While we didn't stop for long in Big Sur, we spent the day driving along the coast and exploring some gorgeous secluded beaches. Big Sur is a beautiful stretch of coastal highway through State Route 1 between Carmel and San Simeon. We stopped many times to take in the sights and attempt to capture them with our cameras, it was so beautiful it seemed almost unreal.
The Bixby Bridge is about half way through Big Sur and about 120 miles South of San Francisco. It's a rather iconic viewpoint so of course we had to stop. The view here is incredible. Driving along the California coast is absolutely an unbelievable experience that I hope everyone can experience at least once.
While we tend to prefer mountain hiking over beaches, I don't see how anyone couldn't appreciate the amazing sights that the Golden Coast has to offer.
While the coast was incredible on it's own, we made a point to stop and visit some beaches as well. One of the beaches even had subtly purple sand, as a result of minerals from the surrounding cliffs. We also made a stop at McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see the gorgeous cove which includes a small waterfall. While a lot of these beaches are hard to find, they are well worth the effort.
While it was out of our usual price range, we stopped for a nice meal at Nepenthe, a restaurant directly off the highway and with gorgeous views of the surrounding mountain range. While pricey, the food and service was great and the view was worth it.
You can read our other entries about California here.
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Beautiful views and clear skies perfect for a long drive! xo
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. Thank you, Amy!
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