Los Angeles–Santa Maria Self-Guided Pacific Coast Audio Drive

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT UNIVERSITY. Pass the hilltop campus of this longstanding Jesuit and Marymount university overlooking Los Angeles.

MARINA DEL REY. See one of North America’s largest purpose-built small-craft harbours, filled with sailboats and waterfront activity.

VENICE. Pass the colourful beachfront neighbourhood known for its canals, boardwalk and creative spirit.

SANTA MONICA AND WILL ROGERS STATE BEACHES. Follow the coast past two broad sandy beaches and classic Pacific views.

GETTY VILLA AND PACIFIC PALISADES. Pass the Roman-inspired museum of Greek and Roman antiquities, currently open with free timed reservations, and the surrounding coastal neighbourhood.

TUNA CANYON AND TOPANGA STATE PARKS. See rugged native landscapes, hiking country and sweeping coastal viewpoints in the Santa Monica Mountains.

MALIBU. Travel through 21 miles of celebrated coastline shaped by surf culture, beaches and dramatic ocean scenery.

SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS NATIONAL RECREATION AREA. Pass a vast Mediterranean-climate landscape of canyons, ridges and coastal habitat.

MALIBU AND ADAMSON HOUSE. Discover the city’s layered past and its landmark Spanish Colonial Revival home beside the lagoon.

ZUMA BEACH AND POINT DUME. See a wide sandy beach and the prominent headland featured in countless coastal views.

EL MATADOR STATE BEACH. Look for sea stacks, arches and sculpted rock formations along this striking Malibu shoreline.

NICHOLAS CANYON BEACH. Pass a scenic beach rooted in the much older history and trading networks of the Chumash people.

HARRISON’S REEF. Look offshore toward a rocky reef known as a local scuba-diving habitat.

SANTA MONICA MOUNTAINS. Follow the foothills and inland bluffs that rise sharply above the Pacific coast.

POINT MUGU STATE PARK AND BONEY PEAK. Pass open coastal parkland with canyons, trails and views toward one of the range’s highest summits.

POINT MUGU MISSILE PARK. View the outdoor collection of historic missiles and aircraft associated with the neighbouring naval base.

PORT HUENEME. Pass the coastal city and its deep-water commercial port, the only one between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

OXNARD. Travel through a fertile coastal plain famous for producing a major share of California’s strawberries.

SANTA CLARA RIVER. Cross Southern California’s largest relatively natural river system and its important watershed habitat.

VENTURA COUNTY COAST. Follow the coastal plain beneath the Topatopa Mountains through one of Southern California’s most scenic regions.

MISSION BASILICA SAN BUENAVENTURA. Pass the active historic parish, museum and mission landmark in downtown Ventura.

SOLIMAR AND EMMA WOOD STATE BEACHES. Trace a scenic stretch of Pacific shoreline with broad ocean views and coastal recreation.

PITAS POINT. See the prominent coastal point shaped by powerful tectonic forces and earthquake history.

RINCON ISLAND AND RICHFIELD PIER. Spot the small artificial island connected to shore by a remarkably long pier.

CARPINTERIA BLUFFS NATURE PRESERVE. See community-protected coastal bluffs, open space and sweeping ocean habitat.

CARPINTERIA. Pass a welcoming coastal city known for beaches, small-town charm and nearby nature preserves.

CHANNEL ISLANDS VIEWPOINT. Look across the Pacific toward Santa Rosa Island and the offshore island chain on clear days.

CHANNEL ISLANDS NATIONAL PARK. View the protected island landscape celebrated for marine wildlife, archaeology and remarkable biodiversity.

CHANNEL ISLANDS HARBOUR. Pass the working waterfront near Naval Base Ventura County and its maritime facilities.

SANTA BARBARA AND CHUMASH HISTORY. Enter a coastal city whose story begins with the Chumash people centuries before European settlement.

SANTA BARBARA. Discover Spanish-influenced architecture, a lively waterfront and one of California’s favourite coastal destinations.

GOLETA. Pass a relaxed coastal community with beaches, nature preserves and seasonal monarch habitat.

SANTA YNEZ MOUNTAINS. Follow the unusual east–west range that forms a dramatic backdrop to the coast.

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA. Pass a leading research campus set beside the Pacific Ocean.

LOS PADRES NATIONAL FOREST. View the vast protected mountain landscape that shelters rare wildlife and rugged wilderness.

EL CAPITAN STATE BEACH. See rocky tide pools and coastal habitat at this reopened day-use beach along Highway 101.

REFUGIO STATE BEACH. Pass a palm-lined coastal beach remembered both for its beauty and the environmental impact of the 2015 oil spill.

GAVIOTA STATE PARK. See rugged coastline, beach scenery and the historic Gaviota trestle near the western end of the Santa Barbara coast.

NOJOQUI FALLS PARK. Discover a distinctive waterfall that has built outward from mineral deposits over time.

BUELLTON. Pass a friendly Santa Ynez Valley town famous for roadside hospitality and split-pea soup.

LA PURÍSIMA MISSION STATE HISTORIC PARK. See California’s most fully restored Spanish mission complex and its surrounding historic landscape.

LOMPOC. Discover a valley city brightened by a celebrated collection of outdoor murals.

VANDENBERG SPACE FORCE BASE. Pass the major West Coast launch centre for military, scientific and commercial space missions.

LOS ALAMOS AND SALOMON PICO. Travel through old ranching country linked to the legendary Californio bandit Salomon Pico.

SANTA MARIA VALLEY. Enter a renowned wine region celebrated for cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

SAN RAFAEL WILDERNESS. View the rugged backcountry of Los Padres National Forest and the ridge of Hurricane Deck.

SANTA MARIA. Finish in a city founded amid fertile farmland, a mild coastal climate and a rich ranching tradition.

PRESQU’ILE WINERY. See a contemporary Santa Maria Valley estate known for cool-climate wines and sweeping vineyard views.

PACIFIC CONSERVATORY THEATRE. See Santa Maria’s respected professional theatre and training company on the Allan Hancock College campus.

RANCHO SISQUOC WINERY. Discover a historic estate at the eastern edge of the Santa Maria Valley wine country.

RIVER VIEW PARK. See a spacious Buellton park beside the Santa Ynez River with lawns, trails and valley scenery.