Day Trippin' › California › From San Francisco › McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
The drive from San Francisco to McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park takes about 2 hr 39 min (south of San Francisco), by real roads from ZIP 94103. Along the way we found 75 stops within a short detour: 14 coffee shops, 4 bakeries, 14 ice cream and treats and 22 places to eat.
The list below is the best few of each kind, in driving order, with how far into the drive you reach each one (counted from San Francisco) and the detour it adds. Stops marked Our pick are chosen by us; the rest come from OpenStreetMap listings, so confirm hours before you count on them.
Photo: Wordydave, CC BY-SA 3.0
Waterfall
Short walk to an overlook of an ocean waterfall dropping onto a beach.
Heads-up: Do not climb down to the cove. Highway 1 can close from slides.
First third Middle third Last third McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
About 2 hr 39 min by road, heading south from the middle of ZIP 94103. Traffic and weather change that.
Good ones to start with: Original Joe's (San Jose). The page lists 32 in all, in driving order.
Andersen Bakery in Union City, Boba Nation in Mowry Landing, Sheng Kee Bakery in Milpitas and Fantasia in Milpitas. Check hours first; they come from OpenStreetMap listings.
Gerry's Grill and Bar in Union City, Lulu Poke in Union City, ID Cafe in Mowry Landing and HUNGRY-COW K BBQ in Fremont.
Vista in Coyote, Giant artichoke in Castroville, Monterey County Fairgrounds in Retreat and Ingersol Family Statue in Del Monte.
Drive times are by road on a typical day from ZIP <class 'zip'> (OpenStreetMap data with the OSRM route planner). Stops come from our own picks and OpenStreetMap listings; hours and detours change, so check before you go. We do not store anyone's location.