Central Coast - Coastal California - page 667

McWay Falls , which tumbles year-round over granite cliffs and freefalls into the sea - or
the beach, depending on the tide. The park entrance is on the east side of Hwy 1, about 8
miles south of Nepenthe restaurant.
McWay Falls is the classic Big Sur postcard shot, with tree-topped rocks jutting above a
golden beach next to swirling blue pools and crashing white surf. From trailside benches,
you might spot migrating whales during winter.
Limekiln State Park PARK
( GOOGLE MAP ; 831-434-1996; www.parks.ca.gov ; 63025 Hwy 1; per car $8; 8am-sunset)
Two miles south of Lucia, this park gets its name from the four remaining wood-fired kilns
originally built here in the 1880s to smelt quarried limestone into powder, a key ingredient
in cement building construction from Monterey to San Francisco. Tragically, pioneers
chopped down most of the steep canyon's old-growth redwoods to fuel the kilns' fires. A
one-mile round-trip trail leads through a redwood grove to the historic site, passing a
creekside spur trail to a delightful 100ft-high waterfall.
Los Padres National Forest FOREST
( 831-667-2315; www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf ; )
The tortuously winding 40-mile stretch of Hwy 1 south of Lucia to Hearst Castle is even
more sparsely populated, rugged and remote, mostly running through national forest lands.
Around 5 miles south of Kirk Creek Campground and Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd, almost
opposite Plaskett Creek Campground, is Sand Dollar Beach ( GOOGLE MAP ; ht-
tp://campone.com ; Hwy 1; per car $10, free with paid local USFS campground fee; 9am-8pm; ) .
From the picnic area, it's a five-minute walk to southern Big Sur's longest sandy beach, a
crescent-shaped strip of sand protected from winds by high bluffs.
In 1971, in the waters of nearby Jade Cove ( GOOGLE MAP ; http://campone.com ; Hwy 1;
sunrise-sunset; ) , local divers recovered a 9000lb jade boulder that measured 8ft long
and was valued at $180,000. People still comb the beach today. The best time to find jade,
which is black or blue-green and looks dull until you dip it in water, is during low tide or
after a big storm. Keep an eye out for hang gliders flying in for a movie-worthy landing on
the beach. Trails down to the water start from several mostly unmarked roadside pulloffs
immediately south of Plaskett Creek Campground.