Named after the farmer who first planted artichokes in California, this oft-overlooked park (parks.ca.gov/?page_id=582) is a trail-laced, patchwork quilt of grassy meadows, ocean bluffs and rugged sandy beaches offering excellent wildlife-watching. Look for the entrance just more than 8 miles south of Bixby Bridge. Occasional floods can sometimes close some trails. Check the website for current conditions.
South of the parking lot, you can learn all about endangered California condors as well as long-term species recovery and monitoring programs inside the Big Sur Discovery Center. The center also arranges two-hour condor tours at 10:30am on occasional Saturdays from June to November (per person $75, register online). Check the website for confirmed dates.
From the main parking lot, a short walk along the beach-bound trail leads to a gentle spur trail continuing to the 1861 redwood Cooper Cabin, Big Sur’s oldest building. Keep hiking on the main trail out toward a wild beach where the Big Sur River runs into the ocean; condors may be spotted circling overhead and migrating whales sometimes cruise by offshore.
The campground at Andrew Molera State Park has no first-come, first-seved spots and is available via online reservation only (reservecalifornia.com).
