Jan 19, 20213 min read

Big Sur Day One

Updated: Jun 29, 2021

In effort to start the new year off right AND work on my California Bucket List Doug and I headed to Big Sur. After a little bit of research I jotted down 12 places I wanted to stop and see. As much as I'd like to stop and see EVERYTHING... ain't happening. CA-1 runs along the coast of California for over 100 miles and is full of beautiful sites, beaches, hiking, camping and adventures. Here are the ones we saw on the first day!

1. Bridges:

We stopped at the Rocky Creek and Bixby Creek Bridge around 9:30 am which was great because there was no crowd. Both had great places to stop and take a pictures of those iconic bridges and I totally recommend going early. When we went by later the next day traffic was grid locked and it was so crowded.

2. Pfeiffer Beach:

This was a little hard to find! It is 2 miles off the main highway and like most places along the route, it is not clearly marked. We are so glad we found it though. This beach is known for it's purple sand and giant key hole rocks. It was $12 to visit this park and it was worth it for the beautiful views and use of the restroom.

3. Partington Cove:

We found out pretty quickly that this is an intense hike. It's not far, but it is very steep! That being said, it was totally worth it. You go down the mountain, over a little wooden bridge, through an underground tunnel and boom, you've made it! I loved the view and the sound the waves make when they hit the cove. It's like thunder!

4. Big Creek View:

This is where baby Yoda got out and stretched his ears and enjoyed the view. So cute!

5. Gamboa Point Beach:

We wound up not stopping here. It looks like a nice beach, but we didn't feel like walking down the cliff side and having to hike back up... oh no thank you.

Un-planned stop:

After eating snacks all day, we were hungry. I forgot to pack an actual lunch and honestly, that is the best thing that could have happened to us! We decided to stop at this little place on the side of the road called Lucia Lodge. I didn't have any expectations for this place but I was pleasantly surprised! I ordered the veggie burger and Doug got the fish and chips. Both were so good and just look at the view from the deck!

6. Limekiln State Park:

I was really excited to stop here because they have a waterfall, beach, and redwood trees but unfortunately the trails were closed due to fire damage. So sad!

7. Ragged Point:

What a great place to stop, use the potty, and take a beautiful walk! Not only that, they have food, lodging, coffee and a hike that Doug and I were not willing to make. This hiking trail looks STEEP AF! People were crawling... literally crawling back up. No thanks, I'll just enjoy the view from the top.

8. Elephant Seals

They have wild Elephant seals, ya'll! These things are monstrous, they make the funniest sounds, and they are fascinating to watch! This was a really cool stop and I'm so happy there are beaches dedicated to these animals. This was the last stop because we had enough fun for one day!