Three Day Trips from Long
Beach, by Craig
Howie
[Map]
Three words can bring a smile to even the most
hardened of road trippers: Pacific
Coast Highway. The famed U.S. Highway 1 is just one of
the many attractions within striking distance of Long Beach,
Calif., a port town and airport hub about 20 miles south of
Los Angeles. Interesting in its own right, Long Beach also
serves as a gateway to pretty beach towns, rugged desert scrubland
and majestic mountain ranges, all of which seem impossibly
far away from the urban sprawl of L.A. but are easily reachable
in a day's drive.
Go on, jump in. What are you waiting for?
Go west
Long Beach to Manhattan Beach, 50 miles round trip
Due west of downtown Long Beach lies the busiest
port complex in the nation, the combined ports of Long
Beach and Los
Angeles; the ports serve as a gateway to a dramatic coastal
drive around the Palos Verdes peninsula to the popular Pacific
coastal towns of Redondo, Hermosa and Manhattan Beach. The
seven-or-so-mile portside drive north on State Highway 47
travels over two span bridges, giving a great view of an incredible
array of tankers, longshore equipment and cruise ships (testament
to humankind's industrious endeavors and to the U.S.'s burgeoning
trade relationship with China) before dropping you in the
port town of San
Pedro. A short loop along palm-lined streets brings you
to the Pacific outlook of Friendship
Park, a 123-acre green space that stands as a monument
to peaceful relations between the U.S. and South Korea. A
short explore here reveals military barracks and sea defenses
rich in history alongside a current Coast Guard watch facility.
The road swoops a couple hundred feet down to kid-friendly
Point Fermin Park and then through several neighborhoods before
the mansions that dominate California's coastline thin out
and the drive opens into a spectacularly rolling landscape
reminiscent of Italy's Amalfi Coast.
The peninsula is not totally undeveloped - Donald
Trump has built an exclusive golf complex here, for example
- but notable sights include a Spanish mission dating from
the 1800s and several great whale-watching
and fishing spots over the Catalina Channel. Winter is best
for spotting migrating gray, blue and killer whales, while
sport fishing at Point Vicente is a year-round activity (you
can buy bait in San Pedro). After about 30 minutes, you encounter
the upscale neighborhoods of Rolling Hills Estates - home
to many movie stars and execs who prefer its exclusivity to
the Hollywood Hills. Then it's on to Redondo,
whose pier boasts some of the finest and freshest seafood
on the West Coast, perfect for a spot of lunch with lots of
room for kids to run around; it also offers grown-up treats
like Pacific oysters and day-boat scallops.
From here, you can skip inland on the Pacific
Coast Highway to head further north to Santa Monica or Malibu,
or take the leisurely coastal road into the college town of
Hermosa, which boasts some great surfing beaches, and then
go into Manhattan
Beach, an upscale community that offers a fantastic stretch
of beach and more great surfing spots. From Manhattan Beach,
you can grab Interstate 405, the San Diego Freeway, and be
back at the Long Beach airport in less than 30 minutes, provided
you don't try to do it at rush hour. Allow a good hour and
a half - or more - if you are planning to travel between 3:30
p.m. and 7 p.m. on weekdays or holidays.
Head south
Long Beach to Laguna Beach, 70 miles round trip
Pacific Coast Highway conjures many images for
those looking for the ultimate in California coastal driving,
and the road from Long Beach to Laguna Beach has it all: sensational
Pacific outlooks, picturesque beach towns and surf spots and,
perhaps best of all, some of the most impressive sunsets on
the West Coast. Though just about 35 miles long, the stretch
between Long Beach and Laguna Beach has more than enough to
keep a day tripper happily occupied and, outside of holidays,
weekends or rush hour, is usually relatively traffic-free.
Five minutes from Long Beach Airport, the highway
quickly takes you through the eastern portion of the city
and across the county line into Seal
Beach, a pretty beach town with a laid-back feel that
also serves as a U.S. naval base. There are lots of good casual
dining and taco stops here to set you up for the day and the
beach is just half a mile from the Pacific Coast Highway,
along Main Street. The highway then passes through perhaps
the most undeveloped of the coastal towns, Sunset
Beach, which feels like it has changed little since the
days of woodies - California's favorite surfer car - and Gidget,
everyone's favorite surfer girl. Here, you can rent surfing,
kayaking or boating equipment at one of the roadside outlets
or pick up a pair of surf shorts and a towel. Sunset Beach
is surrounded by wetlands
preserved from development after a decades-long court battle.
The wetlands are now teeming with migratory birds, which relish
the pristine coastal habitat almost as much as the nature
lovers who stretch their legs here.
Huntington
Beach - the original Surf City, U.S.A. - lies a couple
miles beyond, past several miles of surf spots that play host
to the annual U.S. Open of Surfing. Here enthusiasts can check
out the history and culture behind the sport perhaps most
closely associated with California. Venture out onto the waves
north or south of the pier and locals are more likely to help
you and give advice than barge you off a wave. Just make sure
your board skills can handle some serious ocean swells.
Huntington Beach nudges up against the western
edge of Newport
Beach, the home of rich-kid TV show "The O.C."
Its idyllic peninsula, fun bars and restaurants, and fantastic
surfing beaches make it a tourist magnet. Eat an ice cream
along the pier and watch the surfers splash around below;
at the end of the pier, check out the somewhat scary replica
of a 15-foot great white shark caught just 100 yards offshore.
The inland cities of Costa Mesa and Orange are culturally
rewarding if you have time. If not, head seven miles south,
past beautiful Crystal
Cove
nature reserve, which offers beachside walking trails,
and into Laguna
Beach, one of the West Coast's prettiest little enclaves,
long favored by artists and full of interesting shops, souvenir
stalls and upscale eateries. Have cocktails at sunset on the
roof of La Casa del Camino - or perhaps not, if you're driving
- then take a leisurely stroll around the town center or just
explore the many hidden coves that made Laguna famous.
Go east
Long Beach to Idyllwild, 220 miles round trip
Not many road trippers get to experience the
magic of the California desert and its magnificent snow-capped
mountains in one day, but a couple hours inland of Long Beach
lies Idyllwild,
a lovely little town whose main draw is its position high
up in the San Jacinto Mountains - elevation 5,300 feet - and
its views over dramatic, wildfire-scarred desert scrubland.
The first hour of the drive, on State Route 22
to the Orange Freeway (State Route 91), takes you from Long
Beach through northern Orange County to the city of Riverside,
after which the scenery gets increasingly eye-popping as State
Highway 60 (the Pomona Freeway) winds through the Moreno Valley
toward Beaumont. It's largely desert flatland punctuated by
the Lake
Perris State Recreation Area, which has hiking trails,
boats for hire and good fishing, but about 10 miles east of
the park is where it gets real interesting. After Beaumont,
as you start the long climb up State Highway 243 to Idyllwild,
the landscape changes from baked desert scrub through fire-blackened
chaparral and finally to alpine forest. There's a change in
temperature and air quality, too, and it's worth keeping the
windows down - depending on the chill factor - to experience
its full effect.
It takes about 40 minutes of switchbacks and
tight curves - more if you get out and admire the view or
let the dog do its business - but once you reach the plateau,
you'll find a mountain wilderness that seems a million miles
from smoggy L.A. Alongside Idyllwild's cute shops and eateries
and the area's serious mountain hikes and climbs, fun things
to do here include a visit to Lake
Hemet, which is a fine size for walking around and offers
camping, boating and fishing. If you have bags of time, State
Route 74 will take you through the Thomas Mountains and down
into Palm
Springs and its surrounds. From there, it's a straight
shot west on Interstate 10 past Beaumont and back into Long
Beach.
Craig
Howie
1/16/08
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