Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with bigsur

Help make this forest birthday a reality!

AsRuinsAreToRome — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 12:57:32 -0800

How can I orchestrate an awesome forest birthday party? I have a great girlfriend. She's the cat's pajamas. And I want to do something really special for her birthday this year, because I kinda dropped the ball on her birthday last year (its a long story).

This year her birthday falls at the tail end of a 3 week camping trip we're taking from Los Angeles, through Utah, Wyoming, Montana, up to Banff, over to Vancouver, then down through Seattle, Portland, and down the 1 through California. We're going to be in Big Sur and I'd really like it if I could get some suggestions for some really fun birthday activites to do while in Big Sur.

I've been to Big Sur once before and had a fantastic time camping and driving up to the Monterey Aquarium with my girlfriend but I'm looking for some new ideas on what to do to celebrate her 25th year on Earth.

She obviously loves nature - camping, hiking, beadwork, drawing, painting, making jewelry, the ocean, animals, banana ice cream, pugs, video games, and The Pixies - to name a few things.

venturing into Big Sur

yeoja — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 14:24:23 -0800

Tomorrow afternoon, I'm driving south on Hwy 1/Big Sur Coast Highway from Monterey to Lucia. I've never driven this road before, and I'll be alone. Thing is, it's supposed to rain hard tomorrow and apparently Big Sur Highway + lotsa rain = rock & mud slides. Unfortunately, dodging mudslides while driving along rainy cliffs aren't exactly skills I've developed living in pancake-flat Houston. Does it really get that treacherous? Should I postpone this trip for a less rainy season? If not, what are you supposed to do if you see a bunch of mud and rocks tumbling towards you and your rental car? I've been needing to take a personal break, so I booked a room at the New Camaldoli Hermitage for a few days of reflection and solitude and scenic views. I'm flying into Monterey Airport, renting a car then driving 55 miles south to Lucia. In normal conditions, I'd look forward to the drive, but the idea of sliding rocks and mud has me pretty worried. It also seems the California fires have increased the risk of these mudslides.

(It's supposed to be sunny on my drive north back to Monterey, so I'm only worried about the drive south).

My questions:
1. How likely is it that I'd actually encounter serious problems with a rock or mud slide?

2. Plenty of websites and some blogs warn about the rock/mudslides, but none explain exactly what to do if you run into one (or it runs into you...). Any advice?

3. Is there an alternate route I could take? According to this map on the Camaldoli website, it looks like I could take 101 to King City, then cut across to Lucia on Jolon Road....but I can't find that route on Google or Yahoo Maps.

4. I'm considering cancelling or postponing this trip - but is that overreacting? I'd lose some money, but not too much.

Thanks!!

Big Sur = Big Risk?

jasbet07 — Mon, 12 May 2008 19:12:25 -0800

I need advice on first come first served camping in Big Sur, we are going to be there May 30-31 and want more "rustic" sites which are usually non-reservation sites. Are there times that are best? Places that are more off-the-beaten-path so less likely to be scooped up? Any and all advice is welcome!

Where should my girlfriend and I stay around Big Sur in June?

autojack — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 13:47:25 -0800

Where should my girlfriend and I stay for a quiet, semi-romantic weekend around Big Sur in June? My girlfriend will be visiting from Australia for two weeks at the end of May/beginning of June. We're planning to get the hell out of San Francisco for four days, Thursday to Sunday. We've both driven through Big Sur but never spent any time there, so we thought that would be a good destination.

We've talked about camping, and if we decide to do that I think I'm going to go with Andrew Molera State Park, as suggested to me in this thread I started a year ago. However, I'm interested in presenting an alternative that involves more traditional accommodations.

All we really want to do is walk on the beach, hike in the woods, sit around in the sun and just enjoy some peace and quiet. So I think, location-wise, something near Andrew Molera would be a good bet. I also have this idea that having our own hot tub to chill in at the end of the day would be extremely sweet, but the two places I've discovered with that kind of amenity are "spas" which run in the $1k+ per night price range, so I'm not sure if that idea is feasible with my budget (maybe $500/night?).

On the whole I'm open to any suggestions about lodging, stuff to do, places to eat, etc. I'm just looking for a memorable weekend!

Help me find some awesome hiking in central CA.

kdar — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 19:54:17 -0800

Where are some good day-hike areas along the CA central coast? My girlfriend and I are going to be hiking for a few days in a couple weeks in California. We'll be leaving from Santa Barbara, and originally the plan was to go to Monterey and hike around Big Sur, but doing research I'm wondering whether or not we should consider other areas. We're interested in areas between Santa Barbara (but not actually in Santa Barbara; Morro Bay has come up as a good possibility) and the Big Sur area. Also, we'd like to stay in a hotel/motel -- cheap is fine, but if the only accommodations are camping sites, that's unfortunately out.

So, what are people's favorite day-hike areas? Specific examples would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I like elevation changes.

Bonus: with the UC spring break coming up, will that affect things at all?

Where should I go camping near Big Sur?

autojack — Tue, 12 Jun 2007 16:07:12 -0800

Where can I camp, off the beaten path, on the central coast of California? I'm planning a camping trip for 10-20 people over the July 20th weekend. We're all based in San Francisco, and the tentative plan is to go up to a spot I know in the Stanislaus National Forest. However, given how dry the weather has been here over the last couple of months, I'm concerned that by that point in the summer, the park's fire danger status will be 'high,' and we won't be able to have a campfire. That's no fun.

In light of that, I'm trying to find an alternate location to use as a backup. I figured that someplace around Big Sur would be suitable, with more moisture and rainfall that might allow for safer open fires. Problem is, I've never been down there, and I haven't been able to find good information on camping there online. What I really want is a recommendation from someone who's done this.

I want to do some proper wilderness camping, in the sense that parking a car and pitching a tent ten feet away, with 50 other campsites within rock-throwing distance, is not what I'm after. My usual spot in the Stanislaus woods requires a short hike of about 1/2 mile from the parking area, and there's never anyone else around it. It's right next to a river. There are no facillities there at all; we dig our own toilet and pack out all our trash. If you have suggestions for a spot along these lines in Big Sur, I'm all ears!

I'd like it to be 1 mile or less of a hike from the nearest road. Directions that involve steps like, "turn left at the old hollow oak tree and drive 1/4 mile until you cross over a creek" would make my heart sing. Immediate proximity to running, swimable water is practically a requirement. The main thing, though, is to be nice and alone for a whole weekend. Thanks hive mind!

Alone time in the wilderness

special-k — Sun, 15 Apr 2007 11:41:14 -0800

I would like to go on a solo backpacking trip for the first time and I need some advice. I’ve backpacked on and off since I was 14 but always in a group of some sort (I didn't have to plan much). I haven’t been on many trips lately since it’s really hard to coordinate a bunch of people with difficult schedules. So, I’ve decided to do a trip in Big Sur next month (I’m thinking Ventana Wilderness; I'm open to other suggestions if you have any) by myself.

Obviously I want to be well prepared before I do something like this. Last thing I need is being totally unprepared for a bad situation. And, I don’t want my family and friends to say “I told you so”.

I've seen this thread but I am not concerned about snakes. I'm looking for more general advice (like say how to deal with a broken arm, you'd should definitely bring x or y etc.)

Direct me to the weird and quirky of Highway 1.

kmtiszen — Fri, 24 Nov 2006 11:36:54 -0800

What are some quriky/oddball sites along Highway 1 from Los Angeles to San Francisco? I'm going to be taking a two day drive up Highway 1 in early December and I've pretty much covered the "normal" things to do. But I'm sure there are tons of quirky alternative things to do and see along the lines of Roadside America and Weird US. I'm already aware of things like the Madonna Inn, Nit Wit Ridge and Bubblegum Alley in SLO. Any other good ones out there?

CA central coast road trip

scody — Thu, 10 Nov 2005 16:03:41 -0800

Help me plan a post-Thanksgiving road trip up California's central coast! the basics: my boyfriend, his brother (who will be visiting from out-of-town), and I are going to take a 3-day road trip up the central coast the weekend immediately following Thanksgiving. (We may also have the company of another female -- a frisky fox terrier! -- but that's not definite.) Our basic itinerary is:

Day 1: Drive from LA (possibly stopping in Solvang). Overnight in San Simeon or Cambria.
Day 2: Hearst Castle in the morning. Drive up to Big Sur. Overnight in either Big Sur or Carmel.
Day 3: Drive back to LA. (Possible stop in Solvang if not on Day 1.)

I've been to Hearst Castle once before (stayed at the Cambria Pines Lodge) and have also stayed a night in Big Sur (at Ripplewood cabins). I've spent a few hours in Solvang having coffee and wandering around. My main questions are:

- Are there any pet-friendly accomodations in Big Sur? I've found places in both Cambria and Carmel (the Cambria Pine Lodge and the Carmel River Inn, both run by the same company) that will take pets, but nowhere in Big Sur. (I'm also fine with non-pet-friendly recommendations too, since we're only about 50/50 on bringing the dog anyway.)

- Recommended sights/restaurants/bars in Carmel/Monterey? (Preferably not too touristy, with the possible exception of Steinbeck-related stuff.)

- I've never driven up PCH this late in the year -- how early does the fog tend to roll in?

- Good Danish restaurants in Solvang? We're probably not going to do the wine tasting thing (saves on the merlot jokes), but if anyone has a really strong recommendation on that front that they're dying to share, go ahead!

AskMEFI Trip Planner - Socal Coast

sfz — Sun, 07 Aug 2005 10:40:20 -0800

AskMEFI Trip Planner - Southern California Coastal Mini-honeymoon suggestions: Where should we stay? Where should we eat? Procrastinator that I am, I'm just now starting to think through the post-wedding mini-moon (we'll do an extended trip next year in Italy). The plan is to fly to LA from Chicago Sept 1, stay the night in LA. The next morning we'll take a rented or borrowed car from LA up the coast. We'll spend labor day weekend working our way up and either drive back to LA or up to SF (if I can arrange the open jaw airfare and can be convinced that it's not too much driving for 4 days). We'd fly back on Labor Day (Sept 5). I've been before, but the bride hasn't. I figure we'll get about as far as Big Sur and Pfeiffer Beach, drink a cocktail at that restaurant on the cliff, and find someplace nice to stay near the water that can be a base for explorations of San Simeon and the rest of the coast. Any recommendations for hotels that are not jawdroppingly expensive? Restaurants for fresh seafood? Sites (aside from the Hearst Mansion). Wine on the southerly coast?

Big Sur

lbergstr — Sat, 03 Jan 2004 12:57:11 -0800

I'm thinking about making a day trip to Big Sur tomorrow (Sunday). I recently moved to Los Angeles from the east coast, so assume I'm ignorant of everything. How should I get there and what's a good one-day itinerary?