Day 2 of June 2022 Trip to California, Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to Cambria

The second day of my June 2022 trip to California, we drove from Monterey to Cambria, through the most scenic section of California’s Pacific Coast Highway.

Rugged Coastline


Rugged Coastline

The Big Sur region, between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, was arguably the most scenic of California’s coastline, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean, resulting in some dramatic views.
Apart from sprinkles of hotels and restaurants, the ~90-mile road between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon followed a pristine and largely undeveloped coastline. With no appropriate overnight lodging along the way, we decided to spend the night in the town of Cambria (a few miles south of San Simeon), which meant we had a relatively long day ahead of us.

Monterey Peninsula

Given the delays we experienced the previous day, our day began with (the free portions of) Monterey’s coastline.

First, we checked out Lover’s Point (p3-5 below). Frankly, I couldn’t find anything romantic about the place to match its name. (It’s not like the rest of 17-Mile drive where “lovers” could sit and watch the ocean extending to infinity, just like how they envision their “love” would be.) Since it’s located in a denser, more populated part of Monterey, I even guessed it’s so named because the average “lovers” didn’t have the means to access the wealthy and exclusive (and arguably better) part of Monterey coastline (the private properties of 17-Mile Drive), and had to settle for here (something like a Cinderella story).
It turned out the place was first called “Lovers of Jesus Point” back when the area was a Methodist retreat camp. Well, I would say it’s a rather misleading abbreviation.

  • Interesting Car on Monterey Street
    Interesting Car on Monterey Street
    Somehow, this open-air car was a three-seater. (I could hardly think of any scenario when a third person would be willing to sit in the back, facing backwards.) It even got a Ferrari logo.
  • Interesting Car
    Interesting Car
    Half an hour later, we ran into that same interesting car at Lover’s Point.
  • Beach at Lover's Point Park
    Beach at Lover’s Point Park
  • Beach at Lover's Point Park
    Beach at Lover’s Point Park
  • Boulders along Shore
    Boulders along Shore
  • Interesting Car on Monterey Street
  • Interesting Car
  • Beach at Lover's Point Park
  • Beach at Lover's Point Park
  • Boulders along Shore

Click here to display photos around Lover’s Point Park.

Interesting Car on Monterey Street


Interesting Car on Monterey Street

Somehow, this open-air car was a three-seater. (I could hardly think of any scenario when a third person would be willing to sit in the back, facing backwards.) It even got a Ferrari logo.


Interesting Car


Interesting Car
Half an hour later, we ran into that same interesting car at Lover’s Point.


Beach at Lover's Point Park


Beach at Lover’s Point Park


Beach at Lover's Point Park


Beach at Lover’s Point Park


Boulders along Shore


Boulders along Shore


After that, we continued driving around Monterey Peninsula, with its low-lying and rugged coastline, just like the previous day through the (fee part of) 17-Mile Drive.

  • Small Cove
    Small Cove
  • Islet
    Islet
  • Birds Resting on Coastal Rocks
    Birds Resting on Coastal Rocks
  • Waves Pounding Shore
    Waves Pounding Shore
  • Coastline
    Coastline
  • Waves off Asilomar State Beach
    Waves off Asilomar State Beach
  • Asilomar State Beach
    Asilomar State Beach
  • Small Cove
  • Islet
  • Birds Resting on Coastal Rocks
  • Waves Pounding Shore
  • Coastline
  • Waves off Asilomar State Beach
  • Asilomar State Beach

Click here to display photos from the coast of Monterey Peninsula.

Small Cove


Small Cove


Islet


Islet


Birds Resting on Coastal Rocks


Birds Resting on Coastal Rocks


Waves Pounding Shore


Waves Pounding Shore


Coastline


Coastline


Waves off Asilomar State Beach


Waves off Asilomar State Beach


Asilomar State Beach


Asilomar State Beach


Point Lobos

After leaving Monterey, our first stop was Point Lobos. To me it’s a bit of everything, a rugged peninsula, a marine habitat, and some historic relics. To summarize, it’s like a miniature version of Big Sur.

Inside Point Lobos State Natural Reserve, we first checked out Whalers Cove, one of the larger coves in the vicinity. Whaling was conducted in the region in the late 19th century, with a cabin/museum nearby (which we didn’t visit) showcasing the history.
It felt to me that the cove was covered in sea weeds (p1-3 below) and not suitable for navigation, at least, without whalers actively cleaning them up.
It also offered us the final sights of Carmel Bay before we headed south.

  • Whalers Cove
    Whalers Cove
  • Whalers Cove
    Whalers Cove
  • Coal Chute Point across Whalers Cove
    Coal Chute Point across Whalers Cove
    Some visitors visible.
  • Big Dome Mountain across Bluefish Cove
    Big Dome Mountain across Bluefish Cove
  • Rocks off Canary Point
    Rocks off Canary Point
  • Rocks off Canary Point
    Rocks off Canary Point
  • Whalers Cove
  • Whalers Cove
  • Coal Chute Point across Whalers Cove
  • Big Dome Mountain across Bluefish Cove
  • Rocks off Canary Point
  • Rocks off Canary Point

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Whalers Cove


Whalers Cove


Whalers Cove


Whalers Cove


Coal Chute Point across Whalers Cove


Coal Chute Point across Whalers Cove
Some visitors visible.


Big Dome Mountain across Bluefish Cove


Big Dome Mountain across Bluefish Cove


Rocks off Canary Point


Rocks off Canary Point


Rocks off Canary Point


Rocks off Canary Point


Ocean from Whalers Cove


Ocean from Whalers Cove

Unfortunately, after that, we only found parking at Weston Beach inside the Natural Reserve, so we checked it out. The seas were relatively calm here, so my friends went searching for marine life, and they were quite fruitful (p3-6 below).

  • Coastline
    Coastline
  • Boulders along Coastline
    Boulders along Coastline
  • Sea Life
    Sea Life
    Like a starfish, only that it had 4 arms instead of 5.
  • Crab
    Crab
  • Sea Urchins
    Sea Urchins
  • Crab
    Crab
    It’s very hard to focus under water.
  • Coastline
  • Boulders along Coastline
  • Sea Life
  • Crab
  • Sea Urchins
  • Crab

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Coastline


Coastline


Boulders along Coastline


Boulders along Coastline


Sea Life


Sea Life
Like a starfish, only that it had 4 arms instead of 5.


Crab


Crab


Sea Urchins


Sea Urchins


Crab


Crab
It’s very hard to focus under water.


China Lookout

This was one of the roadside turnouts after leaving Point Lobos. The wild colors of grass complemented the palette in sight.
Unfortunately, the wind was strong and as a result, I lost my camera’s lens cap here. 🫨

  • Hills along Pacific Coast
    Hills along Pacific Coast
  • Rocks off Coast
    Rocks off Coast
  • Cove
    Cove
    I liked the blend of colors here.
  • Hills along Pacific Coast
  • Rocks off Coast
  • Cove

Click here to display photos from China Lookout.

Hills along Pacific Coast


Hills along Pacific Coast


Rocks off Coast


Rocks off Coast


Cove


Cove
I liked the blend of colors here.


Soberanes Point

This was on a small hill, accessed by a 300m one-way trail with about 30m elevation gain. Parking was limited at its two trailheads, but this wasn’t as popular as some of the other turnouts as we had no trouble parking. At its top, it properly overlooked the coastline to the north, and I was fond of the yellow flowers that decorated the landscape (p1 below). Wind was very strong on top of the hill, so we didn’t linger there for long.

  • Shores beyond Flowery Hill
    Shores beyond Flowery Hill
  • Coastline
    Coastline
  • Coastline
    Coastline
  • Coastline
    Coastline
  • Shores beyond Flowery Hill
  • Coastline
  • Coastline
  • Coastline

Click here to display photos from Soberanes Point.

Shores beyond Flowery Hill


Shores beyond Flowery Hill


Coastline


Coastline


Coastline


Coastline


Coastline


Coastline


After that, I tried mounting a GoPro on the side window of the car, facing the ocean. Here’s a clip that it captured from approximately Bixby Bridge to Big Sur.


9 minutes and 5 seconds, 2160p30fps, H265 only, 8Mbps/576MB. Bixby Bridge crossing at around 1:23, thumbnail of Bixby Bridge view at around 3:04.

Bixby Bridge

Next we made a stop before crossing Bixby Bridge, arguably the most iconic bridge of California’s Pacific Coast Highway. When completed in 1932, it was the highest single-span arch bridge in the world. There was a turnout at its northern end, where people could admire its majesty against the soaring cliffs in its background.

  • Bixby Bridge
    Bixby Bridge
  • Cliffs along Coast
    Cliffs along Coast
  • Cliffs along Coast
    Cliffs along Coast
  • Rock Arch
    Rock Arch
  • Cove by Kasler Point
    Cove by Kasler Point
  • Coastal Road
    Coastal Road
  • Point Sur
    Point Sur
  • Bixby Bridge
  • Cliffs along Coast
  • Cliffs along Coast
  • Rock Arch
  • Cove by Kasler Point
  • Coastal Road
  • Point Sur

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Bixby Bridge


Bixby Bridge


Cliffs along Coast


Cliffs along Coast


Cliffs along Coast


Cliffs along Coast


Rock Arch


Rock Arch


Cove by Kasler Point


Cove by Kasler Point


Coastal Road


Coastal Road


Point Sur


Point Sur


Not long after leaving Bixby Bridge, the road briefly headed inlands as we approached the town of Big Sur. This was the most developed area between Carmel and San Simeon, featuring “a few” restaurants and hotels, so we decided to have lunch here.

Lunch


Lunch
At “Big Sur Roadhouse”, one that only served breakfast and lunch.

Pfeiffer Beach

After lunch, we decided to check out Pfeiffer Beach, which was known for its unique pink/purple-colored sands and arches in the sea.

The 2-mile-long access road to Pfeiffer Beach was paved but in poor condition, it was also narrow that required frequency stopping to accommodate oncoming traffic.

In the end, this was probably the least memorable part of the day. My friends and I identified an opening in one boulder closest to the parking lot (p1 below), not knowing that we needed to head a few more steps north to see the opening/arch that Pfeiffer Beach was known for (that one was completely in the ocean, with no other boulders in front of it obstructing the view). Furthermore, I wouldn’t describe the sand here as “pink” (p4 below), not under the bright midday sun.

  • Boulder at Pfeiffer Beach
    Boulder at Pfeiffer Beach
  • Waves Pounding Pfeiffer Beach
    Waves Pounding Pfeiffer Beach
  • Pfeiffer Beach
    Pfeiffer Beach
  • Pink Sand at Pfeiffer Beach
    Pink Sand at Pfeiffer Beach
    Under the midday sun, it took my best postprocessing to make the sand look pink.
  • Boulder at Pfeiffer Beach
  • Waves Pounding Pfeiffer Beach
  • Pfeiffer Beach
  • Pink Sand at Pfeiffer Beach

Click here to display photos from Pfeiffer Beach.

Boulder at Pfeiffer Beach


Boulder at Pfeiffer Beach


Waves Pounding Pfeiffer Beach


Waves Pounding Pfeiffer Beach


Pfeiffer Beach


Pfeiffer Beach


Pink Sand at Pfeiffer Beach


Pink Sand at Pfeiffer Beach
Under the midday sun, it took my best postprocessing to make the sand look pink.


Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

After leaving Pfeiffer Beach, there were a few notable roadside turnouts in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. This time, the rugged coastline was accompanied by layers of mountains rising above it, with thin fogs adding to the allure of the scene.

  • Rugged Coastline
    Rugged Coastline
  • Coastline with Thin Fog
    Coastline with Thin Fog
  • Rock Arch in Partington Cove
    Rock Arch in Partington Cove
  • Coves
    Coves
  • Rocks along Shore
    Rocks along Shore
  • Rugged Coastline
    Rugged Coastline
  • Rugged Coastline
    Rugged Coastline
  • Rock Arch in Ocean
    Rock Arch in Ocean
  • Rugged Coastline
  • Coastline with Thin Fog
  • Rock Arch in Partington Cove
  • Coves
  • Rocks along Shore
  • Rugged Coastline
  • Rugged Coastline
  • Rock Arch in Ocean

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Rugged Coastline


Rugged Coastline


Coastline with Thin Fog


Coastline with Thin Fog


Rock Arch in Partington Cove


Rock Arch in Partington Cove


Coves


Coves


Rocks along Shore


Rocks along Shore


Rugged Coastline


Rugged Coastline


Rugged Coastline


Rugged Coastline


Rock Arch in Ocean


Rock Arch in Ocean


A highlight of the park was McWay Falls, a 24m-tall waterfall along the coast. Depending on the tide, it falls either onto the beach or the ocean. Its viewpoint was accessed from the parking lot via a short 500m trail. During our visit, the last part of the trail was closed for maintenance, but that did not affect us viewing the waterfall.

  • McWay Cove
    McWay Cove
  • McWay Cove
    McWay Cove
  • Saddle Rock in McWay Cove
    Saddle Rock in McWay Cove
  • McWay Falls
    McWay Falls
  • McWay Cove
  • McWay Cove
  • Saddle Rock in McWay Cove
  • McWay Falls

Click here to display photos of McWay Falls and Cove.

McWay Cove


McWay Cove


McWay Cove


McWay Cove


Saddle Rock in McWay Cove


Saddle Rock in McWay Cove


McWay Falls


McWay Falls


It’s already 5pm and on the map, we weren’t even halfway between Monterey and Cambria. With the best of Big Sur behind us, we hastened our pace with fewer stops along the way.

  • Coastline with Erosion
    Coastline with Erosion
  • Coastline
    Coastline
  • Rocky Peninsula
    Rocky Peninsula
  • Distant Coastline in Fog
    Distant Coastline in Fog
  • Foggy Coastline
    Foggy Coastline
  • Cape San Martin
    Cape San Martin
  • Cove
    Cove
  • Coastline with Erosion
  • Coastline
  • Rocky Peninsula
  • Distant Coastline in Fog
  • Foggy Coastline
  • Cape San Martin
  • Cove

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Coastline with Erosion


Coastline with Erosion


Coastline


Coastline


Rocky Peninsula


Rocky Peninsula


Distant Coastline in Fog


Distant Coastline in Fog


Foggy Coastline


Foggy Coastline


Cape San Martin


Cape San Martin


Cove


Cove


Glittering Sea from Willow Creek Viewpoint


Glittering Sea from Willow Creek Viewpoint

  • Coastal Road
    Coastal Road
  • Boulders and Cliffs along Coast
    Boulders and Cliffs along Coast
  • Coastline
    Coastline
  • Boulders along Coastline
    Boulders along Coastline
  • Road
    Road
    One of the few stretches of straights.
  • Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station
    Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station
  • Contour of Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station
    Contour of Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station
  • Coastal Road
  • Boulders and Cliffs along Coast
  • Coastline
  • Boulders along Coastline
  • Road
  • Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station
  • Contour of Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station

Click here to display photos of the slideshow

Coastal Road


Coastal Road


Boulders and Cliffs along Coast


Boulders and Cliffs along Coast


Coastline


Coastline


Boulders along Coastline


Boulders along Coastline


Road


Road
One of the few stretches of straights.


Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station


Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station


Contour of Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station


Contour of Distant Piedras Blancas Light Station


Between McWay Cove and Cambria, I used a windshield-mounted GoPro to capture the views along the way. Here’s a timelapse video:

  • 0:00 The video starts shortly after leaving McWay Cove.
  • 3:37 Big Creek Bridge
  • 7:03 Tunnel before Limekiln State Park
  • 10:05 A roadside turnout between Wild Cattle Creek and Prewitt Creek where we stopped and appreciated the views.
  • 10:55 Plaskett. A small town along CA-1.
  • 12:13 Willow Creek Vista Point. View of Cape San Martin.
  • 20:32 Ragged Point. A small town along CA-1.
  • 24:52 Elephant Seal Vista Point outside San Simeon.
  • 26:14 Moonstone Beach Dr of Cambria. This video ends soon after that as we arrived at our hotel.

Elephant Seal Vista Point

Before San Simeon, a beach served as a native habitat for a large group of elephant seals. Their numbers were so large that a boardwalk/vista was constructed so people could view them at relatively close range.

During our visit, I found most of the elephant seals sunbathing on the beach (at least I didn’t find any in the ocean). It could be that this was their molting season when they shed their fur, which could only happen on land.

  • Elephant Seal
    Elephant Seal
    This one seemed to notice my presence by staring at me.
  • Elephant Seal
    Elephant Seal
  • Elephant Seal Asleep
    Elephant Seal Asleep
    I liked this facial expression.
  • Elephant Seal
    Elephant Seal
  • Elephant Seal Digging Sand
    Elephant Seal Digging Sand
    I don’t know what’s the point of doing this.
  • Elephant Seals
    Elephant Seals
  • Elephant Seal
  • Elephant Seal
  • Elephant Seal Asleep
  • Elephant Seal
  • Elephant Seal Digging Sand
  • Elephant Seals

Click here to display photos of the elephant seals.

Elephant Seal


Elephant Seal
This one seemed to notice my presence by staring at me.


Elephant Seal


Elephant Seal


Elephant Seal Asleep


Elephant Seal Asleep
I liked this facial expression.


Elephant Seal


Elephant Seal


Elephant Seal Digging Sand


Elephant Seal Digging Sand
I don’t know what’s the point of doing this.


Elephant Seals


Elephant Seals


In particular, I found this pair of elephant seals were rather interested in body contact with each other. I didn’t know whether they were hugging or fighting each other.

  • Elephant Seals
    Elephant Seals
    These two were either hugging or fighting each other.
  • Elephant Seals
    Elephant Seals
    These two were either hugging or fighting each other.
  • Elephant Seals
    Elephant Seals
    These two were either hugging or fighting each other.
  • Elephant Seals
    Elephant Seals
    These two were either hugging or fighting each other.
  • Elephant Seals
    Elephant Seals
    These two were either hugging or fighting each other.
  • Elephant Seals
    Elephant Seals
    These two were either hugging or fighting each other.
  • Elephant Seals
  • Elephant Seals
  • Elephant Seals
  • Elephant Seals
  • Elephant Seals
  • Elephant Seals

Click here to display photos of the elephant seals.

Elephant Seals


Elephant Seals
These two were either hugging or fighting each other.


Elephant Seals


Elephant Seals
These two were either hugging or fighting each other.


Elephant Seals


Elephant Seals
These two were either hugging or fighting each other.


Elephant Seals


Elephant Seals
These two were either hugging or fighting each other.


Elephant Seals


Elephant Seals
These two were either hugging or fighting each other.


Elephant Seals


Elephant Seals
These two were either hugging or fighting each other.


We reached our overnight hotel (Sea Otter Inn) just past 7pm. This one was located in Cambria’s coastal area, along Moonstone Beach Dr. The road had ocean on one side and an array of hotels on the other, where the hotels weren’t too different from each other, as if created by the “duplicate” tool in city building simulation games.

  • Hotel Room
    Hotel Room
  • Hotel Room
    Hotel Room
  • Hotel Room
  • Hotel Room

Click here to display photos of the hotel room.

Hotel Room


Hotel Room


Hotel Room


Hotel Room


Dinner


Dinner

After settling down in the hotel, we headed to downtown Cambria for dinner. It’s past 8pm so we went for one of the few restaurants that were open, and was one of the last groups of patrons for the day.

Twilight over Horizon


Twilight over Horizon

After getting back to the hotel, some of my friends fancy a stroll along the coast, amid the never-ending sound of waves pounding the coastline, and the final glow of light dissolving into the distant horizon. A tranquilizing end to a packed day.

END

CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Day 2 of June 2022 Trip to California, Pacific Coast Highway from Monterey to Cambria by Huang's Site is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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