A Quick Guide Big Sur
We started our trip in Carmel. This drive and scenic stops took about 4 hours to get from Carmel to the Hearst Castle. Highway 1 is on most people's bucket list when visiting California. This stretch is one of the most scenic parts of the highway and needs to be on your list of stops during your drive.
Where/When to Start
We started in a fairytale town called Carmel. We definitely think this is the best place to spend the night so you can start the drive super early to beat the crowds at all the popular vista points. It is incredible expensive for "last minute" travelers like us. All hotels were booked out but we knew we wanted to start here. We had to stay in the Safeway parking lot for the night, so please plan your trip ahead and book your hotel before they are sold out. No wonder this area is so popular- the whole town is full of english inspired cottages. We recommend window shopping, or shopping if you have room in your budget. The town and people are so incredibly kind. We started our morning at Carmel Bakery (Seriously best baked good ever, highly recommend) and enjoyed a quiet stroll through Carmel-by-the-Sea shopping center. Mostly everything was closed but they have phenomal picture spots! Plus, it was kind of nice not having to deal with a crowd super early in the morning. We were satisfied and content with our purchase of baked goods!
Tips/Things to know before your drive
Charge your camera. You will never run out of things to take pictures of! (Don't pull a Cassie and forget to charge it.)
Download a offline map and pin all the places you want to go or pick up a map before your drive. You will have no service during your scenic drive. This is the beautiful price you have to pay. In my opinion, it makes the trip more amazing. Un-plug and enjoy the scenery.
Pack a breakfast/lunch (depending on the time of day). As if I haven't already said it before, this place is pricey. They know that they can be, so this also means pricey food/restaurants.
Get gas before leaving the town. There is only a few places to fill up along the way and yes, you guessed it, they're expensive.
Carry Cash because a lot of the state parks have an entrance fees. Only a small fee, but they don't have stores or atm's around. Come prepared.
Be open minded for randomly stopping. There are amazing views along the way and you are going to want to stop! Just remember you are not the only person on the road. Almost all drivers are also soaking in the beautiful landscapes (not trying to make excuses for them) and not paying attention to the roads at all times. Pull off on a SAFE spot and make sure to never walk in the roads. I feel like that should be an obvious but most tourist get so overwhelmed with the sites surrounding them, that they forget it's still a highway!
Things to see
We did a super quick trip through this area as we were passing through to get to San Luis Obispo. If you have more time, I suggest staying longer then we did because we only got to see the scenic beaches right off the highway, Bixby bridge and Mcway Falls. However, this place deserves more then a few hours of your time. There are state parks along the whole stretch, vista points and beautiful hikes. If time permits, take two day. I can't imagine how amazing it would have been to split this trip into two days and camp out/ stay in a hotel at the halfway point.
1. Visit Carmel-by-the-Sea. You won't regret it. Just driving through the town will make think you are somewhere in Europe..
2. Stop by the famous Bixby Bridge. There is an area with a vista point on either side of the highway and they are both great!
3. Go visit Pfeiffer Beach and see purple sand. YES! PURPLE SAND! This is one of those parks that has an entrance fee so have your cash ready.
4. Say hi to Grandmother Pfeiffer. This is the second largest redwood tree in the Big Sur stretch. You can find her in Glen Oaks Big Sur state park. We truthfully skipped out on this because we live in the redwoods so we see these trees everyday but if you aren't around them often, make time for trees. They will make you feel incredibly small.
5. Check out the well known vista point of McWay Falls. This is how most people know Big Sur. It is full of poison oak so be very carful when walking down. It I a very easy walk down to the furthest point.
6. Go hike at any of the many state parks along the highway. There is waterfalls, camping, creeks and many other things to see along the way. Check entrance fees and vehicle regulations for each one.
7. Stop when you see anything fun or a good picture point. This is my favorite part of the Highway 1 drive. It is such a windy road, yet there are a ton of spots to pull over if needed.
8. See zebras trotting around the land of the Hearst Castle. Towards the end of the trip we saw people pulled over on the side of the road and there were freaking zebras. There is interesting history as to how they got there. which you can find out if you take a tour of the castle. We've seen Zebras before but the fact that we had no clue they were there, blew us both away.
