Northern End of Highway One

Extending from Dana Point in the South to the mountain town of Legget in the North, California's Highway One is arguably the most scenic drive in the country. A wild coast, and lonely it has been called. On a weekday you'll have the whole road to yourself up here, rarely seeing another car. Weekends will see hundreds of RV campers parked in the large turnouts just along the water. In my travels, this is the only part of Hwy. 1 that allows overnight camping along the road. Hardy Rock, featured in these photos, is the demarcation point where the highway turns inland to avoid the steep and unstable cliffs to the North. The Southern terminus of the Lost Coast Trail begins near here, and is the only way to continue directly along the coast for the next 100 miles going North. The closest beer run is 30 minutes away and is hardly ever open--they only take cash and have no ATM. This is my California because it is easy to imagine what life was like along the coast 100 years ago here.