Epic Drives of the World
Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet describes 50 of the world's
most exciting road trips, including, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway.
Epic Drives of the World
This handsome and hefty coffee-table book isn't cheap, but
it's the kind of publication that will make a great gift for someone, possibly
yourself. In addition to the 50 drives covered in depth (four pages per drive),
each one has three more suggestions at the end of other similar drives you might
like.
Epic Drives: Pacific
Coast Highway
Which leads us to the Pacific Coast Highway. This is one of
nine USA drives included in the book, and to start at the end, the other
suggested drives if you liked the PCH are the Okanagan Valley Tour in Canada; a
Modern Art Meander in Provence, visiting the places painted and lived in by
artists like Picasso, Van Gogh and Matisse; and Wonders of Ancient Sicily,
taking in ancient ruins, farmland and volcanoes. I'm not sure how these are
similar to the Pacific Coast Highway, but never mind.
The main drives each have two two-page spreads, following a similar format. Most have a full-page photo to really whet your appetite for the beauty of the drive, an overview map, several more inspiring photos or the occasional artwork, and about two-three pages of text.
Epic Drives of the World
Each drive also has a Directions box, which doesn't actually give you
the directions but instead has practical information like the start and end points, length
of the drive, the best time of the year to do it, and suggestions of where to
stay, where to eat and a Hot Tip. Don't expect in-depth information, though –
you only get one recommended place to stay and one to eat in the whole 1050
miles from Seattle to San Francisco!
This kind of book is not about detailed information, however. You'll still need guidebooks and maps if you're going to make the drive. They're about ideas and inspiration, and for that they work well. The author of the PCH entry captures the feel of the drive well, and the book is a collection of well-written essays rather than a guidebook-style more factual approach.
Other Epic USA Drives
If driving the Pacific Coast Highway inspires you to plan
another road trip in the USA then there are plenty here to choose from,
including a Napa Valley drive. That hardly counts as epic, being only 156 miles
(251km), although it has novelty value as the driver tackles it using an
electric vehicle.
Route 66 is included, of course, along with drives around the Southern Utah National Parks, the Going to the Sun Road in Glacier National Park, and a drive through the Blue Ridge Mountains.
Epic Drives of the World Sample Drive
Drive around the
World
The book covers the world, of course, and includes six
drives in Australia, though only five in the whole of Asia: India, Bhutan,
Vietnam, Nepal, and South Korea. So China is missing completely, as is Russia.
Ireland is represented by The Wild Atlantic Way and a circular drive from
Belfast that takes in the Antrim coast.
There's one drive in Scotland, which is an odd choice, from Portree on the Isle of Skye to Applecross on the mainland. This is a beautiful drive but only 74 miles (119km) in length – again, hardly epic.
Why not cover the North Coast 500, which has been described as 'jaw-droppingly beautiful' and 'Scotland's answer to Route 66'? This was introduced in 2015, two years before the book was published, and would be a much better choice if you want to justify the word 'epic' in the title.
The Verdict
This is an enjoyable read and a beautifully-produced book. We
have a few quibbles over the choices, which is always the case with lists of
any kind, but we certainly wouldn't object to receiving it as a present, and
would be happy to give as one to a keen driver or armchair traveller.
You can find it on Amazon.
Other books pages
When to Drive the Pacific Coast Highway depends on whether you want to drive in Oregon and Washington as well as California, and on the weather.
Here are links to the different ways you can go along the Pacific Coast Highway, one of the most popular drives in the world but you can also cycle it.
Brewpubs and good beer are at the heart of the Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA which lists the best bars and breweries from Seattle to San Diego.
101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's advice on driving the Pacific Coast Highway in three days, including the best places to stay, and the best things to do and see.
Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.
Driving the Pacific Coast Highway is made easier with Road Trip USA by Jamie Jensen, a good handbook for the west coast drive.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's advice on driving the Pacific Coast Highway in four days, including the best places to stay, and the best things to do and see.
The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.
To John Steinbeck Monterey's Cannery Row was a place of sardine canneries, bums and honky tonks, but today the Monterey Aquarium attracts visitors.
The Washington State travel guide from Frommer's covers hotels in Seattle, driving the Pacific Coast Highway, Olympic National Park, where to eat and more.
Pacific Coast Highway guides include our own printed book and ebook guides to the best hotels along the PCH, available in paperback, PDF and Kindle formats.
The Frommer's Guide to Seattle has good information about the city and side excursions to the Olympic National Park and elsewhere, plus free city and area map.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel takes the 17-Mile Drive from Carmel to Pacific Grove and Monterey, stopping to see the Lone Cypress and beautiful coastline views.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's guide to Washington coast charging stations for electric vehicles along Highway 101 from Oregon and around the Olympic Peninsula.
Northwest Wine Country is a food and wine lover's guide to vineyards, fine dining, accommodation, restaurants in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, British Columbia.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's advice on driving the Pacific Coast Highway in two days, including the best places to stay, and the best things to do and see.
Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.
Pacific Coast Highway Travel's guide to Oregon coast charging stations for electric vehicles, from Brookings in the south to Astoria in the north.
Pacific Coast Highway driving tips for this great American road trip include finding cheap gas, watching the speed limits, and allowing plenty of travel time.
Pacific Coast Highway stops include big city vacation destinations like Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego, and smaller places like Monterey.
The Best Coast is a west coast travel guide, sub-titled A Road Trip Atlas it doesn't use photos but instead has hundreds of beautiful illustrations.
California coast charging stations are so numerous that the Pacific Coast Highway is one of the best US road trips to drive in an electric vehicle or EV.
Plant lovers can visit hundreds of gardens along or near the Pacific Coast Highway,ranging from lush gardens in the Pacific North-West to southern California.
The Pacific Coast Highway in California book shows in historic photos the building of the Pacific Coast Highway from its earliest beginnings in 1911.
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The best things to do in Monterey, chosen by Pacific Coast Highway Travel, include the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, whale watching and Fisherman's Wharf.
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After two months of lane closures on PCH in Malibu, the highway has fully reopened.
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