Mugu
Naval Air Station Point Mugu
Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu or NBVC Point Mugu is a military airbase located in Point Mugu, Ventura County, California, United States. Due to realignment actions which occurred in 2000, the base is now part of Naval Base Ventura County , a consolidated organization that also includes...


|
|-
|
|12.79
|109
|Hueneme Road
|
|-
|rowspan=14|Oxnard
Oxnard, California
Oxnard is the 113th largest city in the United States, 19th largest city in California and largest city in Ventura County, California, by way of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is an important agricultural center, with its distinction as the...


| style="background:#fdd;"|13.59
| style="background:#fdd;"|110
| style="background:#fdd;"|Nauman Road
| style="background:#fdd;"|No entrance ramps to SR 1; no access across SR 1
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R14.67
|
|Hueneme Road
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|-
|15.06
|
|Rice Avenue, Pleasant Valley Road
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|15.93
|113
|Channel Islands Boulevard
|Southbound exit is via Rose Avenue
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|16.21
|
|Rose Avenue
|No left turns from SR 1
|-
|17.63
|
|Saviers Road, Wooley Road
|Saviers Road was former SR 34
California State Route 34
State Route 34 is a short state highway in the U.S. state of California.-Route description:SR 34 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System....

 west
|-
|18.15
|
|
|
|-
|20.14
|
|
|
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|21.08
22.73
|
|
|Interchange; south end of US 101 overlap
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway on US 101
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|63A
|Ventura Road
|Southbound exit only
|-
|rowspan=10|Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...


|R23.45
|63B
|Johnson Drive – Montalvo
|Signed as exit 63 northbound
|-
|R24.65
|64
|Victoria Avenue – Channel Island Harbor
|
|-
|25.97
|65
|Telephone Road
|
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|26.39
|66A
|
|Signed as exit 66 southbound; no southbound entrance
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|26.72
|66B
|Main Street (US 101 Bus. north) – Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...


|No southbound exit
|-
|28.45
|68
|Seaward Avenue
|
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|29.45
|69
|Vista del Mar Drive, Sanjon Road
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|30.15
|70A
|California Street, Ventura Avenue
|
|-
|30.91
|70B
|
|Former US 399
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|31.50
|71
|Main Street (US 101 Bus. south) – Ventura
Ventura, California
Ventura is the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States, incorporated in 1866. The population was 106,433 at the 2010 census, up from 100,916 at the 2000 census. Ventura is accessible via U.S...


|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway on US 101
|-
|Solimar Beach
| style="background:#dfd;"|R32.70
21.25
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|Interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; north end of US 101 overlap
|-
|Seacliff
Seacliff, California
Seacliff is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California. Seacliff sits at an elevation of . The 2010 United States census reported Seacliff's population was 3,267.-Geography:...


| style="background:#dfd;"|27.68
R38.98
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|Interchange; south end of US 101 overlap
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway on US 101
|-
|
|R43.57
|83
|Bates Road
|
|-
|rowspan=63|Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara County, California
Santa Barbara County is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, on the Pacific coast. As of 2010 the county had a population of 423,895. The county seat is Santa Barbara and the largest city is Santa Maria.-History:...


SB R0.00-50.61
|rowspan=6|Carpinteria
Carpinteria, California
Carpinteria is a small oceanside city located in southeastern Santa Barbara County, California, east of Santa Barbara and northwest of Ventura. The population was 13,040 at the 2010 census, down from 14,194 at the 2000 census....


|R0.63
|84
|, Lake Casitas
Lake Casitas
Lake Casitas is an artificial lake in the Los Padres National Forest of Ventura County, California, created by the construction of Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, two miles before it joins the Ventura River. Santa Ana Creek and North Fork Coyote Creek also flow into the lake. The dam was constructed...


|
|-
|1.61
|85
|Bailard Avenue
|
|-
|2.64
|86A
|Casitas Pass Road
|Signed as exit 86 northbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|3.06
|86B
|Linden Avenue
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|3.77
|87A
|Santa Monica Road
|Signed as exit 87 northbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|87B
|Carpinteria Avenue
|Southbound exit only
|-
|
|R5.28
|88
|Padaro Lane, Santa Claus Lane
|
|-
|
|R7.14
|90
|Padaro Lane – Summerland
Summerland, California
Summerland is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2010 census, down from 1,545 at the 2000 census.The town includes a school and a Presbyterian Church...


|
|-
|
|R8.26
|91
|Evans Avenue – Summerland
Summerland, California
Summerland is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 1,448 at the 2010 census, down from 1,545 at the 2000 census.The town includes a school and a Presbyterian Church...


|
|-
|Montecito
Montecito, California
Montecito is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. As a census-designated place, it had a population of 8,965 in 2010. This does not include areas such as Coast Village Road, that, while usually considered part of Montecito, are actually within the city limits of Santa...


|9.00
|92
|Sheffield Drive
|
|-
|
|10.02
|93
|San Ysidro Road
|
|-
|rowspan=15|Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...


| style="background:#fdd;"|10.54
| style="background:#fdd;"|94A
| style="background:#fdd;"|Olive Mill Road, Coast Village Road
| style="background:#fdd;"|No northbound entrance
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|94B
|Hermosillo Drive
|Northbound exit only
|-
|11.41
|94C
|Hot Springs Road, Cabrillo Boulevard, Coast Village Road
|Signed as exit 94B southbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|95
|Los Patos Way
|Southbound exit only; unsigned
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|95
|Salinas Street
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|12.75
|96A
|Milpas Street
|Former SR 144
California State Route 144
State Route 144 runs from Route 101 at Milpas Street in Santa Barbara, California to State Route 192 through the Sycamore Canyon.-Route description:...


|-
|13.49
|96B
|Laguna Street, Garden Street
|
|-
|R14.19
|97
|Bath Street, Castillo Street – Santa Barbara Harbor
|
|-
|R14.76
|98A
|Carrillo Street – Downtown Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...


|Signed as exit 98 southbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R15.26
|98B
|Arrellaga Street
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|R15.73
|99A
|Mission Street
|Signed as exit 99 southbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|99B
|Pueblo Street
|Northbound exit only
|-
|16.55
|100
|
|
|-
|17.78
|101A
|La Cumbre Road, Hope Avenue
|
|-
|18.38
|101B
| – Cachuma Lake
Lake Cachuma
Lake Cachuma is an artificial lake located in the Santa Ynez Valley of central Santa Barbara County, California on the Santa Ynez River adjoining the north side of California State Route 154. The reservoir was created by the construction of Bradbury Dam, a earth-fill structure built by the U.S....


|
|-
|
| style="background:#fdd;"|
| style="background:#fdd;"|102
| style="background:#fdd;"|El Sueno Road
| style="background:#fdd;"|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|
|20.06
|103
|Turnpike Road
|
|-
|rowspan=6|Goleta
Goleta, California
Goleta is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, USA. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated, populated area in the county. As of the 2000 census, the Census-designated place had a total population of 55,204, however, a significant...


|21.15
|104A
|Patterson Avenue
|Signed as exit 104 southbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|21.41
|104B
| – Airport
Santa Barbara Airport
Santa Barbara Airport , also known as Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, is a public airport located west of downtown Santa Barbara, California, United States....

, UCSB
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...


|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|22.53
|105
|Fairview Avenue
|
|-
|23.72
|107
|Los Carneros Road
|
|-
|24.77
|108
|Glen Annie Road, Storke Road
|
|-
|26.91
|110
|Winchester Canyon Road, Hollister Avenue
|
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|Short gap in freeway on US 101
|-
|
|30.06
|113
|Dos Pueblos Canyon Road
|
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|Short gap in freeway on US 101
|-
|
|32.84
|116
|El Capitan Ranch Road
|
|-
|
|33.85
|117
|El Capitan State Beach
El Capitán State Beach
El Capitán State Beach is a protected beach in southern California, United States, located about 20 miles west of downtown Santa Barbara. El Capitan has a day use beach as well as a campground with 131 sites, 6 of which are RV only, and 5 group sites...


|
|-
|
|36.62
|120
|Refugio Road – Refugio State Beach
Refugio State Beach
Refugio State Beach is a protected state beach park located west of Santa Barbara, California.It is west of El Capitán State Beach.-External links:*...


|
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway on US 101
|-
|
|44.82
|128
|Mariposa Reina
|Interchange
|-
|
|
|
|Gaviota State Beach
|
|-
|
|47.19
!colspan=3|Gaviota Gorge Tunnel (northbound only)
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway on US 101
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway on US 101
|-
|Las Cruces
Las Cruces, California
Las Cruces, California is an unincorporated community in Santa Barbara County, California. It lies at the split between California State Route 1, which travels north to Lompoc, and U.S. Route 101, which travels north to Buellton. The community lies within area code 805.-References:...


| style="background:#dfd;"|R48.85
R0.00
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|Interchange; north end of US 101 overlap
|-
|
|
|
|Santa Rosa Road
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Lompoc
Lompoc, California
Lompoc is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city was incorporated in 1888. The population was 42,434 at the 2010 census, up from 41,103 at the 2000 census....


| style="background:#dfd;"|19.25
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|South end of SR 246 overlap
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|20.57
|
| – NASA South Gate
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...

, Surf
|North end of SR 246 overlap
|-
|23.30
|
|Harris Grade Road, Purisima Road – Buellton
Buellton, California
Buellton is a small city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The city of Buellton is one of the communities that make up the Santa Ynez Valley...


|
|-
|Vandenberg Village
Vandenberg Village, California
Vandenberg Village is a census-designated place in the unincorporated area of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. The population was 6,497 at the 2010 census, up from 5,802 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...


|R25.07
|211
|Constellation Road
|Interchange
|-
|
|
|
|Santa Lucia Canyon Road
|
|-
|
|M29.89
|
|California Boulevard, Lompoc Casmalia Road – Vandenberg AFB
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....


|
|-
|
|
|
|San Antonio Road West – Casmalia
Casmalia, California
Casmalia is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located just outside the borders of Vandenberg Air Force Base about southwest of Santa Maria. The ZIP Code is 93429, and the community is inside area code 805. The population was 138 at the 2010 census.-History:Casmalia is...


|
|-
|
|
|
|San Antonio Road East – Los Alamos
Los Alamos, California
Los Alamos is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Although located in the Los Alamos Valley, the town of Los Alamos is usually considered to be a part of the Santa Ynez Valley community...


|
|-
|
| style="background:#dfd;"|M36.19
R31.04
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; south end of SR 135 overlap
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|
| style="background:#dfd;"|R34.78
| style="background:#dfd;"|226
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|Northbound exit and southbound entrance; north end of SR 135 overlap
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|-
|
|R35.53
|
|
Clark Avenue to SR 135
California State Route 135
State Route 135 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, entirely within Santa Barbara County, and is basically a bypass of U.S. Route 101 in northern Santa Barbara County between the town of Los Alamos and the city of Santa Maria....

 north – Orcutt
Orcutt, California
Orcutt is an unincorporated township located in the Santa Maria Valley of California, and a census-designated place; it is in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Orcutt is named for William W. Orcutt, the manager of the Geological, Land and Engineering Departments of the Union Oil...


|
|-
|
|
|
|Black Road – Casmalia
Casmalia, California
Casmalia is a census-designated place in Santa Barbara County, California located just outside the borders of Vandenberg Air Force Base about southwest of Santa Maria. The ZIP Code is 93429, and the community is inside area code 805. The population was 138 at the 2010 census.-History:Casmalia is...

, Vandenberg
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....

, Betteravia
Betteravia, California
Betteravia, named for the French word for sugar beet roots, was a community in northern Santa Barbara County, California on Betteravia Road, six miles west of Santa Maria...


|
|-
|Guadalupe
Guadalupe, California
Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the U.S. Census of 2010, the city has a population of 7,080. It was incorporated as a city on May 19, 1946...


|49.20
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=28|San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo County, California
San Luis Obispo County is a county located along the Pacific Ocean in the Central Coast of the U.S. state of California, between Los Angeles and the San Francisco Bay Area. As of the 2010 census its population was 269,637, up from 246,681 at the 2000 census...


SLO 0.00-74.32
|
|
|
|Division Street – Nipomo
Nipomo, California
Nipomo is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 12,626 at the 2000 census, and grew to 16,714 for the 2010 census.-Geography:Nipomo is located at ....


|
|-
|rowspan=2|Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach, California
Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 7,655 at the 2010 census, down from 8,551 at the 2000 census...


| style="background:#dfd;"|L16.54
17.75
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|Interchange; south end of US 101 overlap
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway on US 101
|-
|
|R19.81
|193
|Spyglass Drive, Shell Beach Road
|
|-
|
|R21.11
|195
|Avilla Beach Drive
|
|-
|
|R22.29
|196
|San Luis Bay Drive – See Canyon, Avila Beach
Avila Beach, California
Avila Beach , pronounced AH-vuh-luh, is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, USA and located about 160 miles northwest of Los Angeles, and about 200 miles south of San Francisco. The ZIP Code is 93424. The community is inside area code 805...


|
|-
|
|R24.30
|198
|Higuera Street
|
|-
|rowspan=8|San Luis Obispo
San Luis Obispo, California
San Luis Obispo is a city in California, located roughly midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the Central Coast. Founded in 1772 by Spanish Fr. Junipero Serra, San Luis Obispo is one of California’s oldest communities...


|25.91
|200A
|Los Osos Valley Road
|Signed as exit 200 southbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|200B
|Prado Road, Elks Lane
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|27.50
|201
|
|
|-
|28.07
|202A
|Marsh Street
|
|-
|28.81
|202B
|Broad Street
|
|-
|29.08
|203A
|Osos Street, Santa Rosa Street
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway on US 101
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|29.08
16.77
|
|
|Interchange; north end of US 101 overlap
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|rowspan=4|Morro Bay
Morro Bay, California
Morro Bay is a waterfront city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 10,234, down from 10,350 at the 2000 census.- History :...


|27.88
|277
|Los Osos/Baywood Park
Baywood-Los Osos, California
Baywood-Los Osos is an unincorporated area located in western San Luis Obispo County, California, U.S., near the city of San Luis Obispo. The population was 14,351 at the 2000 census...

 (South Bay Boulevard)
|
|-
|28.82
|278
|Morro Bay Boulevard
|
|-
|29.62
|279A
|Main Street
|
|-
|30.14
|279B
|
|
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|Short gap in freeway
|-
|
| style="background:#fdd;"|R34.91
| style="background:#fdd;"|284
| style="background:#fdd;"|Cayucos
Cayucos, California
Cayucos is a census-designated place located on the coast in San Luis Obispo County, California along California State Route 1 between Cambria to the north and Morro Bay to the south...

 (13th Street)
| style="background:#fdd;"|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|
|R35.96
|285
|Cayucos Drive
|
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|-
|
|45.99
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=2|Cambria
Cambria, California
Cambria is a seaside village located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the California State Route 1 . The name Cambria was settled upon in 1869 .It is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States...


|48.26
|
|
|
|-
|
|
| to Moonstone Beach Drive – Cambria
Cambria, California
Cambria is a seaside village located midway between San Francisco and Los Angeles on the California State Route 1 . The name Cambria was settled upon in 1869 .It is a census-designated place in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States...


|
|-
|
|56.39
|
|Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle
Hearst Castle is a National Historic Landmark mansion located on the Central Coast of California, United States. It was designed by architect Julia Morgan between 1919 and 1947 for newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who died in 1951. In 1957, the Hearst Corporation donated the property to...


|
|-
|rowspan=21|Monterey
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...


MON 0.00-R102.03
|
|72.92
|
|
|
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|rowspan=8|Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...


| style="background:#dfd;"|75.14
| style="background:#dfd;"|399A
| style="background:#dfd;"|
| style="background:#dfd;"|South end of SR 68 overlap
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R75.75
|399B
|Munras Avenue – Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...


|No northbound entrance
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R76.00
|399C
|Soledad Drive, Munras Avenue
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|R77.38
|401A
|Aguajito Road – Monterey
Monterey, California
The City of Monterey in Monterey County is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in Central California. Monterey lies at an elevation of 26 feet above sea level. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,810. Monterey is of historical importance because it was the capital of...


|
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|R78.12
|401B
|
|North end of SR 68 overlap
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R78.18
|401B
|North Fremont Street
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|R78.45
|402A
|Casa Verde Way
|
|-
|R78.88
|402B
|Del Monte Avenue – Pacific Grove
Pacific Grove, California
Pacific Grove is a coastal city in Monterey County, California, USA, with a population of 15,041 as of the 2010 census, down from 15,522 as of the 2000 census...


|
|-
|Seaside
Seaside, California
Seaside is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, with a population of 33,025 as of the 2010 census. Seaside is located east-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 33 feet...


|R79.36
|403
|
|
|-
|Sand City
Sand City, California
Sand City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, located on the shores of Monterey Bay, and surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Seaside. Sand City is located northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 72 feet . The population was 334 at the 2010 census, up from 261 at...


|R80.27
|404
|Fremont Boulevard, Del Monte Boulevard – Seaside
Seaside, California
Seaside is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, with a population of 33,025 as of the 2010 census. Seaside is located east-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 33 feet...

, Sand City
Sand City, California
Sand City is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, located on the shores of Monterey Bay, and surrounded on most sides by the larger city of Seaside. Sand City is located northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of 72 feet . The population was 334 at the 2010 census, up from 261 at...


|
|-
|
|R82.89
|406
|Lightfighter Drive
|
|-
|
|R84.48
|408
|12th Street
|
|-
|
| style="background:#fdd;"|R85.14
| style="background:#fdd;"|409
| style="background:#fdd;"|Marina
Marina, California
Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The population was 19,718 at the 2010 census. Marina is located along the central coast of California, west of Salinas, and 8 miles north of Monterey, at an elevation of 43 feet . Marina was incorporated in 1975 and is the newest city...

 (Del Monte Boulevard)
| style="background:#fdd;"|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
|
|R86.48
|410
|Reservation Road – Marina
Marina, California
Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The population was 19,718 at the 2010 census. Marina is located along the central coast of California, west of Salinas, and 8 miles north of Monterey, at an elevation of 43 feet . Marina was incorporated in 1975 and is the newest city...


|
|-
|
|R88.64
|412
|Del Monte Boulevard – Marina
Marina, California
Marina is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. The population was 19,718 at the 2010 census. Marina is located along the central coast of California, west of Salinas, and 8 miles north of Monterey, at an elevation of 43 feet . Marina was incorporated in 1975 and is the newest city...


|
|-
|
|R90.39
|414A
|Nashua Road, Molera Road
|Signed as exit 414 southbound
|-
|
| style="background:#fdd;"|R90.98
| style="background:#fdd;"|414B
| style="background:#fdd;"|
| style="background:#fdd;"|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|-
|
|T92.21
|
|
|
|-
|rowspan=22|Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz County, California
Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, on the California Central Coast. The county forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. . As of the 2010 U.S. Census, its population was 262,382. The county seat is Santa Cruz...


SCR R0.00-37.45
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|
|R0.72
|425
|
|
|-
|rowspan=3|Watsonville
Watsonville, California
Watsonville is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 51,199 according to the 2010 census.Located on the central coast of California, the economy centers predominantly around the farming industry. It is known for growing strawberries, apples, lettuce and a host...


| style="background:#fdd;"|R2.27
| style="background:#fdd;"|426
| style="background:#fdd;"|Harkins Slough Road, Green Valley Road
| style="background:#fdd;"|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R2.68
|426
|
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|R3.18
|427
|Airport Boulevard – Freedom
Freedom, California
Freedom is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 3,070 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Freedom is located at ....


|Serves Watsonville Municipal Airport
Watsonville Municipal Airport
Watsonville Municipal Airport is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Watsonville, a city in Santa Cruz County, California, USA. The airport covers and has two runways...


|-
|
|R4.07
|428
|Buena Vista Drive
|
|-
|
|R6.69
|431
|Mar Monte Avenue – La Selva
|
|-
|
|R7.66
|432
|San Andreas Road, Larkin Valley Road
|
|-
|
|8.35
|433A
|Freedom Boulevard
|
|-
|
|9.15
|433B
|Rio del Mar Boulevard – Rio del Mar
Rio del Mar, California
Rio del Mar is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The name "Rio Del Mar" was chosen as a "catchy" name to promote real estate in the area during the 1920s. There is no body of water by that name in Santa Cruz County...

, Aptos
Aptos, California
Aptos is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 6,220 at the 2010 census.Aptos is an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz county, consisting of several small communities...


|
|-
|
|10.54
|435
|State Park Drive – Seacliff Beach, Aptos
Aptos, California
Aptos is a census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, California, United States. The population was 6,220 at the 2010 census.Aptos is an unincorporated area of Santa Cruz county, consisting of several small communities...


|
|-
|rowspan=3|Capitola
Capitola, California
Capitola is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, on the coast of Monterey Bay. The population was 9,918 at the 2010 census.-History:...


|12.09
|436
|Park Avenue – Capitola
Capitola, California
Capitola is a city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, on the coast of Monterey Bay. The population was 9,918 at the 2010 census.-History:...

, New Brighton Beach
|
|-
|13.19
|437
|Porter Street, Bay Avenue
|
|-
|13.62
|438
|41st Avenue
|
|-
|
|14.86
|439
|Soquel Drive, Soquel Avenue
|
|-
|rowspan=7|Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...


|15.82
|440
|Morrissey Boulevard
|
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|16.63
|441A
|Emeline Avenue
|Northbound exit only
|-
|16.82
|441B
|
|Signed as exit 441 southbound
|-
|17.24
|442
|Ocean Street – Beaches
|
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|-
|17.56
|
|, Downtown Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, California
Santa Cruz is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, California in the US. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, Santa Cruz had a total population of 59,946...


|
|-
|19.00
|
|Bay Street – UC Santa Cruz
University of California, Santa Cruz
The University of California, Santa Cruz, also known as UC Santa Cruz or UCSC, is a public, collegiate university; one of ten campuses in the University of California...


|
|-
|rowspan=14|San Mateo
San Mateo County, California
San Mateo County is a county located in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. It covers most of the San Francisco Peninsula just south of San Francisco, and north of Santa Clara County. San Francisco International Airport is located at the northern end of the county, and...


SM 0.00-R48.56
|
|13.58
|
|Pescadero Road, Pescadero State Beach
Pescadero State Beach
Pescadero State Beach is alongside State Route 1, located 14.5 miles south of Half Moon Bay and 1.5 miles west of the city of Pescadero in San Mateo County, California....


|
|-
|San Gregorio
San Gregorio, California
-History:Named after Pope Gregory I , San Gregorio was a booming town in the 1850s, when wealthy San Franciscans would travel to the San Gregorio House by stagecoach to enjoy fishing, hunting, sea bathing, and boat races. The building still stands, but is no longer a functioning hotel. However, the...


|18.19
|
|
|
|-
|Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
Half Moon Bay is a coastal city in San Mateo County, California, USA. Its population was 11,324 as of the 2010 census. Immediately at the north of Half Moon Bay is the Pillar Point Harbor and the unincorporated community of Princeton-by-the-Sea....


|29.04
|
|
|
|-
| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|-
|rowspan=4|Pacifica
Pacifica, California
Pacifica is a city in San Mateo County, California, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay.-Overview:The City of Pacifica is spread along a six mile stretch of the north central California coastal beach and hills, nestled in several small valleys spanning between...


|R43.46
|505A
|Sharp Park Boulevard, Fairway Drive – San Bruno
San Bruno, California
San Bruno is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States. The population was 41,114 at the 2010 census.The city is adjacent to San Francisco International Airport and Golden Gate National Cemetery.-Geography:San Bruno is located at...


|Signed as exit 505 southbound
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R43.74
|505B
|Clarendon Road, Oceana Boulevard
|Northbound exit only
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R44.21
|506
|Paloma Avenue, Francisco Boulevard
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance
|-
|R45.12
|507
|Manor Drive, Monterey Road, Palmetto Avenue
|
|-
|rowspan=6|Daly City
Daly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...


|R46.72
|508
|
|Signed as exit 508A (south) and 508B (north) southbound
|-
|R47.27
|509A
|Serramonte Boulevard, Clarinada Avenue
|Signed as exit 509 southbound
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|R47.80
R25.28Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along I-280
Interstate 280 (California)
Interstate 280 is a 57-mile long north–south Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It connects San Jose and San Francisco, running along just to the west of the cities of San Francisco Peninsula for most of its route.I-280 from its northern end at King...

 rather than SR 1.

|509B
|
|South end of I-280 overlap; no exit number southbound
|-
|R25.78
|510
|Eastmoor Avenue, Mission Street
Mission Street
Mission Street is a north-south arterial thoroughfare in San Francisco, California that runs from the city's southern border to its northeast corner. The street and the Mission District through which it runs were named for the Spanish Mission Dolores, several blocks away from the modern route. Only...


|Signed as exit 48 southbound
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|M27.17
R48.05
|
|
|North end of I-280 overlap; southbound exit is exit 511
|-
|
|511
|John Daly Boulevard – Daly City
Daly City, California
Daly City is the largest city in San Mateo County, California, United States, with a 2010 population of 101,123. Located immediately south of San Francisco, it is named in honor of businessman and landowner John Daly.-History:...

, Westlake District
|Signed as exit 49A northbound
|-
|rowspan=11 colspan=2|San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...


SF R0.00-11.18
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway
|-
|R0.11
|
|Alemany Boulevard
Alemany Boulevard
Alemany Boulevard is an east–west street in San Francisco, California. The boulevard was named for Archbishop Joseph Sadoc Alemany, the first bishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco....

 east – Cow Palace
Cow Palace
Cow Palace is an indoor arena, in Daly City, California, situated on the city's border with neighboring San Francisco, notable as a sporting arena.-History:...


|Interchange
|-
|R0.31
|
|Brotherhood Way
|Interchange
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|R0.68
|
|Junipero Serra Boulevard
Junipero Serra Boulevard
Junipero Serra Boulevard is a major boulevard in and south of San Francisco. Within the city, it forms part of the route of State Route 1, the shortest connection between Interstate 280 and the Golden Gate Bridge. The remainder, in San Mateo County, has been bypassed or replaced by I-280, the...

 – San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...

, San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo, housing more than 260 animal species, is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway...


|No left turn from SR 1 south to Junipero Serra Boulevard north
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|1.90
|
| – San Francisco Civic Center
Civic Center, San Francisco, California
The Civic Center in San Francisco, California, is an area of a few blocks north of the intersection of Market Street and Van Ness Avenue that contains many of the city's largest government and cultural institutions. It has two large plazas and a number of buildings in classical architectural style...

, Beach, San Francisco Zoo
San Francisco Zoo
The San Francisco Zoo, housing more than 260 animal species, is a zoo located in the southwestern corner of San Francisco, California, between Lake Merced and the Pacific Ocean along the Great Highway...


|No left turn from SR 1 north to Sloat Boulevard west (SR 35)
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|4.05
|
|Lincoln Way
|No left turns from SR 1
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|
|Geary Boulevard
Geary Boulevard
Geary Boulevard is a major east-west thoroughfare in San Francisco, California, beginning downtown at Market Street near Market Street's intersection with Montgomery Street, and running westbound through downtown, the Civic Center area, the Western Addition, and running for most of its length...

 – University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...


|No left turns from SR 1
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|South end of freeway
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|7.08
9.60
|
|
|South end of US 101 overlap; US 101 south was former SR 480
California State Route 480
State Route 480 was a state highway in San Francisco, California, United States, consisting of the elevated double-decker Embarcadero Freeway , the partly elevated Doyle Drive approach to the Golden Gate Bridge and the proposed and unbuilt section in between. The unbuilt section from Doyle Drive to...

 east
|-
|9.71
|439
|25th Avenue – View Area, Presidio, Golden Gate NRA
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
The Golden Gate National Recreation Area is a U.S. National Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service that surrounds the San Francisco Bay area. It is one of the most visited units of the National Park system in the United States, with over 13 million visitors a year...

, Fort Point
|
|-
| style="text-align:center;" rowspan="2" colspan="4"|Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...

 over Golden Gate
Golden Gate
The Golden Gate is the North American strait connecting San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean. Since 1937 it has been spanned by the Golden Gate Bridge...


|-
|rowspan=12|Marin
Marin County, California
Marin County is a county located in the North San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco. As of 2010, the population was 252,409. The county seat is San Rafael and the largest employer is the county government. Marin County is well...


MRN L0.00-50.51
|rowspan=9|Sausalito
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...


|- style="background:#fdd;"
|
|
|Vista Point
|Northbound exit and entrance
|-
|0.32
|442
|Alexander Avenue – Sausalito
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...


|
|-
|0.89
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"|Waldo Tunnel through Waldo Grade
Waldo Grade
The Waldo Grade is the name of a hill before the Golden Gate Bridge leading into San Francisco when traveling southbound on U.S. Route 101, and leading to Marin City when traveling northbound. This grade is generally defined as the stretch of roadway between the Spencer Offramp and Marin City,...


|-
|1.52
|443
|Spencer Avenue, Monte Mar Drive
|
|- style="background:#fdd;"
|2.48
|444
|Rodeo Avenue
|No access across US 101
|-
|3.33
|445A
|Sausalito
Sausalito, California
Sausalito is a San Francisco Bay Area city, in Marin County, California, United States. Sausalito is south-southeast of San Rafael, at an elevation of 13 feet . The population was 7,061 as of the 2010 census. The community is situated near the northern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and prior to...

, Marin City
Marin City, California
Marin City, is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Marin County, California, United States. It is located northwest of downtown Sausalito, at an elevation of 23 feet . Marin City was developed for housing starting in 1942, to accommodate war-time shipyard workers and other...


|
|-
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center;"|North end of freeway on US 101
|- style="background:#dfd;"
|4.46
0.00
|
|
|Interchange; north end of US 101 overlap
|-
|
|0.65
|
|Almonte Boulevard – Mill Valley
Mill Valley, California
Mill Valley is a city in Marin County, California, United States located about north of San Francisco via the Golden Gate Bridge. The population was 13,903 at the 2010 census.Mill Valley is located on the western and northern shores of Richardson Bay...


|
|-
|Olema
Olema, California
Olema is an unincorporated community in Marin County, California. It is located on Olema Creek south-southeast of Point Reyes Station, at an elevation of 69 feet ....


|26.51
|
|Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard
Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is an east–west arterial road in Marin County, California, running from just west of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to the trailhead for Point Reyes Lighthouse at the end of the Point Reyes Peninsula.It is named for the English explorer Sir Francis Drake, whose...


|
|-
|Point Reyes Station
Point Reyes Station, California
Point Reyes Station is small unincorporated town located in western Marin County, California. Point Reyes Station is located south-southeast of Tomales, at an elevation of . Point Reyes Station is located along State Route 1 and is a gateway to the Point Reyes National Seashore, an extremely...


|29.33
|
|Point Reyes Petaluma Road – Petaluma
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...


|
|-
|rowspan=5|Sonoma
Sonoma County, California
Sonoma County, located on the northern coast of the U.S. state of California, is the largest and northernmost of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Its population at the 2010 census was 483,878. Its largest city and county seat is Santa Rosa....


SON 0.00-58.58
|
|0.19
|
|Valley Ford Road – Petaluma
Petaluma, California
Petaluma is a city in Sonoma County, California, in the United States. In the 2010 Census the population was 57,941.Located in Petaluma is the Rancho Petaluma Adobe, a National Historic Landmark. It was built beginning in 1836 by General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo, then Commandant of the San...


|
|-
|
|2.42
|
|Valley Ford Freestone Road – Occidental
Occidental, California
Occidental is a census-designated place in Sonoma County, California, United States. The population was 1,115 at the 2010 census, down from 1,272 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Occidental is located at...

, Monte Rio
Monte Rio, California
Monte Rio is a census-designated place in Sonoma County, California along the Russian River near the Pacific Ocean. The town of Guerneville lies east of Monte Rio, and Jenner is slightly north-west. The population was 1,152 at the 2010 census, up from 1,104 at the 2000 census...


|
|-
|
|5.38
|
|Bodega Highway – Bodega
Bodega, California
Bodega is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in Sonoma County in the U.S. state of California. The town had a population of 220 as of the 2010 Census.Bodega is located on Bodega Highway, about west of Freestone, California...

, Sebastopol
Sebastopol, California
Sebastopol is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, approximately north of San Francisco. The population was 7,379 at the 2010 census, but its businesses also serve surrounding rural portions of Sonoma County, totaling about 50,000 people...


|
|-
|
|20.10
|
|
|
|-
|Fort Ross
Fort Ross, California
Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment on the Pacific Coast in what is now Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlements in North America in between 1812 to 1841...


|R33.04
|
|Fort Ross Road – Cazadero
Cazadero, California
Cazadero is an unincorporated town and census-designated place in western Sonoma County, California, United States with a population of 354 as of the 2010 Census. Nearby towns include Jenner, Annapolis, Stewart's Point, Duncans Mills, Villa Grande, Rio Nido, Guerneville, Monte Rio, and The Sea Ranch...

, Fort Ross
Fort Ross, California
Fort Ross is a former Russian establishment on the Pacific Coast in what is now Sonoma County, California, in the United States. It was the hub of the southernmost Russian settlements in North America in between 1812 to 1841...


|
|-
|rowspan=6|Mendocino
Mendocino County, California
Mendocino County is a county located on the north coast of the U.S. state of California, north of the greater San Francisco Bay Area and west of the Central Valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 87,841, up from 86,265 at the 2000 census...


MEN 0.00-105.58
|Point Arena
Point Arena, California
Point Arena is a small coastal city in Mendocino County, California, United States. Point Arena is located west of Hopland, at an elevation of 118 feet . The population was 449 at the 2010 census, down from 474 at the 2000 census, making it one of the smallest incorporated cities in the state...


|15.18
|
|Riverside Drive
|
|-
|
|40.27
|
|
|
|-
|Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, California
Fort Bragg is a city located in coastal Mendocino County, California along State Route 1, the major north-south highway along the Pacific Coast. Fort Bragg is located west of Willits, at an elevation of 85 feet...


|59.80
|
|
|
|-
|
|90.87
|
|
|
|-
|
|105.50
|
|
|
|-
|
|105.58
|
|
|

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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