Bixby Bridge on Pacific Coast Highway.

Mark Read

Central Coast

Too often forgotten or dismissed as ‘flyover’ country between San Francisco and LA, this fairy-tale stretch of California coast is packed with wild beaches, misty redwood forests where hot springs hide, and rolling golden hills of fertile vineyards and farm fields.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • San Simeon, California / USA - May 12, 2018: Exterior view of Hearst Castle, William Randolph Hearst's extravagant coastal hilltop estate designed by architect Julia Morgan over 28 years.; Shutterstock ID 1297759909; your: Meghan O'Dea; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: POI

    Hearst Castle

    Central Coast

    Perched high on a hill, Hearst Castle is a wondrous, historic, over-the-top homage to material excess. From the 1920s into the '40s, Hearst and Marion…

  • MONTEREY, CA - APRIL10: The exterior of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, located at Cannery Row two hours south of San Francisco, is viewed on April 10, 2018, in Monterey, California. An estimated 15 million domestic and international travelers visit California each year generating more than $100 billion in revenue and creating more than one million jobs in the arts, entertainment, recreation, food service and accomodations sectors. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)

    Monterey Bay Aquarium

    Monterey

    Monterey is practically synonymous with its world-class aquarium overlooking Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, which protects dense kelp forests and…

  • A coastal path, part of the Partington Cove Trail in Julia Pfeiffer State Park.

    Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

    Big Sur

    If you're chasing waterfalls, swing into this state park named for the daughter of some of the earliest European settlers to arrive in Big Sur. The…

  • Pfeiffer State Beach

    Pfeiffer Beach

    Big Sur

    Pfeiffer Beach is at the heart of what Big Sur is all about – splendid, unusual scenery that's inspired generations of artists, writers, and travelers…

  • Train tracks in Santa Cruz, California, USA.

    Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk

    Santa Cruz

    The Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk has been an Americana classic like few others for over a century. Now as in 1907 when the amusement park first opened, the…

  • Point Lobos State Reserve near Carmel, CA

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Carmel-by-the-Sea

    They bark, they laze and bathe and they’re fun to watch – sea lions are the stars in this state park some 4 miles south of Carmel, along with the…

  • Portrait of John Steinbeck inside the lobby of the National Steinbeck Center in downtown Salinas. The spinach scare is only the latest bad news for Salinas. The biggest city in Monterey County was so broke it nearly shut its libraries two years ago. It s also the least affordable city in the U.S., with the biggest gap between wages and home prices. (Photo by Stephen Osman/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

    National Steinbeck Center

    Central Coast

    This museum will interest almost anyone, even if you don't know anything about Salinas’ Nobel Prize–winning native son, John Steinbeck (1902–68), a…

  • USA, California, Pacific Coast, National Scenic Byway, Big Sur, Point Sur State Historic Park, View to Point Sur Lighthouse

    Point Sur State Historic Park

    Big Sur

    A little over 6 miles south of Bixby Bridge, Point Sur rises like a velvety green fortress out of the sea. It looks like an island, but is actually…

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Sustainable Travel

California opens miles of coastal hiking and biking trails to the public

Jan 29, 2020 • 1 min read

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