California Central Coast (part 2) Big Sur

Wild California poppies are everywhere in the spring

If you haven’t been to Big Sur, go now. It is breathtaking. It is also really not as far as you think (especially if you are in the Bay Area) and can be visited in a day, though we spent a few nights, which was perfect for exploring.  There are a lot of parks and beaches, hikes and hidden waterfalls to see. A lot of it is unmarked so taking a guide book with very clear directions (for example, which mile marker to park by and then which color gate and direction you should be headed) is really useful. We used Lonely Planet’s California book, and it was a great starting point in finding places to see and navigating us there.

Watching grey whales migrate

 We travelled from South to North, and my overall impression is that the southern side of Big Sur is less busy. There are fewer (if any) restaurants or shops, fewer people, and camping is significantly cheaper. The northern edge is closer to the Bay Area and has the high-end resorts and big parks. Particularly in the summer months there can be a lot of visitors so it is a good idea to reserve campsites or other accommodation in advance. When we went in March it was perfect weather and generally pretty quiet, so it wasn’t too hard to find a drive in campsite (though some of our first choices were full).

We spent our first couple of nights camping at Plaskett Creek Campground, which saves some walk-in sites. While we had our eye on Kirk Creek Campground, which is on the bluffs over the ocean, that had already filled up. Plaskett Creek was extremely pleasant, just across the road from Sand Dollar Beach and Jade Cove. We walked around on the bluffs in the evening and found a California Newt just cruising around! We were surprised to see it so far from the water, but apparently this is normal. The newt was probably the highlight of the whole trip for Dave!

Sunset at Sand Dollar Beach

Campsite at Plaskett Creek

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park- Probably the most photographed spot in all of Big Sur, this place is ridiculously beautiful. There is a waterfall over a cliff that tumbles onto a perfect little beach. There is a short and easy (flat) hike to a lookout spot, and another trail that takes you around the bluffs behind the waterfall. We found a spot amongst the boulders here for a picnic lunch, and watched grey whales go by in the distance and a sea lion swim right underneath us!

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Limekiln State Park- This seems like a fairly compact State Park, with a handful of campsites in the redwoods and a few short hiking trails. Nonetheless, it was definitely worth a visit because you didn’t have to travel far to see some great sights! Limekiln Falls is impressive, and the limekilns themselves were a lot cooler- and bigger- than I had imagined! Back in the late 1800’s lime was extracted from limestone by heating it in huge kilns (using wood from the local old-growth redwood trees).

Limekiln Falls

Old lime kilns

Partington Cove- This is an unmarked trail behind a locked gate. It’s a short hike from the highway to the coast, passing through an old mining tunnel. There are lots of boulders to climb on and the coastline here is rugged and beautiful. 

Old mining tunnel

Partington Cove

When we returned to the car after hanging out for a couple of hours I spotted a huge bird just as we were about to drive away- a California condor! And then we saw a second! We re-parked and watched them fly and perch for a while. After talking to some other friends it sounds like they are frequently sighted in this area, so definitely keep an eye out- this was probably the highlight of the trip for me, seeing these endangered birds flying free in the wild after all the work that has gone into saving them!

California condor!

Camping in Northern Big Sur- Camping was a lot busier (and more expensive- $50 a night!) up here. After trying a few places we found a really nice site in Riverside Campgrounds that was, as the name suggests, on the side of a river. We spendt the afternoon at Sycamore Beach, a lovely spot with a natural rock arch, some hiking trails, and some pretty white sand.

Sycamore Beach

Riverside Campground

Even though we were camping we decided to have dinner out at Nepenthe- a restaurant with the most spectacular view! I used a gift card I won at the Ellen Show (the gift that kept on giving!) and we had a really nice meal sitting on the deck looking out at the forest and sea. We went just before dusk and watched the sun set while eating roasted garlic on toast and drinking some fancy beer. Even though this place is fancy (in a casual Big Sur way) they also had reasonably priced food- and a café during the day- so it was a fantastic experience that isn’t out of reach.

On our final day we hiked in Andrew Molera State Park which was lovely. There are a lot of shore birds and cormorants, and more stunning coastal views. We saw the iconic Bixby Bridge (I can’t help playing that one Death Cab for Cutie song in my head every time I hear the name!) and headed into the Monterey area.

Andrew Molera State Park

Hiking in Andrew Molera

There are so many more places to explore and hike along this relatively short stretch of coastline! The wildflowers were pretty special, and we got lucky with splendid sunny weather. Maybe next spring it’ll be time for another visit!

Bixby Bridge