Drives California The Bay Area
La Honda Road
CA 84, La Honda Road, Woodside Road · Woodside → San Gregorio
The drive
Highway 84 is the Peninsula's road to the coast through La Honda. From Woodside it climbs into the Santa Cruz Mountains on Woodside Road, a tight, wooded climb of bends and shade, to the crest at Sky Londa. There, at the corner of Skyline Boulevard, sits Alice's Restaurant, a roadside diner on a site that sold supplies to loggers in the early 1900s and is now a weekend gathering place for motorcyclists.
Over the top, La Honda Road drops down the far side through redwood and Douglas fir to La Honda, a small mountain town that was once a logging settlement and, in the 1960s, the home base of Ken Kesey and the Merry Pranksters. Below the town the forest opens into grassy ranchland, and the road follows the valley down to San Gregorio, where the old San Gregorio General Store has served travelers since 1889, just short of Highway 1.
It's driven west from Woodside, so the tightest bends are on the climb and the long descent runs to the sea. The drive crosses Skyline Boulevard at Alice's without following it.
Along the way
- Woodside (Cañada Road)
- Alice's Restaurant (Skyline Boulevard)
- La Honda
- San Gregorio (Highway 1)
Good to know
- Weekend mornings bring crowds of motorcycles to Alice's Restaurant at the top, and cars pulling in and out of its lot.
- The climb from Woodside to Skyline is the tightest part, with blind bends and little room.
Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Caltrans: Highway 84 conditions.
Questions about this drive
How long is the drive on Highway 84 from Woodside to San Gregorio?
Highway 84 from Woodside over the mountains to San Gregorio, near Highway 1, is 20.6 miles and takes about 45 minutes without stops.
Where is Alice's Restaurant?
Alice's Restaurant is at Sky Londa, where Highway 84 crosses Skyline Boulevard at the top of the climb from Woodside.
Is La Honda Road twisty?
La Honda Road is moderate overall, with one long twisty stretch: the climb from Woodside to Skyline and the first part of the descent toward La Honda.
Is Highway 84 to the coast open year-round?
Yes. Highway 84 between Woodside and San Gregorio is a state highway open all year; Caltrans posts any closures on its road conditions page.
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More drives near here
Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.