Books

Books About the Pacific Coast Highway in California, Oregon and Washington including travel guidebooks, route guides, restaurant guides, and many more.

The cover of Moon's West Coast RV Camping Guidebook

Don't just take our word for what's good, as there are plenty of books to help you with your research into any Pacific Coast Highway trip, or any vacation anywhere along the way. There are several good guides that cover the entire route, for both drivers and cyclists, and you should pack at least one of these in your luggage.

There are also general guidebooks on the Pacific Coast, and on the individual states of California, Oregon and Washington. There are books about the wildlife, and the kinds of guides we most enjoy reading – restaurant guides.


Accommodation Guides

California Camping (Moon)

California Bed and Breakfast Inns

Camping

See under RV Parks and Campgrounds below


City Guides

San Francisco: 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco (Kindle Guide)

San Francisco: Your Insider's Guide to San Francisco

Los Angeles: 111 Places in Hollywood That You Must Not Miss

Los Angeles: Soul of Los Angeles

Fodors-Los-Angeles-Disneyland-travel-guide.png

Check out this Fodor's guide to Los Angeles, which also covers Santa Monica, Malibu, and Disneyland


Cycling Guides

Bicycling the Pacific Coast

Cycling the USA West Coast

Downhills Don't Come Free: One Man's Bike Ride from Alaska to Mexico

Two Wheels North: Bicycling the West Coast in 1909


Driving Guides

Backroads of the California Coast

The Best Coast: A Road Trip Atlas

Epic Drives of the World

Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip (Moon Handbooks)

Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide

Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips (Lonely Planet)

Road Trip USA: Pacific Coast Highway

The Best PCH Guide

Moon-PCH_road-trip-guide-cover-new-edition.jpg

Our recommended guide for
driving the Pacific coast is
Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip
(Moon Handbooks).

Click on the cover image to see the latest edition for sale on Amazon.


Food, Drink, and Restaurant Guides

California Living and Eating

Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA

Moon Handbooks’ Napa and Sonoma Guidebook

Northwest Wine Country: Wine's New Frontier


General Guides

Culture Trails: 52 Perfect Weekends

Greetings from California

A Journey into John Steinbeck's California

Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast

The Pacific Coast Highway in California (Images of America)


State, Regional, and USA Guides

California Coastal Access Guide

Coastal California (Lonely Planet)

Frommer's Guide to Oregon

Frommer's Washington State Travel Guide

Los Angeles, San Diego and Southern California (Lonely Planet)

Michelin Green Guide: California

Michelin Green Guide: USA West

Moon Handbooks: Santa Barbara and the Central Coast

Moon Spotlight Guide to the Olympic Peninsula


RV Parks and Campgrounds Guides

California Camping (Moon)

West Coast RV Camping (Moon Outdoors series)

Other books pages

  • Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast

    Lighthouses of the Pacific Coast, published by Voyageur Press, is a guide in words and pictures to historic lighthouses along the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • This John Steinbeck California Guide, A Journey into Steinbeck's California, shows readers how towns like Monterey, Carmel and Salinas influenced the author.

    John Steinbeck California Guide

    This John Steinbeck California Guide, A Journey into Steinbeck's California, shows readers how towns like Monterey, Carmel and Salinas influenced the author.

  • Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide book covering the drive from Vancouver to San Diego.

    Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide

    Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip Guide book covering the drive from Vancouver to San Diego.

  • To John Steinbeck Monterey's Cannery Row was a place of sardine canneries, bums and honky tonks, but today the Monterey Aquarium attracts visitors.

    Cannery Row in Monterey

    To John Steinbeck Monterey's Cannery Row was a place of sardine canneries, bums and honky tonks, but today the Monterey Aquarium attracts visitors.

  • California Living and Eating by Eleanor Maidment is a handsome coffee table book celebrating the food and lifestyle of the Golden State with 80 tasty recipes.

    California Living and Eating

    California Living and Eating by Eleanor Maidment is a handsome coffee table book celebrating the food and lifestyle of the Golden State with 80 tasty recipes.

  • West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.

    Road Food Guide

    West Coast Road Eats is a road food guide covering the Pacific Coast from California through Oregon to Washington, giving the best road trip food stops.

  •  

    Pacific Coast Highway Guides. Book and ebook hotel guides to PCH

    Pacific Coast Highway guides include our own printed book and ebook guides to the best hotels along the PCH, available in paperback, PDF and Kindle formats.

  • Moon's Spotlight Guide to the Olympic Peninsula covers hotels, restaurants, and sights, including Forks, the Olympic National Park and other places.

    Guide to the Olympic Peninsula

    Moon's Spotlight Guide to the Olympic Peninsula covers hotels, restaurants, and sights, including Forks, the Olympic National Park and other places.

  • Some of the best California Backroads are included in Backroads of the California Coast, with 24 highly recommended driving tours off the Pacific Coast Highway.

    California Backroads

    Some of the best California Backroads are included in Backroads of the California Coast, with 24 highly recommended driving tours off the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • The Napa and Sonoma Guidebook to California Wine Country is from the Moon Handbooks’ travel guide series with reviews of wineries,vineyards, and wine tastings.

    Napa and Sonoma Guidebook

    The Napa and Sonoma Guidebook to California Wine Country is from the Moon Handbooks’ travel guide series with reviews of wineries,vineyards, and wine tastings.

  • Pacific Coast Highway Travel's book review of Insider's Guide to San Francisco guidebook by Jill Loeffler, publisher of the San Francisco Tourism Tips website.

    Your Insider's Guide to San Francisco

    Pacific Coast Highway Travel's book review of Insider's Guide to San Francisco guidebook by Jill Loeffler, publisher of the San Francisco Tourism Tips website.

  • The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.

    Los Angeles Travel Guide

    The Los Angeles travel guide book from Lonely Planet also covers San Diego and Southern California, including Palm Springs, Santa Barbara, and Disneyland.

  • The guide to California Bed and Breakfast Inns lists over 250 boutique hotels, wine country cottages and more.

    California Bed and Breakfast Inns

    The guide to California Bed and Breakfast Inns lists over 250 boutique hotels, wine country cottages and more.

  • Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.

    Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips: Lonely Planet Guidebook Review

    Review of the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trips book from Lonely Planet, which includes a California Driving Guide, by the Pacific Coast Highway Travel website.

  • The Best Coast is a west coast travel guide, sub-titled A Road Trip Atlas it doesn't use photos but instead has hundreds of beautiful illustrations.

    The Best Coast Book Review

    The Best Coast is a west coast travel guide, sub-titled A Road Trip Atlas it doesn't use photos but instead has hundreds of beautiful illustrations.

  • 101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.

    Free San Francisco Kindle Guide to Free Attractions

    101 free San Francisco attractions and things to do are in the Kindle guide, 101 Free Things to Do in San Francisco, in the Travel Free eGuidebooks series.

  • Soul of Los Angeles from French publishers Jonglez is a travel guide to 30 Exceptional Experiences in California's largest city.

    Soul of Los Angeles

    Soul of Los Angeles from French publishers Jonglez is a travel guide to 30 Exceptional Experiences in California's largest city.

  • One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.

    West Coast RV Parks

    One of the best guides to West Coast RV Parks, covering campgrounds in California, Oregon, and Washington, is West Coast RV Camping from Moon Guides.

  • Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.

    Coastal California Guidebook

    Lonely Planet's Coastal California guidebook is the ideal travel guide for driving or cycling the Pacific Coast Highway from the Oregon border to Mexico.

  • Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet describes 50 of the world's most exciting road trips, including, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Epic Drives of the World

    Epic Drives of the World from Lonely Planet describes 50 of the world's most exciting road trips, including, of course, the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • Greetings from California is a beautiful coffee-table book which describes the legends, landmarks and lore of California, including the Pacific Coast Highway.

    Greetings from California

    Greetings from California is a beautiful coffee-table book which describes the legends, landmarks and lore of California, including the Pacific Coast Highway.

  • Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.

    Vintage Hollywood

    Vintage Hollywood in Los Angeles is an extract from the Lonely Planets book Culture Trails.

  • Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip guide from Moon covering California, Oregon and Washington

    Pacific Coast Highway Moon Guide

    Pacific Coast Highway Travel reviews the Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip guide from Moon covering California, Oregon and Washington

  • The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.

    Santa Barbara Guidebook

    The Santa Barbara Guidebook from Moon Handbooks also covers California’s Central Coast with Ventura, San Luis Obispo, wine country, and Hearst Castle.

  • Brewpubs and good beer are at the heart of the Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA which lists the best bars and breweries from Seattle to San Diego.

    Brewpubs and Good Beer on the West Coast USA

    Brewpubs and good beer are at the heart of the Good Beer Guide to the West Coast USA which lists the best bars and breweries from Seattle to San Diego.

Recent Articles

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  1. Following Improved Weather Conditions, Pacific Coast Highway Reopened

    Mar 16, 25 11:24 AM

    Following Improved Weather Conditions, Pacific Coast Highway Reopened Earlier than Anticipated Today to Businesses, School Buses and Residents Who Live in Palisades Fire Burn Area

    Read More

  2. Pacific Coast Highway Closure and Evacuation Warnings Issued as Storm Approaches Malibu

    Mar 13, 25 11:38 AM

    Effective Wednesday, March 12, at noon, Caltrans has implemented a full closure of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) from Chautauqua Boulevard in Pacific Palisades to Carbon Beach Terrace in Malibu. The clo…

    Read More

  3. PCH to Close for Incoming Storm

    Mar 12, 25 12:29 PM

    March 11, 2025 -- A section of Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) will close at noon Wednesday as a winter storm approaches the fire scorched area possibly causing debris flows, Caltrans officials announced.

    Read More