Most reasonable people are probably in the latter group. The closest refuge for Southern Californians to find relief for a few days is the brisk Central Coast of California. And the closer you can get to the ocean there, the chillier it gets. In fact, the official website of Montaña De Oro State Park — located on a particularly breathtaking stretch of coast between Pismo Beach and Morro Bay — has this advisory for visitors: “During summer days, the area is often 30 degrees cooler than inland areas.”
“Dress in layers, especially near the ocean,” it continues. “As the water here is cooler than in Southern California, surfers generally wear wetsuits.”
On a recent August day where it ticked over 100 degrees in Southern California’s inland valleys, no one was going into the water at Spooner’s Cove, Montaña de Oro’s most popular beach. The weather was 61 degrees and overcast. It was actually too cold to swim. While people in L.A. sweat, here they wore sweaters.
There’s a scientific explanation for the cooler temps you feel as you move north. The colder ocean currents that run southward from Alaska along the West Coast make summer temperatures lower here compared with the East Coast. But there’s also something called upwelling, the upward movement of dense and cooler deep seawater to the ocean’s surface. The phenomenon doesn’t just result in a refreshing climate near the beaches, it also brings nutrient-rich sediment to the surface, which is vital to ocean life and coastal fisheries.
So go on up for an invigoratingly brisk weekend trip to the Central Coast. Give your air conditioner a break and eat great seafood along the way. This guide explores a cruise, short hikes, state parks, historical sites and seafood joints between Ventura and San Simeon that can be done in a two-day span with a drive from L.A. that’s shorter than Vegas.
For lodging, Lompoc is a good choice. The city isn’t just the halfway point on the route, the hotel rates here are often cheaper than at any other town you’ll pass through along the coast.