Big Sur, November 2019

I had always wanted to go to Big Sur, but there’s nothing like working a 40-hour/week desk job that requires you to be in front of a screen all day that really makes you want to take a trip immersed in nature.

I booked the flight about a week and a half before I was going to leave. Obviously, certain trips require more thought and planning, but I knew I wanted this to be low-key, and didn’t want to do much besides drive up and down Highway 1, go to some beaches, take photos, and hike a little bit. As a note, I had absolutely no agenda or set plans before going.

I researched some Airbnbs and other places to stay, and was finding that there weren’t really many great, affordable options for the dates I needed (a downside to planning so last-minute). Then, I figured, I’m going to such a great place to camp, and even though I have zero camping equipment and really no experience camping, I’ll see what the options look like. I came across both Fernwood and Big Sur Campgrounds, and realized they had ‘adventure tents’ and ‘camping cabins;’ so, essentially, a glamping situation. I also found Glen Oaks Big Sur in the beginning, which was out of my budget, but ended up deciding one night wouldn’t hurt, and put in on the credit card.

November 15

I flew into San Jose and drove south, briefly stopping in Monterrey, and had dinner in Carmel.

Fernwood Campground - fernwoodbigsur.com

I stayed in their adventure tent which had a space heater and a queen bed. The bathroom and showers were in a separate cabin behind the tent, shared between the other campers. I really enjoyed my stay here, and got advice from the check-in dude about some good hikes and places to go. He told me there was a trail on their property, so I woke up naturally at about 7 (rare for me) and went walking towards it. I had arrived and checked-in at night, so when I stepped out the tent in the morning, my jaw dropped. I slept under giant redwoods, and they were surrounding and towering over the entire campground. I love the way the sun hits the top of them and shines through.

November 16

I only walked for about 20 minutes because I needed coffee and breakfast, so I got in my rental car and headed to Deetjen’s, a hotel, but they also have the most cozy restaurant. I sat next to a fire pit, drinking coffee and eating buttermilk pancakes that were for sure some of the best pancakes I’ve ever eaten. I was also listening to some people that were eating at the bar talk to the waitress about hikes, so when I got up to leave, I asked her in more detail about where I should go while I’m here. She said Andrew Molera was one of her favorite spots, so I headed there.

I drove to Andrew Molera State Park, and the guy told me that if I wanted to go on the trail that led to the beach, I’d have to take my shoes off and cross the river. I got to that part and took my hiking boots off, and walked across the freezing water, wiped my feet off with my pull-over, and resumed the trail. About a mile later, I got to the water. I have to say, out of all of spots I went to on this trip, this one was okay, but I’d skip it in the future. It’s nice, but it wasn’t as great compared to other beaches and coves I ended up going to.

The view at the end of the trail at Andrew Molera State Park

I stayed there for about an hour and a half total from parking, walking the trail to the beach, and walking back.

I then drove to Pfeiffer Beach, which requires driving down a narrow road—essentially a one-lane road but with two-way traffic. It ends at the entrance of the beach. I walked around and took photos, discovering a forest a little ways down the beach, inland. I walked into it for a bit and it was super enchanting with the light passing through massive trees, quiet, with no one else around. I had a moment where I gasped because of how magical it felt—the only sounds I heard were the sounds of the Pacific Ocean and of the woods, combined with the soft light spilling in.

After Pfeiffer Beach I checked out Big Sur Bakery. I highly recommend it; the only downside is it’s pricey. A pastry and a latte cost me about $15… but it’s one of the only good places to eat in Big Sur, in my opinion.

Then I headed to Big Sur Campground to check in and was super excited to see the cabin I was staying in. Like the adventure tent from the night before, this cabin had a bed and was pretty roomy, but didn’t have a heater. The lows while I was there were in the 50s, which objectively isn’t so bad, but the Louisianan in me was freezing. I ended up just bundling up in layers of clothing I brought, and was fine.

Big Sur Camground & Cabins - bigsurcamp.com

I knew sunset was approaching so I didn’t stay long, and got back on Highway 1 driving south towards McWay Falls. It was of course more mesmerizing in person than in pictures, especially at sunset with a warm glow shining on it.

Sunset driving back to Big Sur Campground

I found that there isn’t much to do in Big Sur at night if you’re alone, so when night fell I went back to my cabin and chilled there, going to bed around 9:30, which the old lady in me loved. On average I slept about 9-10 hours each night. My body needed it.

November 17

I woke up to the sounds of the Big Sur River steps from my cabin, got some coffee from the campground office, and headed out in the car with the plan to just drive south on Highway 1 and stop along the way.

The view out of my cabin at Big Sur Campground

Inside of the cabin at Big Sur Campground

The first place I stopped at was Partington Cove. The way I found this was seeing some people parking and walking down a trail to the water. Intrigued, I pulled over and am glad I did because this ended up being one of my favorite spots on the trip. It’s about a 10 minute walk downhill until you get to a wooden bridge over a creek, and you can either walk in a tunnel to one side, or keep going straight on a trail that ends at a rocky cove. First, I went through the tunnel, not knowing what was at the end. The end opened to a beautiful partial view of the coast. I snapped some photos and turned around to check out the other side. At the end of the trail, there is a small cove with waves crashing and a partial view of the Pacific.

After Partington Cove, I kept driving south on Highway 1, stopping every now and then on the road’s occasional shoulders for scenic views.

I had gotten a recommendation from the guy working at Fernwood my first night to go to Sand Dollar Beach, so that was my next stop. It was beautiful, but had a ton of bugs all over the sand, so I just walked about half of it and turned around. I had planned to stay there a while but the bugs deterred me. I wasn’t upset about it and just figured I’d keep driving.

Someone DMed me on Instagram with a recommendation to go see elephant seals in San Simeon, and to go to Cambria and Harmony. I hadn’t planned to drive that far, but didn’t have an agenda and decided to just go. The towns are a little less than 2 hours from Big Sur. My other friend in New Orleans had suggested to check out Cayucos, which was the farthest town I drove to, just past Harmony.

I absolutely love coastal drives and this was really a beautiful drive. I have to say that I’ve done coastal drives in Spain, Italy, Costa Rica, and Croatia, and Big Sur matches up to the level of beauty in those countries, in its own way.

In Cambria, I got out of the car briefly and walked on Moonstone Beach Boardwalk. It was golden hour so there was that nice glow illuminating the beach. I hopped back in the car, heading back to Big Sur, driving as the sun set. I stopped at a view point and just sat and watched the sunset until it was dark.

November 18

I checked out of Big Sur Campground and drove north on Highway 1 to Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. I’d say this is a must if you come to this area.

After Point Lobos, I drove back towards Big Sur and went to Partington Cove and McWay Falls again. I usually don’t like to repeat places when I travel but I really enjoyed both of these spots. I perched myself up on a big rock at Partington Cove, listened to the waves crash, and caught the sunset there.

I checked in to Glen Oaks Big Sur, my one splurge of the trip. I’m glad I saved this place for last. It was super cozy and had heated bathroom floors.

November 19

I checked out and spent about 2 hours driving back up the coast to the airport.

If you’ve made it this far, thanks for reading! I hope you’ll get to experience the beauty of Big Sur.

Cheers, y’all.

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