Looking for a moment with the ocean on your way down from Carmel? This easily accessible beach is the perfect way to start your journey into Big Sur. Locals divide the beach’s 1.5 miles of shoreline into three sections. Carmel River State Beach is located north of the river mouth. During the dry season, a sandbar blocks the river channel and you can walk all along the park. During the rainy season, however, this northern section is broken off from the southern beaches. Middle Beach spans from the Carmel River to a rocky granite headland to the south. A crucifix marks the highest point in the park. This modern cross commemorates an original one that was once placed by Portola as a ship landmark. The easiest way to access this section of the beach is through a pedestrian gate on Ribera Road in the Carmel Meadows subdivision. The southernmost stretch of coast borders Point Lobos State Reserve, and is named Monastery Beach or San Jose Creek Beach. There is ample parking on the shoulder of Highway One.
HOURS: Sunrise to sunset
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive north on Highway One for 28 miles. Parking at the beach entrance is on the west side of the highway.
INFO: 831.649.2836; www.parks.ca.gov
Point Lobos is aptly called “The greatest meeting of land and water in the world” by landscape artist Francis McComas. It has long attracted artists, writers and nature lovers with its beautiful landscape of rocky coves, shallow tide pools, broad kelp beds and wind-sculpted pines. The park’s 1,250 acres encompass 700 underwater acres and 550 acres of forest trails leading to headlands, white sand beaches and turquoise waters. Point Lobos is a great place to dive or snorkel; however, diving is restricted only to Bluefish Cove and
Whalers Cove. You can otherwise stroll down any of the park’s 14 trails, soak in nature, take photos, paint or picnic.
HOURS: 8 a.m. until 30 minutes after sunset
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive north on Highway One for 26 miles. Clearly marked, the entrance is on the west side of the highway. Bicycles are restricted to paved roads.
INFO: 831.624.4909; www.pointlobos.org
The Point Sur Light Station was built in 1889 to provide light warning to ships navigating the Big Sur coast. The lighthouse rises 270 feet above a volcanic rock located at the mouth of the Little Sur River. During the 1960s, the U.S. Coast Guard began automating light houses. Just a short time later, in 1974, the last keeper left the Point Sur Light Station.
HOURS: Except for guided tours, the park is closed to the public. Three-hour tours take place on Saturdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. and on Sundays at 10 a.m. From April through October, tours are added on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. During July and August, additional tours take place on Thursdays at 10 a.m. A few select Moonlight Tours are available (consult website for dates). Tickets are first come, first serve, so be sure to arrive early.
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive north on Highway One for 10 miles. The Point Sur State Historic Park is located on the west side of the highway.
INFO: 831.625.4419; www.parks.ca.gov; www.lighthousefriends.com
Garrapata is one of Big Sur’s hidden treasures. While the park is not really hidden (everyone driving down Highway One goes through the park), Garrapata has no official entrance but many gates with understated signs. Situated on 2,879 coastal acres, Garrapata State Park borders Point Lobos State Reserve to the north and Andrew Molera State Park to the south. Created in 1983, the park is one of the most recent additions to the California state park system. During the months of December/January and March/April, Soberanes Point can be a great vantage point to sight south-bound whale migrations during the winter and north-bound during the spring.
HOURS: Sunrise to sunset
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive north on Highway One for 19 miles. The park is located on the west side of the highway. There is no offi cial entrance. Use any of the 19 turnouts to park and access trails. Turnouts are not marked so be sure to count as you go along. To access Garrapata State Beach, use gates 17–19. To access Soberanes Point, use gates 8–10. The park gets crowded quickly during the day, so it’s best to arrive early. Bicycles are allowed only on Rocky Ridge Trail.
INFO: 831.624.4909; www.parks.ca.gov
With an area of 4,766 acres, Andrew Molera is Big Sur’s largest state park. The park
boasts 20 miles of trails that give hikers access to the Big Sur River mouth and estuary, the driftwood-strewn Molera Beach, as well as other vibrant ecosystems. The Ventana Wilderness Society operates The Big Sur Ornithology Lab, a research, habitat restoration and education center as well as a bid observatory. Their focus is primarily on Bald Eagles and Condors.
HOURS: Sunrise to sunset
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive north on Highway One for 7 miles. The entrance is at the junction of the highway and Old Coast Road on the west side. For non-campers, the park is day-use only. Biking is permitted on Ridge, Beach, Trail Camp and Creamery Meadow trails. Horses are not allowed on the Hidden, Headlands or Spring Trails or in Trail Camp. To reserve a guided horseback tour, contact the Ventana reception desk, or call Molera Horseback Tours at 831.625.5486.
INFO: 831.667.2315; www.parks.ca.gov
Big Sur’s oldest, most developed and most popular state park, Pfeiffer Big Sur, lies more than a mile inland, along Highway One, and can be a viable escape from the coastal summer fog. This is an excellent place for an easy redwood forest hike or a more demanding climb up Mount Manuel, a picnic or a splash in one of the most beloved Big Sur swimming holes. You must ascend to the top of the peaks for views of the Pacific Ocean.
HOURS: Sunrise to sunset
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive north on Highway One for 2.3 miles. The entrance is on the east side of the highway.
INFO: 831.667.2315; www.parks.ca.gov
Pfeiffer Beach is one of the finest and most easily accessible beaches in Big Sur. Just one mile away from Ventana, it certainly is the perfect spur-of-the-moment sunset Experience. The beach is partly shielded from the ocean by rocks and sea stacks. A cave through one of the largest rocks offers a spectacular way to see the golden reflection of sunset light in contrast with the blue Pacific Ocean. Pfeiffer Beach is part of Los Padres National Forest.
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive north on Highway One for 1.1 miles. Turn off at Sycamore Canyon Road (west side of the highway) to access the beach.
This state park combines the dramatic coastal and mountain features that characterize the ultimate Big Sur experience. Occupying 3.75 square miles, the park features rocky points rising thousands of feet above underwater canyons, with streams fl owing down steep gorges that are shaded by ancient redwoods. By McWay Creek is a great place to have a picnic. Then hike down the wheelchair-accessible Waterfall Trail to a viewpoint overlooking spectacular McWay Falls.
HOURS: Sunrise to sunset
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive south on Highway One for 8.8 miles. The entrance is on the east of the highway.
INFO: 831.667.2315; www.parks.ca.gov
It is easy to overlook this 716-acre park while driving down Highway One, but Limekiln is a great place to stretch your legs on your drive down to Hearst Castle. In addition to the historic limekilns that lend the park its name, this park has another unique feature: it offers one of the few easily accessible entries to a rocky Big Sur beach. There is also a great waterfall not to far from the highway.
HOURS: Daily, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m.; Memorial Day through Labor Day, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive south on Highway One for 24 miles. The entrance is located on the east side of the highway.
INFO: 831.667.2403; www.parks.ca.gov
Sand Dollar Beach is the longest easily accessible beach along the Big Sur Coast, and considered one of the most beautiful and scenic. Surfing, exploring and fishing are within walking distance of Plaskett Creek campground. The beach is also a designated hang-glider site and features a picnic area and bathrooms. Follow the nearby path on Highway
One to Jade Cove, where there are wonderful opportunities for rock-hounding and where you can dive in search of the "stone of heaven," as the Chinese call it, which ranges in color from light turquoise to deep emerald green.
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive south on Highway One for 31.1 miles. The beach entrance is on the west side of the highway.
Built by media tycoon William Randolph Hearst and architect Julia Morgan, Hearst
Castle looks nothing like a castle. La Casa Grande, as Hearst called it, boasts 115 lavish rooms, but after 30 years of construction starting in 1919, it still remains unfinished. Hearst Castle is open for tours daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Four daytime tours and one evening tour are available. The first tour starts at 8:20 a.m. and the last daytime tour starts at 3:20 p.m. The evening tour starting time varies according to the sunset hour. Contact the front desk for more information regarding booking the tour. Directly across from Hearst Castle on the west side of Highway One is the entrance to Hearst Memorial State Beach, a sandy cove once used as the ocean-front playground for Hearst, his family and friends.
HOURS: Tour hours vary. Reservations are required to guarantee the tour, date and time desired.
DIRECTIONS: From Ventana, drive south on Highway One for 70 miles. Hearst Castle sits on a hill on the east side of the highway, and the beach entrance is on the west side of the highway.
INFO: 800.444.4445; www.hearstcastle.org
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