Best Route from Monterey to SF Airport

[IlDivoette]

Hi Everyone

The plan will be to leave Monterey fairly early in the morning and our flight isn't until 7.35pm so will need to be at the airport and car dropped off by 5pm I expect.

So we will have most of the day to kill and am trying to find out the best route back to the airport that would include some good stopping off points for an hour or two's wander.

So far I have got Santa Cruz and possibly the Roaring Camp Railroad, any opinions and experiences of these two would be great, and any other stop off points that don't take you too far out of the route back.

Also is there any point in going all the way up to the airport (well nearly) on the Pacific Coast Highway, is there much to see, as it does add more time onto the journey? Happy to do this though if it's a more relaxing pleasant journey.

Finally, anybody have any experience of driving upto the airport late afternoon, will it be crazy busy so we need to leave lots of extra time? I'm a bit of a panicker when it comes to getting to airports and always get to them way too early!

Many thanks for all your invaluable help.

[red cuillen]

Hi, we did it in reverse! SFO to Half Moon Bay then down to Santa Cruz, back up to Felton and Henry Cowell Redwoods, then finished up in Watsonville for a night stop. Managed to use up a whole day for this leg of our trip (see our trip report if you haven't already found it - it's gone down to page 2 now!)
It would be a shame to miss the PCH up to Half Moon Bay, I don't know how much of it you will have already done but it would be a nice way to finish off your trip, the road in from Half Moon was busy but not jammed, can't advise on evening traffic - perhaps look at google maps or the AAA live traffic to see how it looks at rush hour?
We liked Santa Cruz, very pretty drive in from Natural Bridges State Park. Lovely old fashioned theme park on the sea front.
Roaring Forks/Henry Cowell SP - the roads to Felton are twisty and quite slow. We looked around the railroad and it's 'village', didn't ride it as it was Easter and heaving, but we very much enjoyed the discovery trail through some spectacular redwoods, took about an hour to walk so a nice break from sitting in the car.

[jdouds]

Hi it's a short journey and we would suggest you do more in Monterey before you leave. Maybe leave the aquarium to that morning or go whale watching from moss landing

[IlDivoette]

Thank you for your replies. DH really likes the idea of the train so just a decision as to whether we go there on the way to Monterey or the way back to the airport. I think I would like to have got some of the way back to the airport.