Stop by to browse and
hang out on the front
deck with coffee, or join
the bohemian carnival
of live music, open-mic
nights and independent
film screenings.54 p159
The Drive » You’ll leave most
of the traffic behind as Hwy 1
continues southbound, curving
slowly along the vertiginous
cliffs, occasionally opening up
for ocean panoramas. It’s fewer
than 8 miles to Julia Pfeiffer
Burns State Park; the entrance
is on the inland side of Hwy 1.7 Julia Pfeiffer
Burns State Park
If you’ve got an appetite
for chasing waterfalls,
swing into Julia Pfeiffer
Burns State Park (%831-
667-2315; http://www.parks.ca.gov;
Hwy 1; per car $10; h30min
before sunrise-30min aftersunset; (^) c). From the
parking lot, the short
Overlook Trail rushes
downhill towards the
sea, passing through a
tunnel underneath Hwy
- Everyone is in a hurry
to see McWay Falls, which
tumbles year-round over
granite cliffs and free-
falls into the ocean – or
the beach, depending on
the tide. This is the classic
Big Sur postcard shot,
with tree-topped rocks
jutting above a golden
beach next to swirling
blue pools and crashing
white surf. During winter,
watch for migrating
whales offshore.
The Drive » The tortuously
winding stretch of Hwy 1
southbound is sparsely
populated, rugged and remote,
running through national forest.
Make sure you’ve got enough
fuel in the tank to at least reach
the expensive gas station at
Gorda, over 20 miles south of
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.8 Los Padres
National Forest
About 5 miles south of
Nacimiento-Fergusson
Rd, Sand Dollar Beach
Picnic Area (www.fs.usda.
gov; per vehicle $5; h9am-8pm) faces southern Big
Sur’s longest sandy beach,
protected by high bluffs.
Once you pass Plaskett
Creek Campground, look
for trails down to Jade
Cove from roadside pull-
offs along Hwy 1. In 1971,
local divers recovered
a 9000lb jade boulder
here that measured 8ft
long and was valued at
$180,000!
If you have any slivers
of sunlight left, keep
trucking down Hwy 1
approximately 8 miles
past Gorda to Salmon
Creek Falls (www.fs.fed.us/
r5/lospadres; Hwy 1; admission
free; c#), which usually
runs from December
through May. Take a
short hike to splash
around in the pools at the
base of this double-drop
waterfall, tucked uphill
in a forested canyon. In
a hairpin turn of Hwy 1,
the roadside turnoff is
marked only by a small
brown trailhead sign.4 p159
TRIP HIGHLIGHTStart: 7 Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Ocean beaches and waterfalls aren’t the only places to get wet in Big Sur. At private
Esalen Institute (%831-667-3047; 55000 Hwy 1; hot-springs entry $20, credit cards only;
hpublic access 1am-3am, by reservation only), clothing-optional baths fed by a natural hot
spring sit on a ledge above the ocean. Dollars to donuts you’ll never take another
dip that compares scenery-wise, especially on stormy winter nights. Only two small
outdoor pools perch directly over the waves, so once you’ve stripped and taken a quick
shower, head outside immediately. Advance telephone reservations are required. The
signposted entrance is on Hwy 1, about 3 miles south of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.ESALEN HOT SPRINGS
DETOUR:
CENTRAL.CALIFORNIA13
(^) BIG SUR