![]() These are quick stops and worth the time for all of the eye candy that you’ll get. Do all of the overlooks and pullouts (like McWay Falls and Bixby Bridge).You can also detour from Salinas and go down through chill Carmel Valley wine country. You can use our Carmel day trip guide to plan a separate getaway or add a day for a longer Big Sur road trip. Don’t try to include Carmel or the 17-mile drive into this day trip. ![]() ![]() #HANDYPRINT BIG SUR HOW TO#Here’s our strategy for how to prioritize: There are a LOT of cool things to do in Big Sur and if you only have 8 hours, something has to give. This article is formatted for doing Big Sur in a day, but you can certainly use it to build a longer weekend getaway. How to Get the Most of Your Big Sur Day Trip You may want to print this article and cache our map below. Stay alert and use your turn signals liberally. There aren’t many left turn lanes on this stretch of Highway 1. If you are coming north from LA, be mindful of oncoming traffic. You could also include Big Sur into a shorter Central Coast road trip, which could include visiting Cayucos and also Harmony town, which are both just south of Cambria. It has key stops and suggested places to stay and eat. Plan the trip using our 5 day Pacific Coast Highway itinerary, which goes from San Francisco to LA. If you are doing a larger PCH road trip, we still recommend a north-south route for the entire coastline. But check before you commit because that road is sometimes closed. It’s a lovely winding detour over the Santa Lucia mountains through forest and pasture land. The road begins just north of San Dollar Beach. However, if you have an extra half hour, we recommend taking the super secret detour over Nacimiento-Fergusson road into Jolon. The fastest way back to SF from southern Big Sur is to go through Cambria, over to Paso Robles and back up Highway 101. If you are day tripping from San Francisco, going north/south is your natural routing anyway. All of the beaches, nearly all of the overlooks and many of the state parks are oceanside and the west side lane gives you the best views. Regardless of your origin point, a Big Sur road trip is best done north-to-south. The Best Direction for a Big Sur Road Trip If you are interested in flying, check out our resources for finding the best airport for Big Sur. Check Google maps or Caltrans for the most current road conditions. Storms and rock slides can sometimes wash out the road, which happened as recently as February 2021. From LA it’s 331 miles and 5.5 hours up Highway 1. But you can certainly add it into a larger road trip, or make it a nice three day weekend. From Los Angeles to Big Sur: Obviously, you can’t reasonably do a day trip to Big Sur from LA.From San Jose to Big Sur: This drive has similar routing to San Francisco, but it’s only 80 miles and 1.5 hours.From San Francisco to Big Sur: The drive is 120 miles and approximately 2.25 hours, which you can do via Highway 17 through Santa Cruz or Highway 101 and Highway 156 through Castroville.We live in the San Francisco Bay Area and have been to the area many times, so you can trust us to give you the scoop on all of the best things to do in Big Sur, including the top state parks, a few cool hikes, must-see overlooks, beaches and even a super secret detour. Whether you are roadtripping the region as part of an epic Pacific Coast Highway trip, or you are simply doing a Big Sur day trip from San Francisco, we’ve got you covered. But because it’s a compact coastline, you can definitely hit up the highlights on a whirlwind Big Sur day trip. There’s a lot to do in Big Sur and you could certainly spend several days exploring it. But Highway 1 is an engineering marvel, clinging to the Santa Lucia Mountain range like a stubborn ribbon of promise. That there is even a California scenic byway in Big Sur is a bit of a miracle, considering how hard it is to build on such steep terrain. ![]() California has 841 miles of coastline but the 96 miles through Big Sur is inarguably the prettiest stretch This dramatic coast has gobsmackingly beautiful views with rocky cliffs, quiet beaches, tons of hikes and marine life. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |