Pacific Coast Highway Road Trip

This 581-foot mound is actually a volcanic plug and sits close to shore. Don't even think about climbing on the rock - as a protected site, disturbing the bird life on the mound is illegal. However, from afa...

Just the name makes your mouth water! Every cookie is freshly baked. This Central Coast bakery greets you at the door with a tray of right-out-of-the-oven samples. Gluten-free customers are welcomed with ope...

Located right off Hwy 1 near the coast, the small town of Harmony is just as magical as it sounds. The chapel with its gardens is a popular place to tie the knot. Even though the town has a population of a c...

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Art Beal, also known as Captain Nitt Witt, bought a piece of land in 1928 and for the next 50 years built his “castle on a hill” using a pick, shovel, and various found objects collec...

Quite possibly one of the loveliest and most unique beaches you can visit. Instead of sand, this shore is strewn with smooth pebbles (some of them moonstones, of course) and people claim its sunsets rival th...

Commissioned by publishing tycoon, William Randolph Hearst, and designed by architect Julia Morgan, this estate is also known as San Simeon and took over 20 years to construct. Hearst and his lover, Marion D...

As most of us have figured out by now, eating a ton and lying listlessly on a beach is, quite unfortunately, not going to result in a cute figure. At least we’re not alone. Weighing between 3,000 and 5,000 p...

Towering high above the Pacific Ocean on an outcrop with 400-foot sheer cliffs, Ragged Point offers one of the most breathtaking ocean vistas in the world. It remains one of the few places on this coast with...

It's a 120-foot drop easily accessed by a quick 10-minute hike. While many waterfalls in California dry up in the heat of summer this one still has a nice flow. You can swim in the hole but the water is COLD...

A small section of the Big Sur coastline is known to be strewn with nephrite jade making it very popular among rock collectors and amateur geologists. Most of the jade is found on the ocean floor near the sh...

These stunning cliffs in Big Sur can be seen from the incredible Lucia Lodge. To stay the night can run you almost $300 during the high season. Fortunately, you can view the seaside bluffs from the comfort o...

Route 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) is famous for its majestic rocky cliffs, magnificent ocean views, and, oh yeah, its bold, pudgy squirrels who aren’t afraid of sh*t. That’s right, they’re cocky as hell becaus...

Casual-hikers will be happy to know that it isn’t a long nor difficult trek to the beautiful McWay Falls in Big Sur. In fact, the Waterfall Trail is the shortest in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and it of...

This is a hike that gets straight to the point. A steep decline with a footbridge takes you quickly to the cove. Along the way enter a cool wooden tunnel. Exit to find an ocean with waves crashing against ro...

Although you can visit this stunning place any time of the year, you only have a short window of opportunity to see its best feature in its full glory. The Keyhole Arch is named for a strange sandstone forma...

Take a picture of the gorgeous Bixby Creek Bridge and you will have contributed to its title of “one of the most photographed features on the West Coast.” Frequently used in automobile commercials, televisio...

Get there before it goes viral! Soberanes Point is a secluded, lonely beach framed with jagged rocks and just enough sand make it a restful place to sunbathe. During winter months you might spot migrating wh...

A beautiful hiking trail with great views and small waterfalls takes you to the dunes while wooden stairs lead you to the ocean. This state park is a beautiful example of the typical Big Sur coastline of Cal...

To find the trail go to the southernmost parking area in the reserve. The walk is pleasant, less than a mile round trip. Pine forests and coastal sage scrub around a rocky shore characterize the hiking views...

This scenic nature preserve has been called the "crown jewel" of California's 280 state parks. With the natural beauty that California is so famous for, this is really saying something. Point Lobos is a prot...

As the name suggests whaling was a part of the history of this area. In the 1800s, whaling and fishing were carried out by The Carmel Whaling Company and the Japanese Whaling Company. The old cabin in which ...

A fishing vessel, the Point Estero, wrecked in Estero Bay in July of 2017 where it probably will remain until the corrosive sea waters break it down. To get there, take Cabrillo Hwy to N. Ocean Avenue. You'l...