Highway 1 by RV — The Ultimate California Road Trip Guide for Families

Highway 1 is one of the greatest drives in the world. The Pacific on one side and dramatic cliffs on the other, with nothing between you and one of the most spectacular coastlines on earth for hundreds of miles. Families who have driven it talk about it for years. Families who have done it in an RV, stopping when they want, sleeping where the view is best, waking up with the ocean outside the window, describe it as one of the best trips they have ever taken.

For a long time, doing this in an RV meant either owning one or towing a rental yourself. The tight coastal curves through Big Sur, the narrow campground access roads, the sheer exposure of driving a large vehicle on cliff-edge highways, put many families off the idea entirely. The experience they wanted was there. Getting to it felt too complicated.

Delivery changes that. RVezy owners along the Highway 1 corridor bring travel trailers directly to campgrounds at the destinations that make this drive extraordinary. You drive the coast in your own car, stopping whenever something catches your eye, and your RV is already set up and waiting when you arrive. This guide covers the route section by section, the campgrounds that matter most, and how to plan the trip your family will still be talking about next summer.

Southern California: San Diego to Malibu

The southern stretch of the California coast sets the tone. San Diego's beaches give way to the dramatic cliffs of Torrey Pines, the surf culture of Encinitas and Carlsbad, and the broad sweep of Los Angeles. This section is more urban than what comes further north, but it has its own character and some excellent family campgrounds.

Leo Carrillo State Beach near Malibu is one of the best campgrounds on the Southern California coast. Sites sit close to the beach with direct access to the water. The campground accommodates travel trailers and has full hookups. For families starting their Highway 1 journey in Los Angeles, this is an ideal first night.

El Capitan State Beach, about 20 miles north of Santa Barbara, is another strong option. The campground sits on bluffs above the ocean with views up and down the coast, and the beach below is one of the calmest and most family-friendly on this stretch.

RVezy owners in the Los Angeles and Santa Barbara areas offer delivery throughout this corridor.

The Central Coast: Santa Barbara to Monterey

This is where Highway 1 begins to become something else. North of Santa Barbara the road narrows and the cliffs steepen. The towns get smaller. The Pacific gets bigger. This stretch, through San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Cambria, and up to Monterey, is some of the most beautiful coastline in California.

Morro Bay State Park has a campground with views across the bay to the iconic Morro Rock, a 576-foot volcanic plug that rises from the water at the mouth of the harbor. The bay itself is a wildlife sanctuary with otters, herons, and shorebirds visible from the campground. Full hookups are available and the town of Morro Bay is walkable from the park.

Plaskett Creek Campground, south of Big Sur near the small community of Gorda, is one of the finest campgrounds on the California coast. Sites sit in a cypress grove above the ocean with direct access to a rocky beach. The road narrows significantly at this point, which is exactly why delivery makes this stretch so practical. Your owner handles the navigation. You take the drive in your own car and arrive to a campsite that is already home.

New Brighton State Beach near Santa Cruz is an excellent option at the northern end of this section, with forested sites close to the beach and good access to the Santa Cruz boardwalk and surrounding area.

Big Sur: The Heart of the Drive

Big Sur is not a town. It is a 90-mile stretch of coast between Carmel and San Simeon where the Santa Lucia Mountains meet the Pacific in a series of cliffs, canyons, and headlands that constitute one of the most dramatic landscapes in North America. There are no traffic lights. There is almost no cell service. What there is, is one of the most extraordinary places your family can spend a night in California.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is the most accessible campground in the corridor, set in a redwood canyon half a mile from the ocean. The campground has full hookups for a portion of its sites and is within walking distance of the park's main trailheads.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, a few miles south, has a walk-in campground above McWay Falls, one of the most photographed places on the California coast.

Kirk Creek Campground, operated by the Los Padres National Forest, sits on a bluff directly above the ocean with unobstructed Pacific views from every site. There are no hookups, but the setting is as good as anything on this drive.

Big Sur campgrounds book out months in advance for peak summer weekends. Plan early. RVezy owners in the Monterey and Central Coast areas offer delivery to campgrounds throughout this corridor.

The Monterey Peninsula and Carmel

The Monterey Peninsula is one of the great concentrations of California coastal experience. The Monterey Bay Aquarium. The 17-Mile Drive through Pebble Beach. Carmel-by-the-Sea with its white sand beach and village character. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, which Jacques Cousteau reportedly called the greatest underwater wilderness in North America.

Veteran's Memorial Park in Monterey has a campground on a hilltop above the city with views of the bay. Saddle Mountain RV Park in Carmel is a well-regarded private campground within easy reach of both Carmel and Point Lobos. For families who want to spend multiple days exploring the peninsula, this is the right base.

RVezy owners in the Monterey and Salinas Valley areas offer delivery throughout the peninsula.

San Francisco and the Marin Coast

San Francisco is not a campground destination, but the areas immediately north of the city across the Golden Gate are extraordinary. The Marin Headlands offer some of the most dramatic views of the bridge and bay from the hills above. Mount Tamalpais State Park has campgrounds with views that stretch from the Farallon Islands to the Sierra Nevada on a clear day.

Families continuing north from San Francisco enter the Sonoma and Mendocino coast, a stretch of smaller towns, sea stacks, and hidden coves that many Californians consider the most beautiful part of the state. Bodega Dunes and Wright's Beach campgrounds in Sonoma Coast State Park are excellent options with direct beach access. Salt Point State Park further north has primitive and developed sites on dramatic rocky headlands.

RVezy owners in the Bay Area and Sonoma County offer delivery throughout this northern coastal corridor.

Tips for First-Time RV Families on Highway 1

With delivery, you are not driving the RV on Highway 1 at all. Your owner handles every mile of transport. The tips below are for making the most of the drive in your own vehicle and planning the trip well.

• Book campgrounds as early as possible. Peak summer sites at Pfeiffer Big Sur, Kirk Creek, and popular Marin campgrounds go months in advance on Recreation.gov. Your RVezy owner will coordinate delivery once your campground reservation is confirmed.
• Plan your driving days around the light. Highway 1 is at its most extraordinary in the late afternoon when the sun is low and the ocean turns gold. The Big Sur stretch in particular rewards an unhurried pace with stops at every pullout.
• Bring layers regardless of the time of year. The coast can be 20 degrees cooler than inland California, and the marine layer rolls in most mornings. By afternoon it usually clears.
• Check road conditions before you go. Highway 1 through Big Sur is subject to closures after heavy rain and occasional landslides. Caltrans posts current conditions at dot.ca.gov.

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FAQ

Can an RV actually navigate Highway 1 through Big Sur?

With delivery, you are not driving the RV on Highway 1 at all. Your RVezy owner transports the trailer to your campground and handles all navigation. The drive you do is in your own car, which makes the tight coastal curves and narrow sections of Big Sur a pleasure rather than a logistics challenge. This is one of the core reasons delivery is so well suited to Highway 1 trips.

How far in advance do I need to book campgrounds on Highway 1?

For peak summer weekends, six months in advance is not too early for the most popular sites. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Kirk Creek, and Marin Headlands campgrounds release reservations on Recreation.gov six months ahead and popular dates fill within hours. Weeknights have more availability. Book your campground first, then arrange your RVezy delivery around your confirmed dates.

Can I do the full Highway 1 drive in one trip with a delivered RV?

Yes, though it requires coordination across multiple deliveries or a single base with day drives along the route. The most practical approach for most families is to choose a two or three night base at a central campground like Pfeiffer Big Sur or Kirk Creek and make day drives north and south along the coast from there. Families who want to move the trailer between multiple campgrounds should discuss the logistics with their RVezy owner before booking.

What is the best time of year to drive Highway 1 with a family?

Late June through September offers the most reliable weather and the longest days. July and August are peak season, which means full campgrounds and the need to book well in advance. September is an excellent choice for families with flexibility, with warm weather, thinner crowds, and golden light that photographers pursue all year. Spring brings wildflowers on the coastal bluffs but also a higher chance of road closures after winter rains.

What support is available if something goes wrong during the trip?

RVezy's in-house support team is available in under five minutes, every day of the summer. The RVezy roadside and trip protection program, the most comprehensive in the peer-to-peer RV rental industry, covers towing, mobile mechanics, lockouts, battery boosts, septic unblocking, emergency accommodation, and meal replacement.

Highway 1 is one of those drives that changes how you think about this country. In an RV, with a home base at the best campgrounds on the coast and no checkout time, it becomes something a family carries with them for the rest of their lives.

Browse delivery-available RVs along the Highway 1 corridor

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