California State Route 1 - Route Description

Route Description

Highway 1 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System. However, only a few stretches between Los Angeles and San Francisco have officially been designated as a scenic highway. The Big Sur section from San Luis Obispo to Carmel is an official National Scenic Byway.

The entire route is also designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway to recognize those in the United States armed forces. In Southern California, the California Legislature has designated the segment between Interstate 5 (I-5) in Dana Point and US 101 near Oxnard as the Pacific Coast Highway (commonly referred to as "PCH"). Between U.S. 101 at the Las Cruces junction (8 miles south of Buellton) and U.S. 101 in Pismo Beach, and between U.S. 101 in San Luis Obispo and Interstate 280 in San Francisco, the legislature has designated State Highway 1 as the Cabrillo Highway, after Portuguese explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo. The legislature has also designated the route as the Shoreline Highway between the Manzanita Junction near Marin City and Leggett. 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, Diablo Canyon Power Plant and Point Reyes National Seashore. Segments of Highway 1 range from a rural two-lane road to an urban freeway.