Santa barbara trip (Oxnard, Orange, Santa Monica: camping, price, shops)

[chgodon]

I've never been pass the San Fernando Valley. I would like to drive up to Santa Barbara from Orange County for 1 nite. GPS advised take 101 up there. Can I take PCH all the way up there? Any good places to sleep? Not looking for over $140 to $200 a nite. What should I visit as far as shops or dining? I'm basically going to escape the LA/OC scene. A little refreshing of the mind. Appreciate any recommendations.

[EscapeCalifornia]

PCH from OC is a long, slow drive through LA. Why would you want to do that? If you want to take PCH, at least take the 405 up to the 10 and cut over through Santa Monica. If you really want to get away from the city, keep going up some place like Pismo Beach or Morro Bay. Its not that much farther (the hard part's getting past LA) but there's some nice quiet areas up there.

[Ponypenny]

Like the poster above said, the best route would be to take the 405 North to the 10 West. The 10 basically ends at PCH in Santa Monica. Take PCH North through Malibu. Once past Malibu PCH, travels inland through Oxnard where it connects back to the 101. Both Highways run together for several miles. The 101 and PCH (Highway 1) split again at Gaviota State Park. There are many cute towns north of Santa Barbara. You should have no problem finding places to stay in your price range. A google search should give you what you want. Pick up a map at AAA. There are also some real nice County and State Parks that have camping right near the beach.

[HarryKerry]

Yeah, PCH is a "once in a lifetime" route as it is very INefficient and a major time consuming drive. Just take 101 to get to SB, and plan a PCH drive when you have DAYS of time.

Amtrak has service from Orange County through LA to Santa Barbara on the Pacific Surfliner trains. The Amtrak station at SB is right in the heart of downtown SB and across from the beach. There is shuttle service (also a short walk, but too many homeless will accost you) between Amtrak station and downtown Santa Barbara a few blocks away. The train avoids the traffic and it does travel inches from the beach north of LA county in Ventura on the way to Santa Barbara.

The ONLY time I've ever had a non-congested drive up there was when I went at 9PM to visit relatives. Every other time there was always congestion and slow down SOMEWHERE along the way. Even Oprah was shocked at how bad the drive can be from he mansion in Summerland to LA. "I realized, 'hey, I've got to get a place in LA!'" she said with astonishment.