Last April, I took a trip driving down a portion of the iconic California Highway One. It was scenic to say the least.
Winding coastline on a narrow highway with steep cliffs plunging into the ocean. There are numerous state parks, nature reserves, and breathtaking view points to stop at, admire, and explore. We began our drive in Carmel By The Sea and ended at San Luis Obispo over the course of two days. The highway extends nearly the entire coastline of the western United States and this is only a small portion of it that is particularly known for it's beauty.
One of our first stops just south of Carmel was at Lobos Point State Reserve. I was a little surprised at how much I loved this place. There is an entry fee of $10 per vehicle which we paid, but the great thing is, this entry fee included all the other state parks we stopped at later on in the next two days! This Reserve has numerous easy nature trails that take you along the coastline, through the unique mediterranean-like ecosystem. This was great as my mom went with me on this trip and she isn't the greatest hiker anymore. Some of the pathways are even wheelchair friendly and offer some of the best views. The photo above looks down onto China Beach which is a popular sea lion hangout. Those brown lumps on the beach and rocks are all sun bathing sea lions! You can hear them honking long before you can see them as you're walking toward the view point. If you spend some time watching, you'll likely get to see them frolicking in the calm water, and climbing on and off the beach and rocks.
This area of California made me think of Italy (although I've never been there) with all of it's cypress trees, rugged cliff sides, incredibly blue waters, and vineyards everywhere.
We kept driving down the coast and stopped at nearly all of the lookout points. It's usually very windy being right on the coastline, so make sure you bring a jacket. I was there in April which can be very cold and rainy however we had beautiful clear skies and unusually warm weather except for when we were right on the coast. The next major stop was at Big Sur State Park. I had always though Big Sur was a specific destination. I found out that Big Sur is more of just this general area of the California Coast. There is however a beautiful state park with lots of hiking trails. After driving inland to the actual park, I hiked about three miles to get to this lookout point. You can see the ocean there in the distance. I did two hikes while in Big Sur State Park, both of which I'd rate as easy. My mom did the first one with me and did well even through the steep parts. There are lots of other, more strenuous hikes within the park if you have more time to explore (which we didn't unfortunately). There was also a gorgeous looking campground here which I imagine would be a great weekend escape.
Wild irises in Big Sur State Park.
Our next stop was at the most iconic of all the state parks in this area - Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This is the location of the incredibly picturesque McWay Waterfall and jewel blue cove. As an fyi, this place is packed. There is a parking area on the inland side of the highway, but it was beyond full. Cars lined the highway on either side of the park entrance and people had to walk down the highway to get to the beginning of the very short trail that lead to the view point. There is rarely a shoulder on the highway so this can be very dangerous for pedestrians, but it is well worth the effort. Once you've finally been able to park, you take a short walk through a tunnel under the highway, around a bend and boom, there is the view. There is a lot of interesting history on Julia Pfeiffer Burns who lived in this area and was a pioneer and her friend, Helen Hooper Brown, who owned the land McWay Waterfall is on and the "Waterfall" house nearby. She donated the land to the state of California and had it named after her friend and mentor.
Our next major stop was just before San Simeon. The coast will gradually change from steep cliffs plunging into the ocean to rolling hills and flatter coastal areas with big beaches. All of these beaches are protected and you cannot trespass. You'll notice there are animals on all of these beaches and you will absolutely be tempted to stop and take pictures. Don't! There are signs posted everywhere that there is no stopping on the highway except for in designated areas. I imagine this has multiple purposes: firstly, to keep the wildlife and humans safe. Secondly, to keep the highway from turning into a parking lot. And lastly, because there is a WAY BETTER VIEWPOINT only a couple of miles further!
The beach above was immense and everywhere you look there are elephant seals! I had never seen elephant seals before and was surprised to find out that this section of California is the primary breeding ground for them. All of the elephant seals above are either females or juveniles so they don't have the obvious trunk-like nose that the adult males have, which give them their name. The females though do have a bigger, squishier nose than a sea-lion or seal and they are huge. Seeing elephant seals was a complete surprise for me. I had planned all of our other stops, but I had absolutely no idea these incredible creatures would be there. Being the crazy animal lady that I am, we spent a lot of time watching them flip sand on their backs, wiggle around to get more comfortable, and occasionally argue with one another. I don't know if my mom was quite as fascinated by them as I was, but she was a good sport.
As I mentioned before, the coastline changes to incredible rolling hills. The further inland you go in this area and everything turns to wine country. Looks like Tuscany, yes? Beautiful.
Both nights we spent on the coast awarded us spectacular sunsets over the ocean.
If you plan to drive the California Coast through the Big Sur area, make sure you are prepared for a couple of things. It is a very twisty and winding, single lane highway, that often has plunging cliffs right below the road. If you are afraid of heights (like my mom) or don't like driving, you should definitely have someone else drive. Much of the land is either a state park, or protected so there is very little development in the area. If you need gas, you should stop at the first gas station you see as there won't be another for a long time. And yes, it will be expensive. Also, there are restaurants along the coast at some of the little resort-like stops, however they are extremely expensive and there are not a lot of options. Come prepared to spend money, or pack your own food. Same goes for hotels if you require a bed and shower (like my mom) however if I were to go again, I would camp as there are lots of campsites to choose from.
Have you driven along this, or any other section of Highway 1? Is there any other iconic drive you've done?
-Leah
