Pacific Coast Highway: San Francisco to Los Angeles
Drive it southbound: you stay on the ocean side of the road and every pullout is a right turn. Leave San Francisco early, take Highway 1 through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, and aim to reach Big Sur by early afternoon.
Where to stop
Bixby Bridge pullout, Pfeiffer Beach (narrow road, arrive early), McWay Falls. Spend the night in Cambria or San Simeon; the elephant seal rookery is just north.
Practical
There is almost no fuel between Carmel and Cambria — fill up before. Check Caltrans for slide closures south of Big Sur.