- This Pacific Coast Highway itinerary explores Big Sur and the Central Coast, traveling along Highway 1.
- The route includes 29 main stops, with beaches, coastal overlooks, state parks, historic bridges, wildlife viewing areas, and classic coastal towns.
- Plan for a full day if you want to visit most stops, and more time if you plan to hike, relax at the beach, or explore Big Sur in depth.
- Several stops are free, but some parks and attractions have parking, day-use, or activity fees.
- Bring layers, comfortable shoes, and flexibility—coastal weather, road conditions, and park access can change quickly.
Drive the famous Pacific Coast Highway with Shaka Guide! In this tour, we explore the entire coastline of Big Sur, the most popular and stunning stretch of Highway 1 in California.
Enjoy pristine beaches, wild coast, and epic views up and down the coast as Shaka Guide provides turn-by-turn navigation, trip planning advice, and stories about Big Sur's history, nature, and culture.
This is one of four Shaka Guide tours that explore the Pacific Coast Highway between San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Our tour of Big Sur stretches between Monterey and San Luis Obispo, and can be taken in either direction.
We've curated 29 of the best stops, and help you plan your time for a drive-thru, a full day, or multiple days.
- Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
- Garrapata State Park--Soberanes Point
- Rocky Creek Bridge
- Bixby Bridge
- Hurricane Point Vista Point
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
- Big Sur Station
- Pfeiffer Beach
- Nepenthe
- Henry Miller Library
- Partington Cove
- Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point
- McWay Falls
- Big Creek Cove Vista Point
- Gamboa Point
- Limekiln State Park
- Sand Dollar Beach
- Willow Creek Picnic Area and Vista Point
- Salmon Creek Falls
- Ragged Point
- Elephant Seal Vista Point
- Hearst Castle
- Moonstone Beach
- Main Street, Cambria
- Harmony
- Estero Bluffs State Park
- Cayucos State Beach
- Morro Rock
- Tidelands Park
It takes a minimum of three to four hours to drive through this portion of Highway 1, not including stops.
The itinerary in this article starts north, near Monterey, and heads south.
Several state parks on our itinerary require a day pass, but the good news is that if you pay at one, you can use the same day pass for all the other state parks for the rest of the day.
Itinerary
1. Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Entry Fee: $10 day use fee per vehicle
- Hours: 8 am to 7 pm daily. Last entry at 6:30 pm.
Described as 'the greatest meeting of land and water in the world,' Point Lobos is a gorgeous coastal park with rocky outcroppings, coastal bluffs, and plentiful wildlife.
Walk through one of the last remaining stands of Monterey Cypress trees in the wild, enjoy the open views of Sea Lion Point, explore the coves near Bird Island, or look for marine mammals in Whalers Cove.
Parking is somewhat limited and may fill up. You'll see many people parking on the side of the road on Highway 1, and walking in, but this adds at least a half mile to a mile one way of walking.
Purchase a day pass, or use one from another state park purchased the same day.
2. Garrapata State Park--Soberanes Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 8 am to sunset
This state park provides easy access to coastal bluffs. Anyone looking for a 360-degree view can also hike to the top of Soberanes Point for a look at the surrounding coast and mountains.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 8 am to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
3. Rocky Creek Bridge
CC BY-S4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
Built in 1932, Rocky Creek Bridge is one of Big Sur's historic arch bridges, constructed when Highway 1 was first built through Big Sur. A small pull-off allows you to leave the car and snap a picture.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
4. Bixby Bridge
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
Bixby Bridge is one of the most filmed and photographed places in Big Sur. Constructed in 1932, it's the biggest and most famous bridge in Big Sur, standing over 250 feet above the creek below.
There's a small pull-off on the north end of the bridge, and additional space to pull over for a better view.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
5. Hurricane Point Vista Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
Hurricane Point is one of the best scenic overlooks along Highway 1.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
6. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 1 to 2 hours
- Entry Fee: $10 day use fee per vehicle
- Hours: 8 am to sunset
Hike among the redwoods in this heavily forested state park. An easy boardwalk trail winds through a small grove of old-growth redwoods.
Or hike a moderate trail to the 60-ft Pfeiffer Falls. A lodge at the front of the park features helpful amenities like restrooms, a restaurant, a coffee shop, and a gift shop.
Purchase a day pass, or use one from another state park purchased the same day.
7. Big Sur Station
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 9 am to 4 pm daily
This ranger station is a great place to ask questions about current conditions, closures, or advice from locals. There are also flush toilets and a water fountain to fill up your canteen.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 9 am to 4 pm daily, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
8. Pfeiffer Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: $15 day use fee per vehicle
- Hours: 9 am to 8 pm daily
Pfeiffer Beach is perhaps the most stunning beach in all of Big Sur. Towering rock formations just off the sand frame the beach, including one nicknamed 'Keyhole Arch,' where people like to take pictures of the sun peeking through a natural hole. The beach is also known for its patches of purple sand.
Pfeiffer Beach is down a one-lane road from Highway 1, about a 10-minute drive one way. RVs are not allowed on the road.
9. Nepenthe
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 60 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free to enter, plus cost of purchase
- Hours: Nepenthe Restaurant open 11:30 am to 10 pm daily. Cafe Kevah is open 9 am to 3 pm daily, President's Day Weekend through the Sunday after New Year's. The Phoenix Shop is open 10:30 am to 6 pm daily.
Nepenthe is a high-end restaurant sitting on a bluff over 800 feet above the coast. The building was designed by a Frank Lloyd Wright protege, and has seen its fair share of Golden Age celebrities on its premises.
The menu is very expensive, but there is also the Cafe Kevah on the grounds where you can buy a slightly more affordable coffee or lunch.
And there's the large Phoenix Shop, one of the best gift shops in Big Sur. You can also just make a quick stop for the view, which we recommend.
Cafe Kevah is open 9 am to 3 pm daily, President's Day Weekend through the Sunday after New Year's.
The Phoenix Shop opens from 10:30 am to 6 pm daily, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
10. Henry Miller Library
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 11 am to 5 pm daily
Henry Miller was one of the earliest authors to make his way to Big Sur. His writing was provocative and originally banned in the United States, but he paved the way for open-mindedness and free speech.
The library curates an interesting assortment of books for sale and hosts cultural events and performances. A must for anyone wanting to appreciate the rich literary history of Big Sur.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 11 am to 5 pm daily, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
11. Partington Cove
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 45 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 8 am to sunset
An unmarked path next to a road gate leads down to two picturesque coves. One of the coves is accessed via an old pioneer's tunnel, blasted through the bluff for his timber and tanbark business.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 8 am to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
12. Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park Vista Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
This vista point off Highway 1 is an easy in and out view of the epic coastline.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
13. McWay Falls
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 5 minutes or more in the state park
- Entry Fee: $10 day use fee per vehicle. Free to access the vista point off Highway 1.
- Hours: 8 am to sunset
A can't-miss view! The slender McWay Falls drops directly from a bluff into a blue little cove, creating one of the most picturesque views in Big Sur.
You can stop along Highway 1 for a quick look at the vista point. Or, you can enter Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park for a closer look.
The state park also has hiking trails heading into the interior, including a redwood forest.
Purchase a day pass, or use one from another state park purchased the same day.
As of 2026, the park's Overlook trail to McWay Falls has been undergoing construction and is closed to the public.
Until the trail reopens, the only way to view McWay Falls is from the vista point directly off Highway 1.
14. Big Creek Cove Vista Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 10 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
Another great view with easy access from Highway 1. Looking north, there's a clear view of Regent's Slide, a landslide that occurred in 2024 and closed the highway.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
15. Gamboa Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 5 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
This vista point offers a spectacular view of the headlands plunging into the ocean for miles. Easy access in and out.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
16. Limekiln State Park
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 60 minutes
- Entry Fee: $10 day use fee per vehicle
- Hours: 8 am to sunset
The Rockland Lime and Lumber Company extracted lime here in the 19th century, felling the redwood forests to heat the furnaces or kilns. Today, the redwood forests are growing back, and you can visit what remains of the lime kilns. The state park also includes access to a rocky beach.
Purchase a day pass, or use one from another state park purchased the same day. The park only accepts cash.
17. Sand Dollar Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: $10 day use fee per vehicle. Or free to park along Highway 1.
- Hours: 10 am to 6 pm daily
This beautiful beach is surrounded by cliffs and rock formations in the water. There is a short but steep walk down to the beach, about 100 stairs in total. Despite the name, it's unlikely you'll find sand dollars here. However, some have reported finding jade!
Sand Dollar Beach shares a day-use fee with Willow Creek Picnic Area. Or, some just park along Highway 1 and walk in, only adding a few hundred feet of walking.
18. Willow Creek Picnic Area and Vista Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: $10 day use fee per vehicle. Free to access the vista point.
- Hours: 10 am to 6 pm daily
The vista point is just off Highway 1 and provides a stellar view of the coast. Or, if you want access to the rocky beach, drive the short but steep road down to the Day Use area. The vista point is free, but the day-use area is not.
Willow Creek shares a day-use fee with Sand Dollar Beach.
19. Salmon Creek Falls
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
A quick hike and rock scramble from Highway 1 takes you to this double cascade waterfall. Follow your ears to reach the falling water! Summer and fall seasons are dry, and typically reduce the waterfall to a trickle or nothing.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
20. Ragged Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Hours vary by season. Restaurant open 8 am to 8 pm Mon through Sat. The coffee shop opens from 8 am to 3 pm daily.
This is the 'southern gateway to Big Sur', and your all-in-one stop for food, gas, coffee, restrooms, and a stellar scenic view out back. There's even a live music series. Ragged Point is either the first big view of Big Sur coming from the south, or the last coming from the north. There's also an inn on the premises.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours vary by season.
Restaurant opens:
- 8 am to 8 pm Mon through Sat
- 8 am to 3 pm and 5 pm to 8 pm Sun
The coffee shop opens from 8 am to 3 pm daily, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
21. Elephant Seal Vista Point
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
A must stop! Elephant seals have claimed the shores of San Simeon as a rookery since the 1990s. You can find seals here year-round, but there are certain times throughout the year with large numbers, especially in winter.
A boarded walkway traces the shore, providing easy viewing of the seals. Docents from the non-profit Friends of the Elephant Seal are often standing by, answering questions about the seals and ensuring everybody's safety.
Friends of the Elephant Seal runs a small visitor center and gift shop south of the vista point in San Simeon. Stop by to support the mission and protect the seals!
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Sunrise to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
22. Hearst Castle
Shutterstock Image
- Duration: 2 to 3 hours
- Entry Fee: Tours are $35 for adults, $18 for children.
- Hours: Hours vary by season and tour. The basic Grand Rooms tour is offered starting at 9 am and up to 3:40 pm or later.
A one-of-a-kind estate sits atop a scenic hill overlooking the coast. The Spanish Colonial-revival mansion, built by media mogul William Randolph Hearst and designed by architect Julia Morgan, is one of the largest homes in the United States and a testament to whimsy and absurd amounts of money.
The home incorporates pieces and artwork from various locations across the world, including Roman ruins, Renaissance tapestries, and an ancient Egyptian statue.
The grounds include incredible pools, the remnants of the old private zoo, and even a private movie theater.
Tours begin at the visitor center, where there's a slick 45-minute movie about the house's construction, a museum, a gift shop, and a cafe.
A shuttle takes you from the visitor center up through the open hills and to the mansion, where a guide leads you on your tour.
You've never seen anything like this. Consider reserving a tour ahead of time.
Note that the tours are $35 for adults, $18 for children. Hours vary by season and tour.
The basic Grand Rooms tour is offered starting at 9 am and up to 3:40 pm or later. But you should always check current conditions before you go.
23. Moonstone Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 24/7
This scenic beach is easily accessed via a 2-mile, ADA-accessible boardwalk. Driftwood, tidepools, and marine life beckon visitors to explore around the rocks.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 24/7, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
24. Main Street, Cambria
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 60 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Hours vary by business
Cambria's Main Street is lined with restaurants and shopping for a breather from the long drive.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours vary by business, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
25. Harmony
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Hours vary by business, with more hours during the summer. Check https://harmonytown.com/town-shop for more information.
The area's dairy industry used to be centered around this town, but when the dairy industry diminished, so did Harmony.
Decades later, artisans brought it back to life with a pottery shop and glassworks. Grab an ice cream cone from the Creamery, eat at the food truck, grab a cup of coffee, or take an Insta-worthy picture at the Harmony Chapel. The definition of cozy!
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours vary by business, with more hours during the summer. Check Harmony site for more information, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
26. Estero Bluffs State Park
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: 6 am to sunset
This state park protects the rocky bluffs just to the north of the town of Cayucos. Along the bluffs, you can find the old Point Estero fishing boat beached among the rocks, creating an interesting photo opportunity.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically 6 am to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
27. Cayucos State Beach
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 60 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
Cayucos is known as a laid-back beach town with good surf. A wooden pier goes out over the ocean and is perfect for fishing or wildlife watching. Morro Rock is clearly visible across the water to the south.
Just one block from the beach is the town's main strip of eateries and shops.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Sunrise to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
28. Morro Rock
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 30 to 60 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
This ancient volcanic plug stands over 500 feet above the waters of Morro Bay and is easily visible coming from the north for miles.
A sand beach sits to the north of the giant rock, while to the south, the calm waters of Morro Bay are home to sea otters, sea lions, and marine birds.
This is one of the best places in the tour to look for wildlife. Within walking distance or a short drive of Morro Rock are some restaurants, and the T-pier for the best sea otter viewing.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Sunrise to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
29. Tidelands Park
Matt Caracciolo
- Duration: 15 minutes
- Entry Fee: Free
- Hours: Sunrise to sunset
For a wider view of Morro Rock, stop by Tidelands Park. Benches line the shore, and a playground featuring a pirate ship is available for kiddos. Many shops and restaurants are a short walk from the park.
This is a free stop, making it an easy add-on to your drive. Hours are typically Sunrise to sunset, but you should always check current conditions before you go.
Conclusion
So are you ready to conquer Big Sur? Whether you're driving through on an epic road trip, taking a day trip, or enjoying the area for a full vacation, we've got you covered. So join Shaka Guide as we experience what the Pacific Coast Highway has to offer in Big Sur.
Matt Caracciolo is a travel writer based in Ohio and author of the Shaka Guide tour for Yosemite. Born and raised in Columbus, Matt fell into travel writing while teaching English abroad in South Korea.
He has written two travel books, including the Moon Ohio guidebook, and enjoys writing and editing tours for Shaka Guide. Matt follows Mark Twain’s belief that “travel is fatal,” embracing travel as a way to learn more about the world and ourselves.
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