We wanted to take the Pacific Coast Highway (U.S. Highway 101) South through California, except we wanted to go around San Francisco. We share our California Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip by RV including places to stay such as free overnight parking at casinos and wineries through Harvest Hosts, and things to do. Planning a US 101 road trip? We share our favorites. Don’t have time to read this now? Pin it for later!

Leg 1: Trinidad to Klamath then around San Francisco

Route from Trinidad to Klamath then around San Francisco

Trinidad, CA: Cher-Ae Heights Casino and Bingo
- $20 to stay one to three nights.
- Great location to visit Trinidad and the Redwoods.
- RV Dry camping except there is water if you need to top off your tanks.
- The road to the casino is a little narrow so take it slow.
- Looking for things to do in or near Trinidad? Take a look at our Planning a Trip to Trinidad CA and 5 Tips for Hiking Fern Canyon in the Redwoods articles.
- What highway did we take to get to Trinidad? Check out our Bend, OR to California by RV route.
Klamath, CA: Redwood Hotel and Casino
- FREE overnight RV parking. Must sign up for Player’s Club card. You spin to earn free play.
Klamath, CA: Chinook RV Resort
- Great RV park. Large grassy sites right on the river.
- Passport America Deal!
- Read about our fun stay in our Places to Stay in Klamath CA article.
- Looking for things to do? Check out our 3 Things To Do in Klamath CA | Trees of Mystery or
  Day Trip to Crescent City articles.
Loleta, CA: Bear River Casino Resort
- FREE overnight RV parking. Must sign up for Player’s Club card. Includes $10 in free play.
- Check out the Avenue of the Giants and the Lost Coast in our Lost Coast Scenic Loop article.
Fort Bragg, CA: Harbor RV Park
- CA SR-20 from Willits to Harbor RV Park is 33 miles and it took us 1 hour and 20 minutes in our motorhome on a Friday afternoon.
- Beautiful ocean views in the front row but they had a problem with under-voltage. Neither the 30 amp nor 50 amp worked for us.
- We had to move to the second row which still had good views of the ocean and the 50 amp worked.
- Looking for things to do in Fort Bragg? Check out our Continuing South through California article.
Benicia, CA: Benicia State Recreation Area
- GPS: 38.0787, -122.1943
- A hidden gem in the Bay Area. Great little spot. Perfect for an overnighter. Maximum one-night stay. Only $12.
- The parking area gets full very early. We moved our motorhome first thing in the morning and then we walked around the area which was beautiful.
- We avoided driving the motorhome through San Francisco by going through Benicia, and we would definitely take this route again.
- Check out our pictures of this beautiful Benicia State Recreation Area in our Continuing South through California article.

Leg 2: Around San Francisco then South to Ventura, CA

Route around San Francisco then South to Ventura

Paso Robles, CA: Vines RV Resort
- Awesome Passport America deal!!!
Paso Robles, CA:
- FREE overnight RV parking at vineyards through our Harvest Hosts membership.
- We stayed at Tobin James Cellars, Cellars Stacked Stone Cellars, and Rio Seco Vineyard & Winery.
- Such a fun way to visit these wineries!
- Read about our stays in our RV Camping at Wineries in Paso Robles | Harvest Hosts article.
Pismo Beach, CA: North Beach Campground
- Great location!
- Walking distance to the Pismo pier.
Oceano, CA: Oceano Campground
- Very close to the Oceano Dunes.
- Take your vehicle for a drive on the beach!
- Read about North Beach and Oceano campgrounds in ours Two Awesome Campgrounds at Pismo State Beach article.
Ventura, CA: Rincon Parkway Campground
- Unfortunately, COVID-19 cut our adventure short and we had to skip this campground.
- We drove past it and the views of the ocean look amazing so this is definitely on our list of campgrounds to come back to.

Where did we go? What did we do?

Looking for places to visit or things to do along US 101 in California? Click on one of these to get information to plan your next adventure!