Monterey County

A county on California's Central Coast, known for the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the town of Carmel and the Big Sur coastal highway.

Monterey County is on California's Central Coast, wrapped around Monterey Bay. The city of Monterey has Cannery Row and the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium; along 17-Mile Drive you'll see lone cypress trees and the Pebble Beach golf links, and Carmel is a seaside village of fairy-tale cottages and galleries. To the south, Big Sur is the most spectacular stretch of Highway 1, with Bixby Bridge and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park its signature sights; inland, the Salinas Valley is an important agricultural region. Fall brings many sunny days, while summer coasts are often shrouded in morning fog. The gateway is Monterey Regional Airport, or you can drive south from San Francisco.

Destinations

• Monterey & Big Sur

Itineraries

• Pacific Coast Highway: San Francisco to Los Angeles – Drive south along Highway 1, connecting San Francisco, Big Sur, Hearst Castle, and Santa Barbara
• US West National Parks & Coast Grand Loop – A Los Angeles loop passing through Las Vegas, the Grand Canyon, Antelope Canyon, Yosemite, and San Francisco, returning…