This week we're taking a road trip along the California Central Coast to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, nicknamed "mini Yosemite". With its hiking trails, towering coastal redwood trees, abundant wildlife, and lodging options (including camping and Big Sur Lodge cabins), this CA state park along Highway 1 is one of the top places to go in Big Sur. Read this travel guide for all the park details.
Read MoreToday we're heading out on a luxury motor yacht with Sanctuary Cruises for a private whale watching charter. This is one of the top orca and whale watching companies in Moss Landing in Central California, providing group and private tours of the Monterey Bay. We'll encounter all kinds of marine wildlife up close, including orcas, humpback whales, sea otters, dolphins, sea lions, and sea birds.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie hotel review on Lucia Lodge along the Big Sur coastline. Located along Pacific Coast Highway 1, aka Cabrillo Highway, this Big Sur hotel is a great place to stay when taking a road trip along California's central coast. This week I'm reviewing the Honeymoon Cottage, Room # 10, which is one of the original cabins built 100 years ago with a panoramic ocean view.
Read MoreRead this Flying Dawn Marie travel guide for hiking to Partington Cove along the central California coast. This short hike is one of the top things to do in Big Sur and leads to a cove with turquoise waters through coastal redwoods and an old logging tunnel. The trail runs alongside seasonal cascade waterfalls that flow into the Pacific Ocean where there is beach access at Partington Point.
Read MoreThis week we're hiking to a beautiful Big Sur waterfall along CA Highway 1. Salmon Creek Falls flows just north of Ragged Point, nestled at the edge of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range in Los Padres National Forest.
Read MoreMcWay Falls along Highway 1 is one of the most magical waterfalls in all of Big Sur, California. Located 35 miles south of Carmel inside of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park along the central coast, this 80 foot waterfall is actually a tide fall during high tide (meaning it pours directly into the Pacific Ocean).
Read MoreToday we’re heading into Big Sur in the Los Padres National Forest to the Pacific Valley Bluff Trail just 16 miles north of Ragged Point. Just north of Treebones Resort, Sand Dollar Beach, & Jade Cove, this easy hike provides fields of wildflowers and California poppies, as well as views of sea stacks and the rugged central coastline.
Read MoreToday we're hiking the steep trail down to Young Creek Beach to view Black Swift Falls near Ragged Point Inn and Resort. This short but strenuous hike offers magnificent views of the waterfall and California's Big Sur coastline.
Read MoreToday we're reviewing the Autonomous Tent at Treebones Resort on the southern edge of Big Sur. Treebones is a premier Big Sur glamping resort unlike any hotel you've stayed in. Offering unique accommodations, such as yurts, a human nest, and a treehouse, Treebones is truly an eco resort, honoring the coastal land and habitat it sits on.
Read MoreToday we're exploring Garrapata State Park along Cabrillo Highway in Big Sur, California. This central coast Highway 1 destination is filled with picturesque rocky shorelines, hiking trails, wildlife, and redwood trees.
Read MoreJade Cove is an amazing hidden gem located at the southern end of Big Sur along the California Highway 1 coastline. North of San Simeon and south of Carmel, this secluded beach is a perfect spot to avoid the crowds.
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