GETTING TO ASILOMAR
TRAVELING BY AIR:
The major San Francisco Bay Area airports are San Jose (SJC, most convenient), San Francisco (SFO) and Oakland (OAK). The best time to arrive at SFO and OAK is before noon to avoid traffic. It is about a 3 hour drive from both SFO and OAK, and about a 2 hour drive from SJC to Asilomar. SFO and SJC airports are also served by the Groome Transportation, an airport shuttle service that brings travelers directly to the Monterey area or for an extra fee to Asilomar. Taxi, limo & bus services are available from the Monterey Airport to Asilomar. Attendees travelling from a distance may also consider flying to Los Angeles or Las Vegas, both within a long days drive of Asilomar, or longer if you decide to take a scenic route and extend your trip.
The local Monterey Airport has regular connecting flights from Dallas, San Diego, Los Angeles, Phoenix and Las Vegas. Taxi, limo & bus services are available from the Monterey Airport to Asilomar.
You may also request a ride with a local Branch member to Asilomar from Bay Area and Monterey Airports on the Asilomar Weekend Registration Form.
The weekend ends after lunch or about 1:00 pm on Sunday. Do allow sufficient time to travel back to local Bay Area airports and check in. To be safe, book your return Sunday flight after 5:00 pm.
TRAVELING BY CAR:
Checking driving conditions, road closures, mileage web pages, using available online mapping tools for mileage and driving times is highly recommended, particularly if you are not familiar with the route or are a first timer. Do your research ahead of your trip, and plan a route and time that works best for you that gets you safely to Asilomar in time to enjoy the dancing.
From the north: Asilomar is about 120 miles south of downtown San Francisco and slightly less from downtown Oakland. It is about 105 miles south of the San Francisco Airport or about 110 miles south of Oakland Airport. Asilomar is about 75 miles south of San Jose or about 80 miles from the San Jose Airport. The fastest route is to take US 101 South to Highway 156 West (marked as the Pebble Beach exit), to Highway 1 South, then to Highway 68 West. Alternatively take Highway 101 South and Highway 17 South to join Highway 1 South, which follows a direct but partially winding route to Santa Cruz before heading south to Asilomar. A slower but much more scenic route of about 120 miles from San Francisco would be to take Highway 1 South down the coast, through Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz and then onto the Monterey area and Asilomar.
From the South: Asilomar is about 330 miles from downtown Los Angeles and about 320 miles from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The fastest route to Asilomar is to take Highway 101 North through Salinas to Highway 68 West. An alternate route is to take the breathtaking, famous route Highway 1 North which winds its way along the coast, through Big Sur before reaching Carmel and Asilomar. While the distance traveled is about the same as taking Highway 101, the narrow roads and scenic vistas require you to drive at much slower speeds and may add more than 3 hours to your drive. Damage caused by winter landslides and summer sinkholes in 2023 are expected to be repaired by summer, but delays are still possible. If you plan to drive up Highway 1 north to Asilomar, check for updates from Caltrans at http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
From the West: Asilomar is about 511 miles from Las Vegas, Nevada and about 506 miles from Las Vegas Airport (LAS). The fastest route from Las Vegas is to take US 15 to Highway 58 West in Kern County, then take Highway 46 to US 101 North in Paso Robles. Follow US 101 North through Salinas to Highway 68 West. Note that Highway 46 is the last connection to Highway 1 until Highway 68.
There are also numerous scenic routes that can be taken toward the San Francisco Bay Area from Las Vegas. Head west to Ventura where you can pick up the scenic coastal Highway 1 North and then head up to Asilomar. Probably the most scenic route is to drive through Death Valley, on past Mono Lake, through Tioga Pass into Yosemite National Park, before heading up the Eastern Sierras past Mount Whitney (the tallest peak in the contiguous US) and then on to San Francisco and your final destination south in Asilomar. This route will take you up over steep mountain passes and over roads that may be closed. Do your research and check driving conditions, particularly ensuring that mountain passes such as Tioga Pass are open to cars when you plan to travel.
For a route that avoids steep mountain passes, drive through Death Valley before taking the scenic route along Highway 395 along the eastern Sierras, eventually arriving in Lake Tahoe before heading down toward Sacramento, the San Francisco Bay Area and then onto your final destination in Asilomar. Again, its a good idea to do your own research to get detailed driving directions and estimated travel times before setting out.
From all directions, follow Highway 68 into Pacific Grove where a sign on the right will say “END Highway 68”. The road becomes a Pacific Grove city road named Forest Avenue. Continue on Forest Avenue for about a mile and turn left onto Sinex Avenue. After just under a mile, Sinex Avenue will end right at the front gates to Asilomar. Turn left into the main entrance of the Asilomar Conference Center. Park at the Administration Building for check-in.
There is no RV parking available on the Asilomar grounds.
PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
The Monterey Airbus Shuttle serves San Francisco and San Jose Airports. It will drop you off and pick you up at Asilomar. Reservations are required.