I love camping here. It's been years and coming back recently was as magical as always…read more I've only camped in the ocean sites due to having a VW camper van. The other sites are tent camping only. I must say, the ocean sites are very snug and limited in space. If you're looking for a spacious camping site with privacy, you're not going to get here. And not all of the sites are the same size so if you have a trailer and a truck, you're gonna have to really be choosy at which is a site to book. This is right underneath the underpass so you're going to hear road noise. But to be honest, a lot of the sound was drowned out by the nearby stream and the ocean. It was walking distance to what felt like a private beach. Since the last time I've been here it looks like they made a mini dam with the running stream creating a mini swimming cove with crystal clear water. There are no electrical hook ups but the bathroom has running water and hot showers available. The bathrooms can get freaking disgusting from the day use visitors, but they do clean it every morning. And let's not forget the beautiful drive to get here. Magical.

This review is for the Limekiln campground. We camped at…read moresite #17. The Redwood campground (sites #17-#29) is basically a big dirt parking lot divided into tiny "campsites." There's a creek running behind the big dirt parking lot and lots of big trees on the perimeter of the big dirt parking lot. But there's no trees or plants in the tiny "campsites." So forget hanging a hammock or having any sense of privacy. We could barely fit a 6-person tent in site #17. The creek was pretty. The bathrooms were decent and have flush toilets. Our campsite was, at most, a 2-minute walk to the ocean, which was pretty cool.

A very short trek to the ocean from Hwy 1. The only drawback are the narrow trails where you can't…read moreavoid the brush. The lighting makes for great photos against the cove and emerald turquoise water.

The Salmon Creek Trail and Waterfall is one of the funner places to take the family along Highway 1…read morein lower Monterey County. This trail is located about 3.5 miles north of the Ragged Point Inn along the middle of large bend in the road. There's a pull-off just north of the trailhead. You have to walk across the bridge to get to the actually trail. After a short walk down the trail you will come to a fork in the road. Follow the arrow to the "Balls".. It used to say Falls but someone changed it to "Balls"... This is a review of the Waterfall Trail that is a split off from the Salmon Creek Trail. The waterfall is less than a quarter mile so most families can make it to the waterfall. Those seeking to access the actual water pool will have to do some hiking over slippery rocks and cold rushing water. That's not advisable unless you're a crafty hiker. Your reward is to stand below, or even behind a 120-foot waterfall. The best pictures have to be earned the hard way on this hike. There's also a cave in this same area. Tips - The rocks here are slippery!! If you want to get to the base of the waterfall I recommend water shoes or just using you bare feet. - Check out the tunnel and graffiti under the bridge.. The trail is just off area where you park, don't cross the bridge, rather just walk down the tiny trail to the base of the bridge ( see my picture).

Short hike from the turn out. Definitely a good pit stop on the drive to big sur. The trail can be…read morea little bit confusing when you're trying to get to the upper falls. Will definitely have to climb some rocks but worth it. We didn't climb to the upper falls because there was quite a few people.

Great trail with an opportunity for an epic view of the coastline…read more With many of the State Parks in the area closing down their hiking trails (Spring 2019) I was lucky to find the Mill Creek trail. This hike exceeded my expectations. The Yelp page directions were spot on and we arrived at the dirt parking lot. The trailhead is right along the road. This is a family-friendly trail, and I think I booked about 3.5 miles total. There are some small ups and downs but overall not too bad.. There was a lot of green during our hike and many tall redwoods.. Tips - My top tip is that after you've hiked just drive up the road from the parking lot for about a mile. There will be amazing views when you get to highest point facing the coastline. - Make sure you have Google maps installed on your phone (for the gps)... just in case you accidentally go off trail. - Tons of poison oak. Long pants required. - If you have kids, there will be a fork in the trail not too far from the trailhead. Right side path goes straight down the steap side of the hill. You can take this and check out the creek if you don't want to do the full hike. - Basic rule is to stay along the main creek trail until you get to a point to cross it.. This is confusing because when you reach the point that the creek is in your way there are multiple paths you can take. The few people we saw on this hike all went different directions from here. We crossed the creek and we were okay.

We decided to do this hike on our way back to the Bay Area. It was amazing and we are so glad we…read moredid. We were the only ones in the parking lot that morning and it felt like we had the whole hike to ourselves. Coming in the spring was great since everything was growing, lush, green, and the water was roaring. So serene.

I did an overnight motorcycle ride with a buddy, from the SF Bay Area to Prewitt Ridge and WOW! The…read moreride south along Hwy 1 heading there is spectacular, but the views from the ridge are next level! The 5+ miles of silty, rough dirt road heading up to the ridge was a little challenging on street bikes, but we managed just fine. The views from the ridge are breathtaking in every direction, and it was very pleasant to see very little trash laying about. Clearly, this is a campground area that is mainly used by seasoned, "Pack Your Trash" campers, which is awesome. Hope it stays that way. We went in mid Fall during a very brief heat wave, and the small flies were annoying, but they don't bite. We just covered our faces with buffs and slept under netting. That was literally the only drawback. PROS: Awesome Panoramic Views FREE to camp! Many flat camping areas to choose from No Trash lying around Weather is usually comfortable Many trees to find shade under CONS: Some seasons have annoying, small flies. They don't bite though TIPS: If you're heading there from the North and you need provisions, stop at the Big Sur Lodge Store. They have EVERYTHING you may need Dirt road leading up to the ridge is not maintained (much) and may be tough to navigate for novice drivers. If muddy, may need 4WD and off road tires Bring a mosquito net No water access, so you have to bring your own No bathrooms - Bury your #2! *No open campfires allowed during the warm months (but you won't need it for warmth anyway) Jet boils and contained flame are OK PACK YOUR TRASH!

Wow, wow wow! Amazing spot! We went there during 4th of…read moreJuly this year and I have to say, it was packed! I am glad that we arrived early and found a spot. It is an amazing spot to watch the sunset, however, it is tough to get up there. Once off the paved road its another 20-30 min to get to where all those pictures are taken Whoever said 15 min was either not in a Prius (unlike us) or was speeding quite fast. It's a one-way road with a lot of potholes and curves where you can not see any other car coming around the corner which makes it very hard to drive safely. When we first got there, there were not too many people there but once we got out of the car, bees were flying around, bugging us quite a bit so we went back to find a better spot away from the bees and in the shade. Unfortunately, there is no shade on the top of the ridge. Throughout the mid afternoon we decided to go back to the bees since the other spot was covered in gnats which were 5x more annoying than the bees were. We brought mosquito repellant and a candle, but nothing worked :/ In the end, I was glad we went back to the highest spot right by the cliff/ridge. Directions: 1. Its hard to see but take a sharp right (coming from Los Angeles) onto Nacimiento-Fergusson Road ( over a rain gutter) and just continue going up the hill for about 20-30 min depending on speed and other people coming down the hill. 2. Once you see a sign and a road going downhill TURN RIGHT! We almost missed it since you don't pay attention to your right. It states "Prewitt ridge road" 5. Take it and be cautious of other cars coming your way! I recommend NOT to drive it at night, but it's up to you. 3. There is a little intersection where you have to take a sharp right to get where you want to get, there is no sign, but you can see that the road splits. 4. From there on, you will see multiple spots where you can camp if you want to. Continue going straight and then up to the main spot. You made it. We have seen any variety of cars going up. We were in a Prius and made it :) Tips: There are no bathrooms but plenty of bushes where you can go. There are firepits but I am not sure if they are allowed. You need a permit for a portable stove ( according to signs along the way). Bring games, guitars, food, beer etc to keep you entertained up there. But make sure to take back home what you bring up and don't leave anything up there. Anyways, enjoy!

I'd give Gamboa Beach 6 stars if I could. Gamboa is the prettiest little beach I have ever been to…read moreequipped with its own waterfall and palm trees. I was there for the 4th Annual Beach Party and let me tell you I've been to my fair share of beaches and hundreds of parties but this topped them all. Not many people know of this hidden gem since it is private property. And even though we went through 32 handles and 3 kegs, I would have to say this past weekend was the most relaxing, therapeutic and peaceful beach experience ever. With the waves crashing on the shoreline along with the lightning storm, it was also a very humbling experience. I ended up staying another night even though the Big Sur fire was right around the corner. So close that when I arrived at my car it was engulfed in ash. Since Hwy. 1 was still closed we had to drive 2 extra hours south just to get home north and it was so worth it. Some people drove up from San Diego and LA while others flew in from Washington and Denver. They knew what was up. I'd hate to sound like a cheese-ball but I actually felt one with nature at Gamboa even though I rocked my faux French tip gel nails, spent most of my time squeezing fresh citrus for a superb cocktail, ate gourmet hamburgers, steak tacos and T bone steaks, danced the night away (or watched people) with the DJ playing the illest tunes and the kicker for me was a slide of an uncovered horse drawn wagon which was projected onto the sand and on the side on the mountain. I look forward to the 5th Annual Beach Party which will most likely include a 24 hour on-call masseuse and goodie bags.

Monica was our guide. She was amazing. We had a great tour and got so much information from her. We…read morewould definitely book this again.

DH and I had a memorable half-day trip to Big Sur with Steve Copeland as our guide…read more When booking the trip, we discussed our needs and interests -- and Steve totally hit the mark. First, we wanted our guide to be the driver, so we would have plenty of time to soak in all the scenery without worrying about driving. (We saw several crazy drivers speeding, crossing double yellow lines, etc.) We also wanted plenty of time to stop for photos and a lunch break about half way through the trip. Steve showed us most of the usual "must see" sights, plus he took us down a couple of less traveled back roads. Those back roads meant we had some photo angles that we might not have otherwise had. While we didn't eat at Nepenthe, we did enjoy walking through the grounds. We knew we were in "good hands" as it seemed Steve knew everyone at Nepenthe and other stops in Big Sur. Our time at the Henry Miller Memorial Library (actually more of a bookstore) was a kick -- set in a redwood grove it was a step back in time. We also enjoyed stops at a couple of galleries -- Coastal Gallery and Glass House at Ventana. We had plenty of time for a good lunch at Big Sur Smokehouse. (See review.) We truly appreciated Steve's professionalism. He tailored the day to our needs. We learned so much about the history of Big Sur and saw one breath-taking sight after another. We would not hesitate to book another trip with Big Sur Guides and Hiking.

AWESOME VIEW!!! 360 great view…read more If you drive up to cone peak road, it's about 7-mile round trip. Half on the road, half on the trail. If you start at highway1, it's strenuous, it's 22-mile round trip in a day, or you can camp at Vincent Flat or other sites as a backpacking trip.

Absolutely beautiful once you make it to the top!! The entire hike was a bit confusing but with the…read morehelp of others we figured it out, would loved some signs. On the way up we didn't see much people at all but that probably had something to do with the time we started. Parked on the road across from Kirk campground- left car over night just fine- Hiked to Vicente flats- passed a small 2 tent location and than passed stream man, when it was it was HOT! No water source up at Vicente flats pack accordingly

The hike itself says it's 1.8 miles, but truly feels longer…read more You have to pay $5 per person to enter the park, which isn't too bad. You can access the redwood decks and they're GORGEOUS. This hike feels longer because it's entirely uphill and very steep in some parts. It's a super fresh trail surrounded by lush greenery, trees, different Big Sur animal life and of course the Big Sur river. This being said it's beginner friendly. Take lots of stops, no one rushes you. Keep trudging, drink water. If you regularly do some stairs at the gym, you'll brush through pretty easily. Very worth it at the end (p.s. my 1 year old corgi made it & he has super short legs).

Trail access is from the Pfeiffer State Park campground (day use $10 for non-campers)…read more This hike is around 4 miles in total and I'd classify it as moderate. Probably difficult for those that have never hiked before. Your reward will be seeing big views of the valley and of the ocean in the distance. TIPS - At the loop sign I'd recommend going right. - This hikes start under deep tree cover and is cool. Close to the top there is no shade and you're under direct sunlight. Dress appropriately. - There are a few downed trees along the path that you'll have to walk through.