Route 1 - Big Sur Coast Highway
a day / 73 miles / 2 hours 26 minutes
Travel the route that hugs the California coast, providing access to austere, windswept cypress trees, fog-shrouded cliffs and the crashing surf of the Pacific Ocean. Views include rugged canyons, towering redwoods, sea lions, and other marine life.
Day 1
9:00 - 20.8 miles / 41 minutes - 9:41
This 716-acre park features the beauty of the redwoods, the rugged coast and the cultural history of limekilns, which are kilns or furnaces in which limestone and/or shells are burned and reduced to lime for use in building. Limekiln State Park offers 43 campsites and hiking trails through majestic coastal redwoods and along spectacular ocean views.
10:11 - 14.8 miles / 29 minutes - 10:41
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park stretches from the Big Sur coastline into nearby 3,000-foot ridges. The park features redwood, tan oak, madrone, chaparral, and an 80-foot waterfall that drops from granite cliffs into the ocean from the Overlook Trail. A panoramic view of the ocean and miles of rugged coastline is available from the higher elevations along the trails east of Highway 1. The park also has a 1,680-acre underwater reserve which protects a spectacular assortment of marine life. Special-use permits allow experienced scuba divers to explore the reserve. Seals, sea lions and sea otters can be seen in the park's cove. Hikers can discover the park's backcountry via several trail systems.
11:41 - 12.7 miles / 25 minutes - 12:06
The Big Sur area encompasses more than just a town. It includes
miles of beatiful coastline, craggy mountain ranges, and scenic
valleys. Much different than the warm sunny beaches of southern
California, beaches in Big Sur are chilly even during the day,
often draped in fog or rain.
Bring jackets and blankets for romantic evenings on the beach,
when the views are magical and the temperature drops. Watch for
Blue, Gray, and Humpback Whales in the distance, and see Elephant
Seals, Califonia Condors, Sea Otters, and Mountain Lions all
enjoying the ecosystems of the Big Sur area as much as the
travelers.12:36 - 5.8 miles / 11 minutes - 12:48
Point Sur State Historic Park is the home of the historic Point
Sur Light Station and an active US Coast Guard lightstation. The
park is located 19 miles south of Monterey on Highway 1, and sits
361 feet above the surf on a large volcanic rock. Point Sur has
been a navigational landmark throughout history, and the nearby
coastline has been the site of several notable shipwrecks, both
before and after the installation of the lighthouse. Point Sur is
on the National Register of Historic Places, and is a California
State Historic Landmark.
From the highway you can see the majestic stone buildings of the
Point Sur Light Station that have been part of the Big Sur coast
for almost 100 years. Lighthouses and lightships were an important
part of coastal navigation. The facilities were established for the
safety of seagoing vessels moving up and down the Big Sur coast.
First lit on August 1, 1889, it has remained in continuous
operation. Four lighthouse keepers and their families lived at the
site until 1974, when the light station was automated.13:48 - 15.9 miles / 31 minutes - 14:20
Deriving its name from the offshore rocks at Punta de los Lobos Marinos, Point of the Sea Wolves, where the sound of the sea lions carries inland, the reserve has often been called "the crown jewel of the State Park System." Point Lobos State Reserve has outstanding recreational values, such as sightseeing, photography, painting, nature study, picnicking, SCUBA diving, and jogging. In addition to the spectacular beauty, nearly every aspect of its resources is of scientific interest. There are rare plant communities, endangered archeological sites, unique geological formations, and incredibly rich flora and fauna of both land and sea. The reserve contains headlands, coves and rolling meadows. The offshore area forms one of the richest underwater habitats in the world, popular with divers. Wildlife includes seals, sea lions, sea otters and migrating gray whales (from December to May). Thousands of seabirds also make the reserve their home. Hiking trails follow the shoreline and lead to hidden coves. The area used to be the home of a turn-of-the-century whaling and abalone industry. A small cabin from that era still remains on Whaler's Cove, near Carmel.
14:50 - 2.6 miles / 5 minutes - 14:55
Carmel, five miles south of Monterey and 26 miles north of Big Sur,
is known throughout the world for its pristine beaches and charming
shops, not to mention its cozy cottages and extravagent mansions.
Carmel has a unique, village charm, void of stop lights and neon
signs. There are no street addresses in the town, and there is even
a curfew at 10 p.m. for anyone under the age of 18. These
qualities, combined with other quirky city ordinances, only add to
the quiet charm of Carmel.15:25 - 0.7 miles / a minute - 15:26