The Big Sur Coast - something for everyone
Written: Jan 26 '00 (Updated Feb 16 '00)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Spectacular scenery, plentiful amenities
Cons: None
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| Penguinlady's Full Review: Big Sur |
I first drove Highway 1 between San Francisco and Los Angeles in 1968. The stretch between Pt. Lobos and San Simeon blew me away with its beauty. Since then, I've driven that same stretch at least 35 times, and my reaction is the same every time - this is absolutely some of the most lovely country God ever made.
There's something for everyone. Coming from the south, you drive the gentle roller-coaster road across the flats to the Big Sur foothills, stopping to watch the ocean and, if you're lucky, the whales going south (January) or north (March-April) - easily visible from shore. After you start climbing, you pass through a variety of terrains, from open meadow to heavily wooded, from teetering on the brink of the palisade to 1/4 mile inland, from misty damp to sunny. If you time it right, you can stop at Nepenthe for a twilight drink on the deck, watching the fog roll in BELOW you as the sun sinks into the ocean. Or you can curl up for the night at Deetjin's Big Sur Inn. Stop at the Coast Gallery, or the Henry Miller Branch of the Monterey County Library, or the cabins at Lucia. If you are of the camping persuasion, the biggest and nicest campground around is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Campground (and Lodge, for the sissies.) Strung out along the west side of the highway from JPBSP is a number of private campgrounds, until you get to Three Rivers, which has housekeeping cabins, campsites, a small convenience grocery, restaurant, pub, picnic area, and a few small shops. Also for those who prefer all the comforts, there's Deetjin's Big Sur Inn, Three Rivers Inn, Ventana, The Sky Post Inn (the latter two rather too rich for my budget but very highly rated.)
There are plenty of hikes of every degree of strenuousness. Get a trail map from the ranger station at Pfeiffer-Big Sur park. A few miles north of Three Rivers is Andrew Molera State Beach, an easy 1-mile walk from the roadside parking, across streams and meadows to a gorgeous, very windy beach. A trail leads from there up to the top of a sizeable hill and then winds down back to the road. There are also plenty of other trails, most notably the one to Buzzard's Roost, about 2 miles, fairly steep, which ends at a spectacular view-point overlooking the entire coast.
If you time it right, you can use the natural hot-tubs at Esalen, which are open to the public for a few hours out of every 24. But check in advance; the last time I was there, the public hours were something like 1:00 am - 5:00 am! Well worth staying up for, though.
For the beachers, Big Sur beach is a terrific, if rather windy, place - access is by a not-very-well-marked road on the west side of the highway near the Ventana turnoff. Drive about a mile down the lovely country lane to the parking area, then walk through a grove of cypress to the beach. Beautiful off-shore rocks, including one with a perfectly rectangular doorway through which you can see the ocean all the way to Japan. It's pretty windy, though, so be sure to bring a kite with a very strong string.
There are myriad other pleasures available - these are some of my favorites. But a word of warning: if you are prone to motion-sickness, be sure you do the driving; Highway 1 through here is very curvy and sick-making. And worth every gag.
Recommended:
Yes
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