Subscribe to our Newsletter Zip Code. I agree to get promotional emails sent. Privacy Policy. Thank you for signing up Get ready to Dream Big! Marvel at the views as you soak in a stainless-steel tub on your balcony, then keep warm by the wood-burning fireplace. Take your time, both to drive safely and for stops at overlooks, where you can watch tendrils of fog drifting into the redwood canyons.
Note: Recent storms resulted in landslides that closed sections of Highway 1. Check for the latest travel updates before heading out. For lovers of Big Sur, no visit here is complete without a stop for shopping, dining, and the gorgeous setting at Nepenthe.
Nepenthe founders Lolly and Bill Fassett hired Rowen Maiden, who studied with Frank Lloyd Wright, to build the landmark redwood and adobe structure you see today. Bear in mind that what goes down, must come up as you set out on the trail to Partington Cove. The route winds its way down slope before you enter a long tunnel carved by Big Sur pioneer John Partington. Be sure to make reservations, then savour inventive prix fixe lunch and dinner selections a favourite is the Wagyu short rib with stone-ground grits while gazing out over the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Honouring the legendary writer who settled in Big Sur, the Henry Miller Memorial Library hosts an eclectic concert series at its outdoor stage in a clearing surrounded by redwoods, while on Sunday afternoons, you can catch jazz, folk, and zydeco performances at the Big Sur River Inn. High above the coast within a redwood forest, Ventana Big Sur connects you to the very best of this incomparable region.
Soak in a Japanese-style bath and dine at The Sur House , which specializes in locally sourced coastal cuisine and boasts a thoughtfully curated selection of 10, Central Coast wines.
For a full detox, head to the Esalen Institute , where you can soak in hot springs, relax with a massage, and take up to courses—ranging from Brazilian dance to yoga to mindfulness—all with a backdrop of 27 acres of California coastline.
First opened in on a former homestead and cattle ranch, the resort is comprised of 40 accommodations, including ocean-view suites, tree-houses on stilts and the freestanding Cliff House, which features a deck that appears to suspend over the 1,foot-high ocean bluff. All of the sleek and sustainably built accommodations have a certain glow thanks to details like reclaimed redwood, glass walls, fireplaces and stainless-steel soaking tubs.
Adding to the Zen ambience are the absence of televisions or alarm clocks and the relaxed calm that comes with an and-up age policy. The splurge-worthy room rate includes a variety of included perks, from a breakfast buffet to daily yoga classes, guided hikes and stargazing outings.
The hotel is also known for its award-winning restaurant, Sierra Mar , which offers local delights like Morro Bay oysters and Monterey Red Abalone. At Post Ranch Inn , suites and private houses are miraculously sculpted into the cliffs, and enormous picture windows provide unparalleled views of sea and sky. Dining here is also excellent, with a focus on local, seasonal ingredients provided by local farms.
Want a short hike with a huge reward? The almost flat stroll ends an oceanfront overlook with flawless views of McWay Falls, a favourite spot of Big Sur pioneer woman Julia Pfeiffer Burns, for whom the park is named. The steep but short hike leads over a wooden bridge down to a foot tunnel.
Walk through and emerge onto the rocky beach. More a retreat centre than a decadent spa, the storied Esalen Institute —perched above the rugged oceanside bluffs of Big Sur —has been calling to visitors looking for an escape from the everyday world for more than 50 years. Sign up to learn about topics ranging from yoga and meditation the institute was instrumental in the eventual broad acceptance of both in the U.
Guests are welcome to stay as a personal retreat without booking a workshop. The hot springs have been an attraction since the s and enjoyed by the native Esselen for many millennia before that.
But pulling a partial all-nighter is worth it. Coming down the hill, you will see an outdoor massage deck and living roof planted in native coastal grasses. There are several indoor and outdoor baths, plus private clawfoot tubs, all set to a soundscape of crashing waves. Esalen sits on a remote stretch of land about 12 miles south of Big Sur and driving the gorgeous Highway 1 to get there is an added bonus of the whole experience.
At Nepenthe, located on Highway 1 between Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge and Castro Canyon, the views stretch down the coast and the Santa Lucia Mountains plunge in fog-cloaked majesty to the deep blue Pacific. Locals and visitors to the area alike flock here, drawn to the ultra-relaxed vibe first created by Lolly and Bill Fassett in perhaps not coincidentally, the restaurant is still owned and run by the same family today. History explains how, in the late s, limestone was harvested from a nearby slope, then fed into the hulking kilns.
Intense heat—with kiln fires fuelled by felled redwoods—extracted pure lime, a key ingredient in construction cement, which was used in buildings in San Francisco and Monterey.
Once all the nearby reserves of limestone and redwoods were used up, the kilns were abandoned. Slowly, the forest recovered, and the second-growth redwood stands in this park today make for a pleasant and shady escape not to mention one with an interesting past.
In the midst of this intensely naturalistic setting, the four iron-and-stone kilns rise, scarred and imposing, like monuments to some bygone civilization. Pitch a tent—car and RV camping is not accommodated for—in one of the 29 campsites located creekside, on the beachfront, and in the forest. You can reserve a site up to six months in advance.
Hiking, biking, and riding RVs along the trails and roads, swimming in the Big Sur River, camping—the number of outdoor activities one can enjoy here in the midst of stunning surroundings make it one of the most popular parks along Highway 1.
The peaks of the Santa Lucia Mountains rise up dramatically from the Big Sur River Gorge; keep an eye out while walking along the banks for black-tailed deer, raccoons, skunks, birds such as dippers, belted kingfishers, and wild turkeys, and even the occasional bobcat.
A small but appealing network of well-marked trails wends through the 1,acre preserve; spectacular views of the Big Sur Valley, the Big Sur River Gorge, Pacific Ocean and shoreline abound, but be aware that there is no beach or ocean access. The large campground located in the park can accommodate hikers, bikers, car campers, and RVers.
Reservations tend to fill up six months in advance, even in winter, so be sure to plan ahead. Which is true—half the time. One can also check out prints of some of his visual art—he painted watercolours—as well as works of local artists that are on display.
Come May through October, though, the calendar is chock-full of happenings. The annual Big Sur International Short Film Screening Series is an outdoor film festival that takes place on Thursday nights over the course of 13 weeks from June through August, just outside the snug coastal cabin.
The Live at the Henry Miller Library series showcases a wide variety of artists, from intimate acoustic acts that perform inside the library, to larger-name draws—the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Pixies, to name a few, have both made appearances—who play for lucky capacity-filling listeners in a lush redwood grove adjacent to the library.
The quirky restaurant—located behind the gas station in a rustic, funky building—also serves dinner, including superlative wood-fired pizza. For a signature Ambrosia Burger served with a world-class view, head to Nepenthe , where a huge deck overlooks the Pacific—nurse your fries and beer and stay until sunset.
Epic photo ops of the Bixby Bridge and the Big Sur coastline await! Hurricane Point, just south of the bridge, offers clear views to the north, south and west. Please travel safely and responsibly while visiting the Bixby Bridge and Big Sur. Additionally, there is the Old Coast Road which gives nice shots out to sea through the bridge like the photo above.
Maybe that's the thing. I'll let you be the judge on this - what I'll do is show you the bridge from all different angles and in different lights and perhaps you'll see why it has enthralled visitors since Creative Commons Photo by Robert J. Parking: There is a rather large turnout at the northern end of the bridge on the ocean side of the road.
Fog is a frequent feature of the Big Sur area, even in the summer.
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