Drives California
Skyline Boulevard
CA-35, Highway 92 to Saratoga Gap · Santa Cruz Mountains, California
The Bay Area's classic driving road: CA-35 along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, from Highway 92 to Saratoga Gap, through redwood and oak with the Bay below on one side and the hills falling away toward the Pacific on the other.
- Distance
- 26 mi
- Drive time
- 1 hr
- Climbing
- 4,100 ft
- Highest point
- ≈ 2,700 ft
Carve is the scenic-drive planner for cars: turn-by-turn on iPhone and Android, with CarPlay and Android Auto, and offline with no signal. No app yet? The link shows the route and where to get Carve.
The drive
The northern half, from Highway 92 to Highway 84, follows the open ridgeline, with turnouts for the view. South of the Highway 84 crossroads the road winds on through forest, past a chain of open-space preserves, to Saratoga Gap, where it meets Highway 9.
It's the Bay Area's meeting place for people who like to drive: sports cars and motorcycles gather at the Highway 84 and Highway 9 crossroads, especially on weekends. It's just as popular with cyclists, so expect them around any corner.
Stops along the way
- Skeggs Point A popular turnout with a view, a few miles north of Highway 84.
- Alice's Restaurant At the Highway 84 crossroads, known as Sky Londa: the long-standing gathering spot for riders and drivers.
- Russian Ridge, Skyline Ridge and Long Ridge Open-space preserves line the road south of Highway 84, with trailheads right off it.
- Saratoga Gap Where Skyline meets Highway 9. Drop down to Saratoga, or carry on along CA-35 toward Highway 17.
When to go
Skyline is open all year, with no fees. Weekdays are quietest; weekend mornings bring the crowds. Through October 9, 2026, Caltrans is running one-way traffic control between Kings Mountain Road and Sierra Morena Road on weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Good to know
- Cyclists use every stretch of the road, often on blind corners. Give them room.
- Use the turnouts to let faster traffic by, and to stop for the view.
- Highway 84 west drops to La Honda and the coast; Page Mill Road and Highway 9 drop back to the Peninsula, so it's easy to make a loop.
More drives
- Big Sur, Highway 1 CA-1, Carmel to San Simeon · 89 mi · Sweeping
- Tioga Pass Tioga Road and CA-120, Crane Flat to Lee Vining · 59 mi · Sweeping
- Angeles Crest Highway CA-2, La Cañada Flintridge to Newcomb's Ranch · 26 mi · Twisty
Free to plan and drive with a signal. Carve Apex downloads the whole route for driving with none.
Sources: Wikipedia: California State Route 35, Caltrans road conditions. Distance, time, elevation and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-06.