State Route 1, otherwise known as the Pacific Coast Highway, is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California. At a total of just over 656 miles, it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Montana Highway 200.

Length	656 miles
States	1 – California
Astronomy Sites	7

Astronomy Sites

Here is a list of several great options for astronomy that are well spaced out along the route.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

On the western slope of the Santa Lucia Mountains, the peaks of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park tower high above the Big Sur River Gorge, where the Big Sur River enters this popular park. The park is a great place for the outdoors and is away from the city lights. Therefore this state park is a great place to view the sky and do astronomy.

Morro Bay State Park

Morro Bay State Park features lagoon and natural bay habitat, golf course, and a saltwater marsh in addition to several outdoor activities. Being a bit away from light pollution, the beach is a wonderful place for night sky viewing and DSLR photography of the sky.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Established in 1962, the 3,762-acre park has a plethora of outdoor sights to see such as McWay Falls and 2500 year old Redwood trees. Being farther away from lights and the cities means that the park is a wonderful place to view the night sky!

Limekiln State Park

The park features breathtaking views of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and the rugged Big Sur coastline, in addition to redwood forests and the cultural history of limekilns. There are some nice sky viewing opportunities when when the fog hasn’t rolled in.

Los Padres National Forest

Encompassing almost two million acres, the Los Padres is the third largest National Forest in California. Including Ventana Wilderness, the national forest holds a great opportunity to explore the outdoors and perform stargazing.

Camping/Lodging

Here are a few of the available options, but not every option for camping along the route. We have tried to pair the camping and lodging options with sites as closely with the astronomy locations as possible.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

189 RV and tent sites are situated on or near the Big Sur River. There is a Campfire Center that offers evening programs on the weekends during peak season.

Morro Bay State Park

Visitors will be able to reserve campsites and lodging six months in advance from the current date. Bookings may extend from the arrival date to the desired departure date – based on availability and the park’s maximum stay rules. There are 134 campsites and 2 group campsites available at the state park. There are showers, and RV spots available.

Limekiln State Park

There are 24 campsites that are available for reservation. The campsite does fill up quickly.

Los Padres National Forest

The Los Padres National Forest offers beautiful camping areas that range widely from low to high elevation, riverside to forested, and primitive to developed.  Most of the campsites tend to be directed toward the more primitive camping experience. There are a plethora of great camping options that can be found here.

Make sure to follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and make sure to view our other unique astronomy roadtrips such as this one for more places to view astronomy when on a roadtrip.