This itinerary covered a return trip to Big Sur for the first time in about six years. Part of what motivated us to make this return visit was that this Winter was one of the wetter Winters that we’ve had in recent memory.

So we knew the waterfalls would be flowing well.

That said, there was some damage that had been done from the last few dry years as a result of fires so it wasn’t the total waterfall bonanza we were hoping for.

Regardless, here’s a brief summary of what we managed to do on this trip…

Jump down to:  Trip Highlights ♦ Travel Itinerary

McWay Falls – While we come to this waterfall as an obligatory stop every time we visit Big Sur, there was something special about visiting this place when the sun sets and its last rays strike the cliffs of McWay Cove. Such was the case when we happened to make it up here after I had left work around lunch time. And we barely made it…

The Big Sur Coastline – This is the main reason why the drive along the rugged Central California coast is as special as it is. And indeed, this place surprises us every time we visit, whether it’s a sea arch we didn’t notice before, or blooming flowers, or sea otters swimming offshore. Whatever it is, there’s not many other places to witness where the ocean meets the sky that can beat what Big Sur possesses.

Monterey Bay Aquarium – This huge aquarium seemed to cover it all when it came to marine ecosystems, and we knew that one day when we wanted to have a child that we had to bring him or her here. Even for adults, there was an impressive jellyfish display as well as some crazy sea horses as well as sharks among some of the sea life to be found here.

Little Falls and California Poppies – Even though we were going really remote to find the Little Falls in Arroyo Grande, it was the fields of blooming California Poppies (said to be the state’s flower) that really stole the show. But even the waterfall itself was an adventure in and of itself as we had to wade through creeks then reach a secluded hard-to-find waterfall where it was just us and Nature! Where else in California can you get that kind of experience?

Salmon Creek Falls – In all the times we had visited this nearly roadside waterfall, we had never visited in the afternoon. And boy did we realize what we had missed out all this time after this visit! Indeed, the late afternoon light shining on the falls and the surrounding cliffs made it great to photograph, but it was also a festive place with lots of other people trying to get a piece of this falls in full flow. It was yet another one of those instances where Big Sur surprised us yet again in an unexpected way.

Day 1: Drive from Los Angeles to Big Sur

Overnight: Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn (Big Sur, California, USA)

This was a very long driving day, but because we got a very early start to beat the rush hour traffic in LA, we managed to get to the trailhead for Alamere Falls early in the afternoon, which was just in time to catch the falls in afternoon lighting while most of the people have already left for the day.

Day 2: Monterey and Big Sur

Overnight: Lucia Lodge (Big Sur, California, USA)

We started the morning checking out the “Castro Canyon Waterfall” and the rest of the Deetjen’s property before driving up to do the Pfeiffer Falls hike. Then, we drove to Monterey to check out the aquarium. Finally, we headed back down the Big Sur Coast to settle down in Lucia.

Day 3: Arroyo Grande

Overnight: Lucia Lodge (Big Sur, California, USA)

On this day, we headed south to check out the Arroyo Grande vicinity and visit Little Falls. We then returned to Big Sur to check out Salmon Creek Falls.

Day 4: Drive home from Big Sur to Los Angeles

This was a long travel day, where we opted not to take the scenic route and went straight home.