Road-trip guide · California

Big Sur

A road-trip stop through California.

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Photo via Wikipedia — Big Sur

The fog sits low over the water most mornings on Highway 1, and the road narrows down to two lanes with nothing but cliff on one side and a long drop to the ocean on the other. Most families who drive through Big Sur stop at Bixby Creek Bridge to stretch their legs and take in that long concrete arch hanging over the canyon — it looks exactly like the photos, which is saying something. A short walk down to McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park puts you at an 80-foot waterfall that lands directly on a cove beach you cannot actually reach, which somehow makes it better to look at. If you time it right and know to look for the unmarked turnoff, Pfeiffer Beach has a rock arch the waves push through, and the sand runs purple in patches from manganese garnet in the cliffs above. For food, Nepenthe is the classic stop — it sits on a terrace above the water and the burger is genuinely good — and the Big Sur Deli near Fernwood is where people grab lunch without fuss. Lodging fills up fast here, so most travelers book a campground or cabin well ahead or plan to stay in Carmel and drive in. If you are plotting out a California coast road trip, Big Sur is the stretch that slows everyone down in the best way.

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What travelers do here

Things to do in Big Sur

Carmel-by-the-Sea Village

Bixby Creek Bridge

McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

McWay Falls, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Pfeiffer Beach (Keyhole Rock)

Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur, CA

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur

Overnight

Where travelers stay

Lodging 1

Airbnb in Big Sur or Pacific Valley, CA

Lodging 2

Big Sur / Carmel area Airbnb or cabin

Lodging 3

Fernwood Resort Campground, Big Sur

Lodging 4

Riverside Campground & Cabins OR budget motel in King City (inland, budget backup) — book NOW

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West Coast

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Nearby

Other cities in California

Los Angeles

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San Francisco

20 trips

Joshua Tree National Park

7 trips

Crescent City

6 trips

Yosemite Valley

6 trips

San Luis Obispo

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Costa Mesa

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Monterey

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All road trips through California →

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