80 | The California Dream


www.nitravelnews.com


July/August 2026


Eight Must-Do Road and Rail Trips in California this Summer


California’s diverse landscapes are best experienced on the open road and by the extensive rail network, where icon- ic journeys reveal everything from dra- matic coastlines to spectacular nation- al parks. Celebrate the 100-year legacy of Route 66 Honour the centenary of Route 66 in


How Surf City USA Helped Shape the California Dream


AS America marks its 250th anniversary in 2026, Huntington Beach is celebrating a distinctly Californian story of ambition, reinvention and wave-riding heritage. While Huntington Beach is officially just over a century old, surfing has been woven into the destination’s identity since its earliest days, making Surf City USA one of the most influential birthplaces of modern American surf culture. Originally part of a 30,000- acre Spanish land grant, the area began to take shape in the early 1900s when developer


Philip


Stanton and the West Coast Water and Land Company promoted the settlement as “Pacific City,” envisioning it as a West Coast rival to Atlantic City. That vision accelerated in 1904 when railway magnate Henry E. Huntington extended his Pacific Electric Railway, the famed Red Car Line, to the coast, opened the first pier, and helped transform the seaside village into a connected coastal destination. Throughout the 1910s, Huntington Beach grew rapidly as families arrived, new businesses opened and major employers such as the all-electric Holly Sugar Factory anchored the local economy. A defining cultural moment followed in


1914, when Hawaiian waterman George Freeth gave the first public surfing demonstration in Huntington Beach during the opening of the new concrete pier. His wave-riding display introduced


“surf


riding” to Southern California and placed the ocean firmly at the heart of the destination’s identity. 1920s,


Throughout triggered population boom, the


as oil discoveries a dramatic the


beach remained a place of escape,


performance


and possibility. Surfing’s popularity continued to grow through the interwar years.


By the mid-20th century,


surfing had become inseparable from Huntington Beach’s global image. Olympic champion and surf pioneer Duke Kahanamoku helped popularise the sport on these shores earlier in the century,


while local lifeguards, board builders and surf clubs shaped a thriving grassroots culture. By the 1950s, Huntington Beach was no longer just riding waves but shaping the future of the sport itself. One of the area’s first surfboard shaping spaces opened beneath the pier,


while home-grown


surf shops began supplying boards and equipment that would fuel the global surf industry for decades to come. In 1959, Huntington Beach hosted the West Coast Surfing Championships, now known as the US Open of Surfing, cementing its status on the world surfing stage. The city earned the nickname “Surf City” in the 1960s following the hit song by Jan and Dean, with Surf City USA® becoming an official title in 1991. Repeatedly rebuilt yet always resilient, the Huntington Beach Pier remains the symbolic heart of


the city, most recently reopening in 1992 alongside the creation of Pier Plaza. Cultural institutions such as the International Surfing Museum, the Surfing Walk of Fame and a packed calendar of global events continue to celebrate Huntington Beach’s ocean-led identity. The city also actively preserves and honours its wave-riding legacy through the Surfers’ Hall of Fame, recognising the athletes, innovators and cultural pioneers who transformed a local pastime into a global sport. Today, Huntington Beach is as much about open space and outdoor freedom as it is about surfing heritage, offering the quintessential southern California beach experience for every kind of traveller. Miles of wide, sandy shoreline and rolling


Pacific


waves provide a natural playground


for


beach volleyball anglers


and


while nearby wetlands and coastal habitats make the area a surprising haven for birdwatchers and nature


lovers. Cyclists and skaters cruise the oceanfront paths that stretch for


miles, friendly lifeguards keep watch from iconic towers, and RV campers wake up just steps from the sand with the sound of the


families, players, walkers,


2026, spanning eight states from Illinois to California. California is home to 314 miles of the iconic route and holds the official end of the route in Santa Monica. Enter California at Needles on the Cali- fornia-Arizona border and enjoy a pitstop at Amboy to refuel at the mid-century modern gas station and diner, Roy’s Mo- tel & Café. From here, explore classic Americana in Victorville at the California Route 66 Museum to discover memorabil- ia from the highway. Get swept away to the ‘Rim of the World’ in the San Bernardino Mountains Southern California provides impres- sive mountain landscapes with the 110- mile long Rim of the World Scenic Byway offering breathtaking forest and moun- tainous terrain. Best explored during summer, begin at Big Bear Lake which in itself is a great spot with watersports on the lake and plenty of trails. Continue on Highway 18 which follows the crest of the San Bernardino Mountains, inspiring the route’s ‘Rim of the World’ name.


surf as their backdrop. Whether it’s casting a line from the pier, biking along the coast at sunset or simply soaking up the laid-back rhythm of beach life, Huntington Beach delivers an effortlessly authentic, outdoors- first escape that defines the California coast today. As the United States reflects on 250 years of history, Huntington Beach stands as a reminder that while cities may be young on paper, culture can run far deeper. Here, surfing is not simply a sport or lifestyle, but the enduring heartbeat of a city that helped define California’s coastal spirit and America’s long-standing love affair with the Pacific.


Experience the lesser-visited side of Yo- semite National Park


Pair San Francisco with a quieter side


of Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County. Spend time exploring the unique neighbourhoods of San Francisco, before heading east via Highway 120 through Manteca. Take Highway 49 - the Golden Chain Highway - for a pitstop in Jamestown, a preserved Gold Rush town where you can still try gold panning and explore its history. Embrace southern California flavours and art via rail on the Pacific Surfliner Fly into Los Angeles and spend a few


days in the city before boarding Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner for a scenic, car-free coastal journey which travels through the coastal towns and commu- nities of Orange County and San Die- go County. Stop in Santa Ana in Orange County, known for its vibrant arts scene with over 200 murals and sculptures, or the Grand Central Art Center. Uncover lesser-known gems on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight


Soak up the beauty of California’s coast on Amtrak’s Coast Starlight. Begin in San- ta Barbara, a laid-back seaside city with a strong local wine culture. Sample wine from over 20 tasting rooms downtown on the Urban Wine Trail before boarding. The journey north offers long stretches of coastal and coun- try scenery in SLO CAL before arriving in Salinas, John Steinbeck’s birth- place in Monterey County.


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