Sights in Big Sur To San Luis Obispo
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Partington Cove
From the western side of Hwy 1, a poorly marked steep dirt trail descends half a mile along Partington Creek to Partington Cove , a little visited but very beautiful section of Big Sur. On the 1-mile loop you cross a cool bridge and then walk through an even cooler tunnel.
During Prohibition it was a landing spot for rum-runners. The water in the cove is unbelievably aqua and within it grows incredible kelp forests. There�s no real beach access, but you can scamper on the rocks and look for tide pools as waves cuff ominously. The turnoff is inside a large hairpin turn 8 miles south of Nepenthe restaurant and 1.8 miles north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.
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Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa
The plaza is lorded over by the Mission San Luis Obispo de Tolosa on Monterey St between Chorro and Broad Sts. The fifth of the California missions, it was established in 1772 and named for a French saint. Often called the 'Prince of the Missions,' its still-active church has an unusual L-shape with a flat open-beam ceiling and whitewashed walls decorated with the Stations of the Cross. An adjacent building contains an old-fashioned museum about daily life during the Chumash and mission periods.
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Bixby Bridge
About 13 miles south of Carmel, the much photographed landmark Bixby Bridge, spanning Rainbow Canyon, is one of the world's highest single-span bridges at 714ft long and 260ft high. Completed in 1932, it was built by prisoners eager to lop time off their sentences. There's a photo op pull-off just north of the bridge. Don't be tricked into thinking that the similar-looking Rocky Creek Bridge, just north of Bixby, is the real deal.
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Bubblegum Alley
SLO's weirdest sight is Bubblegum Alley, a narrow walkway off Higuera blanketed with thousands of wads of discarded chewing gum. The origin of this local fetish may be murky, but fans will say the result embodies a certain impressionist artistic flair while others will say it simply makes a bad impression.
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Pfeiffer Beach
Across the highway, detour onto the obscurely marked Sycamore Canyon Rd, which drops for two narrow, twisting miles to crescent-shaped Pfeiffer Beach, with its towering offshore sea arch and strong currents that make it too dangerous for swimming. Dig down into the sand - it's purple!
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Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Named after Big Sur's first European settlers who arrived in 1869, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is the largest state park in Big Sur. There is miles of pristine hiking through redwoods in its 964 acres, though the popular trail to reach long and lean Pfeiffer Falls is only a 1.4-mile roundtrip walk.
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McWay Falls
California's only coastal waterfall, the 80ft McWay Falls drops straight into the sea - or onto the beach, depending on the tide. Dare you to take fewer than a dozen photos. To reach the waterfall viewpoint, take the short Overlook Trail heading west and cross beneath Hwy 1.
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Esalen Institute
About 10 miles north of Lucia is the new-agey Esalen Institute, famous for its esoteric workshops and ocean-view hot-springs baths. With a reservation you too can frolic nekkid in the latter - but only from 1am to 3am ($20, credit cards only). It's surreal.
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San Luis Obispo Art Center
Mission Plaza is bounded by the gentle San Luis Obispo Creek, which is lined with public art and is a nice spot for respite or a picnic. It leads straight to the San Luis Obispo Art Center, a showcase for local artists as well as visiting exhibits from around California.
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Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park harbors California's only coastal waterfall, 80ft-high McWay Falls, which is reached via a quarter-mile stroll. Perched on a cliff are two walk-in campsites.
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Andrew Molera State Park
Visitors often overlook Andrew Molera State Park, but locals love this trail-laced pastiche of grassy meadows, waterfalls, ocean bluffs, rugged beaches and wildlife watching, including California condors.
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San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum
For a comprehensive survey of local history, check out the San Luis Obispo County Historical Museum, just southwest of the mission. It's housed in the 1905 Carnegie Library, an imposing stone structure.
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Mission Plaza
SLO's attractions cluster around Mission Plaza, a shady oasis with restored adobes and fountains overlooking San Luis Obispo Creek, right in the heart of downtown.
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