, often called '''Highway 1''', is a
State Highway that runs along a large length of the
Pacific coast of
California . In
Southern California , major portions are known as '''Pacific Coast Highway''' ('''PCH''' for short); in various parts of central California, it is named '''Cabrillo Highway'''; and north of
San Francisco , it is officially called the '''Shoreline Highway'''. Highway 1 is famous for running by some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, leading to its designation as an
All-American Road .
Route 1 has its southern
Terminus at
Interstate 5 south of
San Juan Capistrano . From there, named as Pacific Coast Highway, it heads north into downtown
Dana Point , where for one mile (1.6 km) northbound traffic continues along the original PCH alignment whilst southbound traffic is diverted onto parallel Del Prado Street. Once reunified as PCH, Route 1 then heads north along the coast through the beach communities of
Monarch Beach ,
Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove. Route 1 then moves slightly inward and drops "Pacific" from its name, passing through
Corona Del Mar and
Newport Beach as Coast Highway. It once again becomes PCH upon entering
Huntington Beach , where it borders city and state beaches. It leaves
Orange County after passing through
Sunset Beach and
Seal Beach .
PCH then enters
Los Angeles County and passes through
Signal Hill and
Long Beach (where it intersects with Lakewood Boulevard
CA-19 and Los Coyotes Diagonal at the "infamous" Long Beach
Traffic Circle ). Although it does not border the coastline, it retains the PCH name as it runs through the beach cities of
Torrance ,
Redondo Beach , and
Hermosa Beach . Upon entering
Manhattan Beach , it becomes
Sepulveda Boulevard , which it continues as through
El Segundo and the
Los Angeles International Airport , directly passing underneath two runways. Route 1 then shifts to
Lincoln Boulevard before being briefly duplexed with
Interstate 10 in
Santa Monica . Route 1 rejoins the scenic coastline in Santa Monica, and regains the PCH name as it moves through the wealthy coastal communities of Pacific Palisades and
Malibu before heading inward to join
U.S. Route 101 in
Oxnard .
After traveling through
Ventura , California State Route 1 separates from US 101 to travel along the beach from Emma Wood State Beach to the Mobil Pier Undercrossing, where it rejoins US 101 about 3 miles south of the
Santa Barbara County line. Then after passing through
Santa Barbara , Route 1 splits again from US 101 south of
Buellton and heads through the coastal city
Lompoc before joining US 101 for the third time at
Pismo Beach .
Route 1 splits from US 101 at
San Luis Obispo and continues north as a winding, two lane road with occasional passing lanes. It follows along the coast past
Hearst Castle and through the cliffs of
Big Sur . Then several miles north, the highway crosses the scenic
Bixby Creek Bridge , a reinforced concrete arch with a 320-foot span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge, and the
Rocky Creek Bridge . From there, State Route 1 passes through
Carmel and
Monterey before turning into a multi-lane freeway between and
Watsonville and
Santa Cruz . Upon reaching downtown Santa Cruz, it continues as Mission Street and Coast Road before regaining the Cabrillo Highway name.
Highway 1 then continues north as a winding, two lane road following the west coast of the
San Francisco Peninsula , passing through
Half Moon Bay .
Before reaching
Pacifica , the highway travels through a treacherous stretch where it is dubbed
Devil's Slide . Here the road is in constant danger of sliding into the Pacific Ocean. This stretch of road has been closed indefinitely since
April 2 ,
2006 due to damage under the roadbed from rain saturation. It has been closed several times before, including about five months in 1995 and about three months in 1983.
Previous Devil's Slide closures
Highway 1 turns into a multi-lane freeway in Pacifica before joining
Interstate 280 in
Daly City . After reaching the city of
San Francisco , Route 1 splits from Interstate 280 and becomes the six-lane wide 19th Avenue where, in spite of being a city street, it dangerously retains a fast and dense traffic flow. Route 1 turns into Park Presidio Boulevard before it passes through the city's
Golden Gate Park . It then joins US 101 for a fourth time just before going across the
Golden Gate Bridge .
After entering
Marin County , Highway 1 then splits from US 101 again near
Marin City , where it, now as the Shoreline Highway, returns to a winding, two lane road as it goes through the coastal cities of
Bodega Bay and
Fort Bragg . The highway then terminates at US 101 in
Leggett in
Mendocino County .
Instead of terminating at
Leggett , California State Highway 1 was originally planned to follow the Pacific coast even farther north from
Rockport to
Ferndale . But this portion was never constructed, and so the portion of Highway 1 that was completed between Ferndale and US 101 was renumbered as
California State Route 211 . Because of the lack of highways along the coast between Rockport and Ferndale, this area has been coined as California's ''Lost Coast''.
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California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 301
- From Junction with I-5 at Dana Point in Orange County to State Hwy Route 101 at Leggett in Mendocino County. Sponsored by the National Council of State Garden Clubs, Inc. as a tribute to the men and women of the Nation's Armed Forces.
- From Harkins Slough Road to Pajaro River Bridge. Officer John Pedro was killed in the line of duty in a traffic collision.
- Portion in L.A. County.
- From Interchange at Skyline Boulevard to Southern City Limits of Pacifica. "Assemblyman, chair numerous committees, aided poor."
- From San Juan Capistrano to Golden West Street in Huntington Beach.
- From San Luis Obispo to Monterey. Named by historical and long local usage in the County of San Luis Obispo.
- From Golden West St in Huntington Beach to Orange County Boundary.
- Portion in Ventura County.
Source: 2004 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances In California
