Continuing our way south from San Francisco along the Pacific Coast Highway, we were about to enjoy some of California's most iconic views. Big Sur is the name of the rugged, mountainous section of that highway that runs down the center of the state.
Along the way, travelers can enjoy ...
amazing rock formations,
secluded sandy beaches,
unique waterfalls,
and sweeping expanses of beauty along endless stretches of this dramatic coastline-hugging road.
The roughly 90 mile stretch that runs between Carmel and San Simeon, California is considered a "bucket list road trip" kind of highway.
But sometimes life throws in a few road blocks ...
Because of the active geological nature of the area, the Big Sur section is considered one of the most beautiful and also one of the most unstable sections of the famous coastal roadway. In recent years, various stretches of road have been closed as a result of rock slides and wildfires.
Currently, an approximately seven mile section between Slates Hot Springs and Lime Kiln State Park is closed. Knowing this, we decided to do a couple of "out and back" trips in order to see what we could of this famous stretch of road.
Some highlights of our journey down the "Big Sur" section of the California Coast Highway included ...
Scenic Vistas and Coastal Hikes
Heading south out of San Francisco, the traffic decreased as the scenery increased. Doug found some scenic vistas and short hikes at Shark Fin Cove and Gray Whale Cove. Numerous California state parks line the coast, so since we had to pay the entrance fee to dump and fill our tanks, we decided to enjoy a luscious lunchtime view at Half Moon State Park.
Santa Cruz
Because of the popularity of this coastal region, there are not a lot of places where overnight boondocking is allowed. We found a convenient resting spot in Santa Cruz through our Harvest Host/Boondockers Welcome membership. The next morning we joined the throngs of people enjoying a beautiful Saturday on the famous Santa Cruz Boardwalk.
My expert "coffee sleuth" found us a nearby parking spot and caffeine at Shrine Coffee, a super cute cafe located in the garden area next to the Shrine of St Joseph.
California's Agricultural Gems
The mountains disappear just south of Santa Cruz and fertile fields take their place. Here we found the "artichoke capital of the world" in Castroville, California. Because we were still close to the coastline, we also found a good fish and chips restaurant for lunch. Our side dish, however, required some "Google" research in order to figure out the proper way to eat this monstrous vegetable.
Monterey, California
We found a nice boondocking spot for a couple of nights in the surprisingly quiet oceanside town of Monterey. This fishing village is the site of "Cannery Row" which was made famous by John Steinbeck's novel. It has now been transformed into a lively shopping, dining, and entertainment destination.
A very boisterous colony of sea lions had taken over a seaside park and didn't seem too willing to allow us to join in on their picnic.
Good thing we had already decided that the local taco truck and Dust Bowl Brewing were more to our liking.
The Northern Big Sur Stretch
The following day as we drove south on Highway 1, we officially entered the "Big Sur" section of the coastline. Our first stop was Carmel Beach which is touted by many to be one of the best beaches in the United States. While there were long stretches of fine white sand, we felt that the amount of people and the "dog-friendliness" of the beach actually took away from the charm.
We exchanged sandy beaches for expansive views a few miles down the road at Garrapata State Park when we hiked the Bluff Trail.
(For those who may be wondering, "Garrapata" means "tick" in Spanish, but thankfully we didn't find any.)
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When Doug finds me a lunchtime view like this, he is cheerfully rewarded with "breakfast" ... that is, banana pancakes!
Our next hike was the Partington Cove Trail which gave us amazing views of the two quiet hidden coves below us.
Next up was McWay Falls which is located in Julie Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This unique beachside waterfall could be easily viewed from the roadway. It would have been fun to be able to walk down there, but the state park trail only takes you to a slightly closer viewpoint. So we admired the uniqueness from afar and continued down the road to Big Sur's northern closure. After traveling forty-five miles, it was "U-turn" time ... time to make our way back up the coast to Monterey.
Morro Bay
From Monterey, it's a 140 mile long "detour" inland in order to get back to the coastal highway. This detour route also led us to our original reason for being on the California coast ... a Hymer meet-up for van owners like us!
The five day event was a great time to meet and reconnect with friends who share a similar passion for travel.
It took place over Halloween weekend so we were able to enjoy the creative characters who showed up for the "Witches' Paddle" in the bay.
Going along with the theme of our weekend which was "The Wicked Witch Meets Santa Claus", our group also donned costumes during the pot luck luncheon.
Can you guess who is sometimes a little bit wicked, and who is always nice??!!
The "nice" one found us another beautiful hike near Morro Bay. There were more breath-taking views to enjoy as we hiked the Bluff Trail in Montana de Oro State Park.
From Morro Bay we made a day trip to check out the other end of the Big Sur Coastal Highway traveling 45 miles up to where we were once again greeted with a "road closed" sign.
While we were anticipating this, I felt bad for the vehicle that pulled up behind us. Somehow, he missed the numerous warning signs along the way. He was a bit bummed to learn that he would have to back track almost 200 miles in order to get to his Monterey destination. That trip would "normally" have been only about 50 miles up the road ... if the road went through.
As we drove back towards Morro Bay, the scenery and pull-outs were then on our right side making it easier to make random stops. Pacific Valley Bluff Trail was our first hike and did not disappoint.
I had thought that we had left the Redwood groves in northern California, but we found a few more of these majestic giants during a short hike in Los Padres National Forest.
We would occasionally pass some construction areas where they are trying to find creative ways to prevent future road blocks on this stretch of highway.
Elephant Seals could be seen enjoying a late afternoon nap on a protected stretch of beach near San Simeon.
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As we passed San Simeon, I could see the famous Hearst Castle on the distant hillside. While I originally thought about spending the day touring that extravagant mansion filled with priceless works of art, I think that I made the better choice.
Nature's Big Sur "artwork", rugged and unstable at times, is still the most beautiful.
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