Things to do in Big Sur: Your Complete Guide
The beautiful, pristine, untouched western coastline of the US, Big Sur. Here, I will tell you all the things to do in Big Sur! This is your complete guide.
You’ll drive for hours away from everything. The most relaxing, refreshing place to go recharge. Miles and miles of rocky oceanfront with massive cliffs and secret waterfalls.
Purple sand beaches, jade stones and perfect sand dollars found along the sandy shoreline. A few hidden gems scattered along the drive to pull off to eat and stay at places like no other. The things to do in Big Sur are so much fun…
No cell service is found out here and it’s absolutely perfect that way, a whole part of the experience.
My boyfriend and I spent two full days out in Big Sur mid June. SO secluded and beautiful you feel like you’re on another planet.
Let’s get into- things to do in Big Sur! Where to start, the “must see” stops, where to stay, eat, and more.
Here we go!-
Things to do in Big Sur
Getting there:
If you are driving or flying, make Monterey, CA your starting destination. If you are coming from far, fly into Monterey Airport in California.
Rent a car! This is essential.
Arrive a day early and spend the night in Monterey, stay at the Merritt House Hotel. Located in a perfect location in town, has parking at the hotel and is walking distance to all the restaurants in town and it’s a clean and cute place to stay.
How much time do you need?
48 hours is the perfect amount of time to cover and see the things to do in Big Sur. You just need to use your time wisely and have a bit of a plan going into it.
You want to map out all of the stops that you really want to see! It’s easy to pass by and miss things without a plan. Maps on your phone most likely won’t work because of no service you should print off your maps ahead of time that way you have an idea of where you are and what’s coming up.
Things to do in Big Sur
Day 1: Wake up early in Monterey, CA. Get breakfast, fill the car up with gas, grab some snacks, water and hit the road!
Your journey into Big Sur is about to start!
The things to do in Big Sur: Garrapata State Park
This was our first spot we explored! Just pull over on the side of the road and head down to the beach.
A really quiet, serene place. All you hear is the waves crashing as you walk up to the beach surrounded my flowers.
The things to do in Big Sur: Bixby Creek Bridge
The famous Bixby Bridge! A Big Sur staple.
There is lots of room to pull over so you can take pictures. The bridge really is stunning, pretty cool to see in person.
The things to do in Big Sur: Andrew Molera State Park
A must see!! Set aside a little more time for this spot.
Here, you’ll pull into a small parking lot where you pay $10.00 that will cover you at the rest of the state parks. It’s about a 15 minute walk to the beach down a trail, we saw a few deer on our walk.
You arrive at a beach with purple sand!! There are some teepee-like huts on the beach made of driftwood that are pretty cool to go in. There is quite a bit to explore over here, it’s absolutely beautiful.
Lunch
At this point in your descent you should be arriving at some of the hotels and restaurants to stop at for lunch.
Some really cool places…all so unique in their own way. We had a hard time deciding on which to stop at but ended up being SO happy with where we went.
The things to do in Big Sur: River Inn Big Sur
A hotel and restaurant right along the river in Big Sur. River Inn is an unforgettable place. Stop here to eat lunch or even just a beer!
You’ll sit alongside the river, or even in it if you want! Live music plays while you and the others who are lucky enough to be there relax in the sun. The people are all so nice and the food is great!
You order at a counter outside then they bring all your food, plates and utensils over in a cooler! We loved it, it was so fun. They also have a little store so if you need to stock up on snacks and drinks you can!
A perfect place to stop, relax, and refuel to then keep on exploring!
The things to do in Big Sur: Big Sur Bakery & Mother Botanical Shop
As you drive on, a little ways down the road you’ll see Big Sur Bakery & Restaurant.
We stopped here, not for more food (it did look delicious though) but for the amazing gardens. It’s worth stopping by for a few minutes and walking around.
There is a store we loved right next door- Mother Botanical & Shop. All of this made Big Sur even more dreamy.
The things to do in Big Sur: Nepenthe Big Sur
Another beautiful restaurant to check out! Either wait to stop and eat lunch or get a drink here or just stop by to see how cool it is! Nepenthe is so unique…a beautiful, a place like you’ve never been to before.
As you drive on you’ll hug the coastline with dozens of breathtaking spots to pullover.
We stopped at as many as we could just taking in all the beauty of Big Sur.
Just keep an eye out and pull over whenever you like, there is lots of room.
You might find artists on some of the places to pull over creating amazing art with the cost line is a mix between Ireland and the Caribbean, so unique.
We were lucky enough to meet this guy who spent his day out on the coast capturing the beauty of Big Sur and buy some of his art.
The things to do in Big Sur: Henry Miller Memorial Library
A very quiet place with unique art, books and probably some kind of live music or a type of show going on. The library is located in a Redwood forest with art everywhere. Walk around and explore the library and the grounds. A pretty cool place.
The things to do in Big Sur: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
The next must see place! McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
One of the most picturesque places in all of Big Sur.
Here you park in a lot and walk under the road over to a lookout over the beach and waterfall. It’s truly stunning to see in person. Nobody is allowed down onto the beach.
So much beauty to see in Big Sur… Take the time to really soak it all in!
By this point in Day 1 you are nearing the end of your day in the car.
You want to get to your resort before the sun goes down so you can see how beautiful it is!
The things to do in Big Sur: Treebones
Treebones is one of the coolest places I’ve ever stayed at…Make it a point to stay here! You will be SO happy you did.
Yurts, campsites, glamping tents, treehouses, a nest…how cool are these accommodations!? All overlooking the serene pacific ocean sitting up on a cliff out in the middle Big Sur.
This resort is absolutely amazing…I had never been to anything even close to like it. Make reservations here as soon as you know you are going to Big Sur, they fill up very fast.
You won’t be able to get in if you try and go the day of, we saw many people get turned away. They usually have a two night minimum stay. When I was looking to book a place for us here all that was left was a single nights stay. I called and they let me take it! So I recommend doing the same if you run into that.
The Resort
The resort itself is immaculate, when you arrive a staff member will pick you up on a golf cart in the parking lot.
They load up all of your luggage and gear into a golf cart and they bring you to your area of the resort.
Before bringing you, they give you a tour and show you all of the fun secret things Treebones has to offer.
The garden they have on the resort is so cool, be sure to check that out! The bathrooms are cleaner and nicer than any other camping bathroom I had been to. The main building is so unique itself you’ll want to spend a lot of time there.
Accommodations
If you go for the campsite option like we did make sure to bring all of your own camping gear!
We packed all of ours into a checked bag, it’s all linked in my Big Sur packing list here!
We had a beautiful view of the ocean it was just a little overcast.
Dinner
They have two restaurants and takeout options available at the resort. Wild Coast Restaurant and The Sushi Bar. We opted for the Wild Coast Restaurant and were very happy with it.
The staff are great and the restaurant experience is intimate, really nice. When we arrived they asked us if we’d like the last two seats at the sushi bar but decided not to.
It did look amazing though, a course by course meal where you watch the chef right in front of you prepare your food. We also saw some people order and take their dinner to their yurt or campsite and eat there.
After dinner
Connected to the restaurant is a store that has beer, wine and ice cream you can get and bring back to your site!
They also have really nice gifts and extra gear incase you forgot something.
Then head on over to your tent and get a good nights sleep!
Things to do in Big Sur
Day 2: Wake up at Treebones, have the complimentary breakfast there.
Pack up your stuff and get ready to keep on moving down the coast!
On the second day we didn’t stop at as many specific places as the first, it was a lot more of just driving and stopping at what looked nice.
The things to do in Big Sur: Sand Dollar Beach
Make this your first stop on Day 2.
A beautiful place to start off the day. And you can actually find sand dollars here!
Try and go at low tide and you will almost be guaranteed to find at least one sand dollar!
This beach is stunning. So big…we saw a few people surfing but felt like we had the entire beach to ourselves because of the size.
After Sand Dollar Beach we just kept on driving for a while.
The drive alone is such a fun part of the Big Sur experience. The one long windy road that hugs the coastline with breathtaking views.
Put some music on and enjoy the ride. We’d pull over whenever we saw a beach that looked nice to explore or a nice picture spot.
The things to do in Big Sur: Find jade stones on the beach
As we drove further and further down the coast, I’d see signs that said “local jade sold here” pretty often.
We had come up to a beach that looked pretty cool to explore. It was a little bit of a walk out with only two others on the beach with us.
I noticed the two other people were looking for shells, or rocks along the ocean’s edge. With the jade in mind, I also started looking. Before I knew it my hands were full of Jade!! As well as some other beautiful stones.
Unfortunately I am not sure what the name was of this beach we were on…it was probably about an hour from Treebones area. I remember walking a little ways to actually get to the beach from where we parked. There were a bunch of tents on this beach over to the right side. I hope this helps!
I’m sure you can find jade stones on more than one beach though, just keep an eye out for it! So much fun to find.
The things to do in Big Sur: Elephant Seal Boardwalk & Trail
A must see while in Big Sur! You will see the sign for this towards the end of your drive in Big Sur.
Elephant seals are so funny to see in person and to watch them interact with each other.
You can stand pretty close and get a good view of them. Nobody is allowed to actually go onto the beach with them but you can get close.
They’re big lazy beasts who make some funny noises, especially when they interact with each other, something you have to see!
This is when your 48 hour trip in Big Sur starts to come to an end.
You’ll keep on driving a little bit further but there isn’t much to pull over for anymore. You leave the big rocky secluded beaches and head back into civilization.
As you leave, it makes you realize how amazing Big Sur really is. How untouched, secluded and stunning it is out there.
Tips & tricks to know in Big Sur
- Fill up your car with gas in Monterey, gas prices are SO expensive in Big Sur. Avoid filling it up there if you can.
- Weather changes very fast – you’ll wake up to a hazy and overcast sky then before you know it the sun will come out and there will be blue skies so don’t get discouraged if the weather is bad most likely it will clear up.
- Bring layers – with how fast the weather changes and he ocean breeze you’ll end up adding then taking off layers pretty often.
- If you can, avoid going on the weekend. A lot more busy at the popular stops.
- You will not get lost, there is one main road to get you from the beginning to the end.
Big Sur is such a cool place….Very remote, untouched, natural, just stunning. The sites out there are unreal.
If you have two days to explore Big Sur, do it!! You will be so happy you did. Disconnect with reality and be one with nature for a couple days. The road trip down highway 1 is an experience you will never forget. Don’t forget to bring a camera!
Have you been to Big Sur? What was your favorite thing to do along the ride down the West Coast?
Let me know in the comments below!
Check out my Big Sur Summertime Packing List Here!
sierra
Hello there! It's wonderful to have you here. I'm Sierra, a NH native with a love for travel and adventure. I have a constant desire to explore beautiful places around the world and go on awesome adventures! I seek to inspire others to travel to see all the beauty and culture the world has to offer! 🌞⛰️🌼🫶🏼🦋🌲📸🥾💛
10 Comments
Kelly
One of the prettiest drives in the United States! We did the California portion a few years ago and I’d love to go back and do Oregon and Washington.
sierra
Isn’t is just amazing!! Oh I bet Oregon and Washington would also be so beautiful!
Bre White
Big Sur is on my bucket list! Everyones pictures and experiences make it seem SO beautiful! Thank you for this awesome guide, I can’t wait to make it out there one day!
sierra
It is a really special place, I think you will love it!!
Brittney
Big Sur is on my list of places to visit! This guide was so helpful!
sierra
Thank you! 🙂
Your Friend the Nomad
I’ve driven through Big Sur several times but there are place on your list that I still haven’t seen. Thanks for these tips!
sierra
Thanks for checking it out! 🙂
Cosette
We did the coastal part of Big Sur twice, but when we return we have to do the river part.
sierra
Yes definitley take some time to check that area out, we loved it!