Big Sur day trip from Monterey

Sydney, Australia
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Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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We're staying in Monterey for a few nights in a few weeks time. Part of our initial plan had us driving to San Simeon via Big Sur and then probably back via 101 for an interesting day trip.

I've now realised as I'm plugging this all into Google maps that there are numerous closures on Highway 1 and that this isn't possible at the moment and is highly unlikely to be possible for our trip end May.

We'd still like to do this drive as much as we can, but I'm unsure now where we should drive to (to head back up to Monterey). On maps it says that the road is blocked just north of Gamboa Point and the last point before that is Gamboa Point Beach - a trip of some 50 miles. Is this point make sense to head back from?

18 replies to this topic
San Mateo...
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1. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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I think the farthest point south you should try to reach before turning back towards Monterey is McWay Falls. You will see lots of classic Big Sur scenery between Carmel and McWay Falls. Not as impressive as driving all of Big Sur, but that will have to do since you won’t be here in July when the highway is expected to reopen.

Grover Beach...
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2. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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Concur with coolcaesar: No need to go further than McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP. The scenery south of that point starts to become monotonous due to lack of tree line.

Here's a list of stops, along with a time frame for each one:

Point Lobos State Reserve: 2 hours (Save entry stub. It will get you into Pfeiffer Big Sur SP and Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP on the same day without paying additional fees)

Garrapata SP: 30 minute beach walk

Bixby Bridge: 10-15 minutes

Pfeiffer Big Sur SP (Valley View Trail): 1 hour

Nepenthe/Phoenix Shop: 2 hours (Will likely have a lengthy wait)

Julia Pfeiffer Burns SP (McWay Falls): 30 minutes

San Francisco, Ca
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3. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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Agree to turn around at McWay Falls. That's about as far as I get on a day trip from Monterey, in any case. Try to have lunch at Nepenthe, if you can time it properly. That way the driver gets to admire the view because most of the rest of the time, they're focusing on the road.

>>Part of our initial plan had us driving to San Simeon via Big Sur and then probably back via 101 for an interesting day trip.<<

Your initial plan wouldn't have been practical even if the road was open. Monterey to San Simeon via Big Sur, when done for sightseeing, is a 6+ hour drive. The drive back on Hwy. 101 is 2.5 to 3 hours without stops.

Edited: 4:20 pm, May 02, 2023
Sydney, Australia
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4. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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Thanks all. Some great tips here.

I think we'll do Point Lobos on a separate day as it sounds like a good half day could be spent here.

And turn around at McWay Falls.

Had intended having brunch at Deetjen's as Nepenthe looked pretty expensive. Maybe we should drop in there for a drink after the falls?

Aptos, California
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5. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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Deetjen’s is similar in price to Nepenthe. Cafe Kevah serves brunch, just below Nepenthe. If you want to eat at Deetjen’s do, it’s a very nice place, but don’t expect to save much money over Nepenthe.

Sydney, Australia
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6. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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I'm just going off the online menus but appreciate the comments.

I'm thinking we'll do both. One for brunch and the Cafe for drinks and pastries

Miami, Florida
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7. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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@kibbles16 is it best to drive all the way to Mcway Falls and then work our way back to Monterey with the stops suggested?

San Francisco...
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8. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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Most of the stops will be between the Hwy and the ocean. So i find it safer and more convenient to pull over to the right rather than try to turn left on Hwy 1. The places with stops on the left (eg McWay Falls) would be at your turnaround. For Bixby Bridge, I would pull over in the right driving South. But if it is too crowded, I would simply skip it on the way south and stop on the way park as there is parking on both sides of the Street.

Grover Beach...
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9. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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@ Tony:

Cafe Kevah closed at 2:30, so you'll have to budget your time accordingly. The wait for seating anywhere in Big Sur can be quite lengthy. Like 30-60 minutes or even more lengthy.

@ Sonia:

I would make the recommended stops before reaching McWay Falls because most of those stops don't require crossing the highway where it might be difficult to see cars coming toward you. The exception would be Pfeiffer Big Sur SP, which you could catch on your way back to Monterey, but the road is fairly straight where the turn is, so not too much of an issue. You can always play that park by ear depending on your timing and interest.

Sydney, Australia
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10. Re: Big Sur day trip from Monterey
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@Kibbles, with the time-line I'm looking at we should get back to Cafe Kevah by about 1:10pm. But of course if we get delayed might have to miss this. We'll be travelling on a Monday so hopefully not as many delays as the weekend.

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