Vacationing in Big Sur, California: What to Do

Big Sur is a popular tourist destination in Northern California and is lightly populated area. The Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean in this area on the coast. This region of the coast in California offers it residents and tourists stunning scenic views. Big Sur has the highest coastal mountain peak in the lower forty eight states. This mountain is named Cone Peak and is just one of the many tourist attractions here. There really are not any certain boundaries to Big Sur. It is mostly defined by a ninety mile area of coastline that is between Carmel River and San Carpoforo Creek. It is also defined by a twenty mile inland cruise to the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucia Mountains. Big Sur's northern end is approximately one hundred and twenty miles south of San Francisco.

The residents of Big Sur have been taking care of tourists since the early twentieth century. However, modern tourism began with the opening of Highway 1. This opened this region to all sorts of automobiles and other vehicles. There are about three million tourists that visit Big Sur every year to enjoy its scenic views and other great activities. These tourists usually never even leave Highway One. There is also the Bixby Bridge on Highway One that attracts tourists all by itself. Highway One into Big Sur is often thought of as the most scenic driving routes in the United States, if not the World.

Because of Big Sur's land use restrictions to preserve its natural beauty, tourist accommodations are limited. Because they are often so limited, this makes them very expensive. These limited accommodations fill up quickly in the summer time. So, if you are planning a trip here, you will want to plan far ahead. There are less than three hundred rooms in the entire ninety mile stretch of this highway. There are only three as stations and there are no chain hotels or any other franchises or corporations. This means no supermarkets or fast food restaurants. There are only cabins, motels, camp grounds, or very costly five star resorts. If you are coming to Big Sur, come with some cash.