Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Atop the volcanic rock sits an 1889 stone lightstation, which was staffed until 1974. Dur-
ing three-hour guided tours, ocean views and tales of the lighthouse keepers' family lives
are engrossing. Meet your tour guide at the locked farm gate ΒΌ-mile north of Point Sur
Naval Facility.
Special monthly moonlight tours are given between April and October. Call ahead to
confirm all tour schedules. Show up early because space is limited (no reservations, some
credit cards accepted).
Andrew Molera State Park
PARK
831-667-2315;
www.parks.ca.gov
; Hwy 1; per car $10;
30min before sun-
rise-30min after sunset; )
Named after the farmer who first planted artichokes in California, this oft-overlooked park
is a trail-laced pastiche of grassy meadows, ocean bluffs and rugged sandy beaches offer-
ing excellent wildlife watching. Look for the entrance just a little more than 8 miles south
of Bixby Bridge.
South of the parking lot, you can learn all about endangered California condors inside
discovery_center/
; 10am-4pm Sat & Sun late-May-early Sep; )
. At the bird-banding lab in-
side a small shed, naturalists carry out long-term species monitoring programs.
From the main parking lot, a short walk along the beach-bound trail passes through a
first-come, first-served campground, from where a gentle spur trail leads to the 1861 red-
wood
Cooper Cabin
, Big Sur's oldest building. Keep hiking on the main trail out toward
a wild beach where the Big Sur River runs into the ocean; condors may be spotted circling
overhead and migrating whales sometimes cruise by offshore.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
PARK
831-667-2315;
www.parks.ca.gov
; 47225 Hwy 1; per car $10;
30min be-
fore sunrise-30min after sunset; )
Named after Big Sur's first European settlers who arrived in 1869, this is Big Sur's largest
state park, where hiking trails loop through stately redwood groves. The most popular hike
- to 60ft-high
Pfeiffer Falls
, a delicate cascade hidden in the forest, which usually runs
from December to May - is a 2-mile round-trip. Built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conser-
