Central Coast - California - page 1172

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.
If you have any sunlight left, keep trucking down the highway to Salmon Creek Falls
( GOOGLE MAP ; www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf/ ; Hwy 1; ) , which usually flows from December
through May. Tucked up a forested canyon, this double-drop waterfall can be glimpsed
from the hairpin turn on Hwy 1, about 8 miles south of Gorda. Roadside parking gets very
crowded, as everyone takes the 0.3-mile walk up to the falls to splash around in the pools,
where kids shriek and dogs happily bark.
Before leaving Lucia, make sure you've got at least enough fuel in the tank to reach the
expensive gas stations at Gorda, about 11 miles south of Limekiln State Park, or Ragged
Point, another 12 miles further south.
Ragged Point LANDMARK
( GOOGLE MAP ; 19019 Hwy 1)
Your last - or first - taste of Big Sur's rocky grandeur comes at this craggy cliff outcrop-
ping with fabulous views of the coastline in both directions, about 15 miles north of Hearst
Castle. Once part of the Hearst empire, it's now taken over by a sprawling, ho-hum lodge
with a pricey gas station. Heading south, the land grows increasingly wind-swept as Hwy
1 rolls gently down to the water's edge.