Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
5. THE GREAT HIGHWAY
Broad and straight, this coast highway begins at Cliff House at the northern end and
eventually meets the famous Highway 1, which takes you, via dramatic cliffs, down to
Half Moon Bay, Santa Cruz, Monterey, Carmel, Big Sur - and eventually, to Mexico.
Google Map
View photo
6. DIVISADERO
This street cuts a great swathe through the city centre. It starts in the south at Duboce
Street, then rises to glorious mansions and Bay vistas after Geary Expressway.
Google Map
View photo
7. BERKELEY & OAKLAND HILLS
Blending gently with the Berkeley Hills, the Oakland Hills offer some beautiful parks,
such as Redwood Regional Park. Skyline Boulevard provides access to most of this
ridge area, with many picnic groves and hiking options along the winding way.
Hwy 24
Google Map
8. SKYLINE DRIVE
Pick up this bucolic road (Highway 35) at
Lake Merced
,
and it will take you all the
way down the woody spine of the Peninsula to Santa Cruz. It's a total immersion in
nature, just minutes from the populated areas around the Bay.
9. LA HONDA & OLD LA HONDA ROADS
Behind Stanford University (for further details see
Palo Alto and Stanford
) is the
quiet town of Portola Valley. From here, these picturesque switchback roads ascend
to meet Skyline Drive. They are very narrow in places, and you can't go more than 10
mph (16 kmph), but the timeless beauty of the Bay Area forests makes it worthwhile.
10. HIGHWAY 9 AND BIG BASIN STATE PARK
This gently mountainous region is almost entirely undeveloped. The main town,
Boulder Creek, is like a small frontier settlement, where craftspeople sell their wares,
and country stores cater mostly to locals. This is an area that time happily forgot.
Google Map
