Desperado Deluxe
Well-known member
One of my favorite places in California is Big Sur located in Los Padres National Forest, along Cabrillo Highway 1 its California's central coast between Monterey and San Luis Obispo. 80 miles of rough cliff lined coast with trails, waterfalls, and scenic beauty. I generally go here to collect minerals such the famed Big Sur jade nephryte to make jewelry with and trade along my travels. In this entry I will go over some of my experiences I've had here as I've visited this place several times and it holds a special place in my memories of travel. Listing the places in order from south to north.
If your driving make sure you have gas as it is expensive and few and far between. food is also expensive, though you can get mussels eels and crabs in rocky tide lines to boil. I also hear fried banana slug is good. Having a little bit of cash is a good idea as well for the bus or buying food if needed. Make sure you have plenty of water although the water from the waterfalls and creeks is fairly good to drink with boiling. Flashlight and batteries are important too.
I start in S.L.O. taking the RTA bus that goes out toward the Hearst castle and get off at Moonstone Beach which is along the three bus stops before you get to the castle. There you can find the famed moonstones, agate, as well as most of the other stones you can find in the area (jade, jasper, and serpentine.) Here I begin my hitch and hike!
At the Hearst Castle you can pay $20 to take the tour(NAW!) Or just check out the fancy lobby... Across the street from the castle is a park with bathrooms that stay open during the night a good place for scoring t.p!
A few miles past the castle is the walrus rookery here is where massive elephant seals among other species gather. There is a place for tourists to stop and take pictures (you might be able to talk them into a ride.)
As I continued along the highway passing an abandoned motel, I found an opening in a fence with a sign with upraised letters painted over in black it said something about Hearst Castle property. I went in walking on a trail with thick brush, leading to a trail down a cliff side onto a large sandy beach. There was a fishing lure there posted as a marker for fisher men. I found people there enjoying the beach. I walked north along the beach noticing the sandstone cliffs were embedded with round feldspar rocks, as I picked up bluish pieces of jade along the shoreline.
Having gone a long way down the beach I thought I could climb up the cliff to get back to the road. As I did this there was thick brush at the top so I continued to go north along the cliff and climbing through brush to find the road. It began to get dark and the cliff rounded out finding that it was a huge bluff.(Darn.) I saw car lights on the road off in the distance.. Luckily I had one very bright LED rechargeable flashlight, a headlamp, and another light I attached to my waist.
I started back climbing through brush to find a way down. I found a spot down and found I could not get back to the beach from there. I went up again and went down another spot where I dropped my pack down a sheer drop. I found I couldn't get back from their either. Peering across the water there was a huge rock sticking up with a pair of eyes staring eerily back at me.
Using a rope to pull my pack up the rocks I waded through brush to trees that looked like a pathway where people were? I walked through a hallway of trees and over roots that looked like it had been worn smooth by foot fall. I found places that looked like someone or something had been sleeping.. weird there were no signs of fire no trash although it seemed this place had been extensively travelled by some thing tall due to the the height trees had been hallowed out. Fallowing the hallway of trees I finally found a way out that led to the place where I originally had come up the cliff.
I climbed down to find that I could not get back to the beach because the tide had come in. (Double darn.) there was a narrow bluff jutting into the water I climbed up it to find a steep drop directly on the other side carefully navigating it to a spot to climb down I had finally reached the beach where I originally came in at. Finding the fishing marker, I pitched my tent and crashed exhausted, dehydrated, and with barely any water left. That night I learned why they named that place..
Ragged Point.. I got up in the morning hiked out of there and continuing up the road around a curve seeing the massive bluff that I had gotten lost on the night before. When I got to the restaurant named after the bluff I gladly spent the $15 to get a good meal and a cup of joe. Here there is also shacks that are open for lunch where the food is cheaper. While there check out the trail behind the restaurant that takes u down the cliff to a waterfall and small beach.
I continued my hike to Salmon Creek falls where there are interesting rock formations that you can climb over to get to the falls. There are also trails there that I believe take you to hot springs, yet I have not travelled them. Continuing past La Gorda where there is only a hotel and convenience store you finally reach.
Jade Cove. This place is awesome definitely a good place to get dropped off. Climb down the slippery talc covered rock (there's ropes.) When u get down there you can find dark blackish green jade, serpentine, and actinolyte in the rocky shoreline. A lot of people go down here to hang out smoke weed and such so its fairly easy to get a ride from here.
The next stop north is Sand Dollar Beach. A large sandy beach backing up to a serpentine cliff face. There are also large rock formations with tide pools. Across the road from there is a ranger station and campgrounds.
About fifteen miles up the road is Lucia just a restaurant with small gift shop and hotel. folks in the gift shop were kind to me and gave me some coffee.
Continuing up from there is a hermitage where a hermit I met on the road told me to visit but didn't want to make the five mile hike in to check out. Limekiln state park with its own hiking trails. Not too much of worthy note.
When you finally get to Nepenthe there is a gift shop with jade jewelry made by local artists, a restaurant, and hillside bungalows you can rent out. This is the first place you can pick up the bus during summer months that will take you to Monterey with several stops along the way.
A little further north is the town of Big Sur the only real town with library and stores and such. Although I have never been here because I always seem to get a ride through.
Luckily I had the chance to go to Pfiffer Beach when I got picked up at dusk a ways past Lucia by a guy I met in Jade Cove the day before. His girlfriend drove us all the way there and down the five mile road down off of the highway. He dropped me off in the parking lot after he gave me a fish which I promptly cooked on the beach yum! I woke up in the morning to a beautiful view of giant craggy rocks jutting out of the water with a beach covered in red and black sand. This is one of my favorite places. Note that if your in a car you have to pay five dollars to park in the beach parking lot or park your car on the highway and hike in.
Later that day I hiked out and some one gave me a ride to Big Sur River Inn. Hotel, restaurant, gift shop same story. I hiked up the road and the next day someone finally gave me a ride to Carmel then took the bus to Monterey the next day.
If your driving make sure you have gas as it is expensive and few and far between. food is also expensive, though you can get mussels eels and crabs in rocky tide lines to boil. I also hear fried banana slug is good. Having a little bit of cash is a good idea as well for the bus or buying food if needed. Make sure you have plenty of water although the water from the waterfalls and creeks is fairly good to drink with boiling. Flashlight and batteries are important too.
I start in S.L.O. taking the RTA bus that goes out toward the Hearst castle and get off at Moonstone Beach which is along the three bus stops before you get to the castle. There you can find the famed moonstones, agate, as well as most of the other stones you can find in the area (jade, jasper, and serpentine.) Here I begin my hitch and hike!
At the Hearst Castle you can pay $20 to take the tour(NAW!) Or just check out the fancy lobby... Across the street from the castle is a park with bathrooms that stay open during the night a good place for scoring t.p!
A few miles past the castle is the walrus rookery here is where massive elephant seals among other species gather. There is a place for tourists to stop and take pictures (you might be able to talk them into a ride.)
As I continued along the highway passing an abandoned motel, I found an opening in a fence with a sign with upraised letters painted over in black it said something about Hearst Castle property. I went in walking on a trail with thick brush, leading to a trail down a cliff side onto a large sandy beach. There was a fishing lure there posted as a marker for fisher men. I found people there enjoying the beach. I walked north along the beach noticing the sandstone cliffs were embedded with round feldspar rocks, as I picked up bluish pieces of jade along the shoreline.
Having gone a long way down the beach I thought I could climb up the cliff to get back to the road. As I did this there was thick brush at the top so I continued to go north along the cliff and climbing through brush to find the road. It began to get dark and the cliff rounded out finding that it was a huge bluff.(Darn.) I saw car lights on the road off in the distance.. Luckily I had one very bright LED rechargeable flashlight, a headlamp, and another light I attached to my waist.
I started back climbing through brush to find a way down. I found a spot down and found I could not get back to the beach from there. I went up again and went down another spot where I dropped my pack down a sheer drop. I found I couldn't get back from their either. Peering across the water there was a huge rock sticking up with a pair of eyes staring eerily back at me.
Using a rope to pull my pack up the rocks I waded through brush to trees that looked like a pathway where people were? I walked through a hallway of trees and over roots that looked like it had been worn smooth by foot fall. I found places that looked like someone or something had been sleeping.. weird there were no signs of fire no trash although it seemed this place had been extensively travelled by some thing tall due to the the height trees had been hallowed out. Fallowing the hallway of trees I finally found a way out that led to the place where I originally had come up the cliff.
I climbed down to find that I could not get back to the beach because the tide had come in. (Double darn.) there was a narrow bluff jutting into the water I climbed up it to find a steep drop directly on the other side carefully navigating it to a spot to climb down I had finally reached the beach where I originally came in at. Finding the fishing marker, I pitched my tent and crashed exhausted, dehydrated, and with barely any water left. That night I learned why they named that place..
Ragged Point.. I got up in the morning hiked out of there and continuing up the road around a curve seeing the massive bluff that I had gotten lost on the night before. When I got to the restaurant named after the bluff I gladly spent the $15 to get a good meal and a cup of joe. Here there is also shacks that are open for lunch where the food is cheaper. While there check out the trail behind the restaurant that takes u down the cliff to a waterfall and small beach.
I continued my hike to Salmon Creek falls where there are interesting rock formations that you can climb over to get to the falls. There are also trails there that I believe take you to hot springs, yet I have not travelled them. Continuing past La Gorda where there is only a hotel and convenience store you finally reach.
Jade Cove. This place is awesome definitely a good place to get dropped off. Climb down the slippery talc covered rock (there's ropes.) When u get down there you can find dark blackish green jade, serpentine, and actinolyte in the rocky shoreline. A lot of people go down here to hang out smoke weed and such so its fairly easy to get a ride from here.
The next stop north is Sand Dollar Beach. A large sandy beach backing up to a serpentine cliff face. There are also large rock formations with tide pools. Across the road from there is a ranger station and campgrounds.
About fifteen miles up the road is Lucia just a restaurant with small gift shop and hotel. folks in the gift shop were kind to me and gave me some coffee.
Continuing up from there is a hermitage where a hermit I met on the road told me to visit but didn't want to make the five mile hike in to check out. Limekiln state park with its own hiking trails. Not too much of worthy note.
When you finally get to Nepenthe there is a gift shop with jade jewelry made by local artists, a restaurant, and hillside bungalows you can rent out. This is the first place you can pick up the bus during summer months that will take you to Monterey with several stops along the way.
A little further north is the town of Big Sur the only real town with library and stores and such. Although I have never been here because I always seem to get a ride through.
Luckily I had the chance to go to Pfiffer Beach when I got picked up at dusk a ways past Lucia by a guy I met in Jade Cove the day before. His girlfriend drove us all the way there and down the five mile road down off of the highway. He dropped me off in the parking lot after he gave me a fish which I promptly cooked on the beach yum! I woke up in the morning to a beautiful view of giant craggy rocks jutting out of the water with a beach covered in red and black sand. This is one of my favorite places. Note that if your in a car you have to pay five dollars to park in the beach parking lot or park your car on the highway and hike in.
Later that day I hiked out and some one gave me a ride to Big Sur River Inn. Hotel, restaurant, gift shop same story. I hiked up the road and the next day someone finally gave me a ride to Carmel then took the bus to Monterey the next day.
Last edited:
