Carson → San Francisco
The same driving roads, unhurried. Day one runs the 33 and the 58 down into Paso Robles for the night. Day two takes the Airline Highway and the redwood climb into the city. Roughly four hours of moving each day, with an evening of wine country in the middle.
Before you leave, confirm the fuel level — handover tanks can be near-empty. Top off if under three-quarters.
Fill the tank here — no exceptions. CA-33 north of Ojai has no gas for ~90 miles. Three Birds opens at 7, quick in-and-out.
Roll in mid-afternoon with the whole evening ahead of you. Fill up somewhere in town so day two starts on a full tank.
No rush. A relaxed morning start still gets you home mid-afternoon.
Leave 101 for the Airline Highway north past Pinnacles toward Hollister. Long, fast, empty sweepers on good pavement — right past Laguna Seca. Best surface of the trip.
The classic finish. Pull into the garden, look at everyone else's cars, then drop into the city. ~30 minutes from home.
01 Break-in matters both days
First ~2,000 miles: vary the revs, avoid full throttle and sustained high rpm, and don't lug it low in a tall gear either. These roads suit that — flowing and varied, not one long excuse to sit at redline. Save launch control and the top end for after the first service.
02 Check before each leg
The 33, 58, and 25 are remote with patchy cell coverage — download offline maps and start each leg full. Verify conditions on Caltrans QuickMap both mornings; mountain roads take rockslide and fire closures. You're inland the whole way, so Big Sur's current one-way controls don't touch this route.
03 Want the ocean on day 2?
Trade the Airline Highway for the coast: from Paso take CA-46 W to Cambria, pick up Highway 1, and run it north through Big Sur (open now, two brief one-way controls) to Carmel, then over CA-17 and up. Slower and busier than the 25, but it's the great coastal drive if you'd rather end on the water than in the redwoods.
