BIG SUR, BIG ADVENTURE

zmartian
Aug 31, 2016
2 min read

My favorite game as a child was Club Penguin. My friends and I would all log on after a day of school and rush to get into the Big Surf server, my favorite out of all of the other servers, by far. Little did I know that 10 years later the real Big Sur would become my destination of choice. We always stayed at the Big Sur Campground - north of the popular Pfeiffer State Park, but easily just as nice. With sites right on the river and a swimming hole right behind the camp store (which sells the best freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies and soft serve), lazy days at the campground were relaxing and fun. Often my cousin and I would tube down the river to the River Inn and take a 5 minute walk right back to our site. The campground was an easy drive down highway 1 to many hidden gems, as well. Pfeiffer State Beach is always worth a visit and maybe even a swim, if you're brave enough to face the cold, cold water.

Right by the beach is the Nepenthe Restaurant, which is a great place to dine while overlooking the water and cliffs.

Going in the opposite direction on the 1, you can also find Bixby Creek Bridge in all its glory. The bridge viewpoint also makes for a beautiful view over the water and a great place to take photos.

However, out of all the hikes and beaches and gems in Big Sur, the most exciting hike I discovered was the Partington Cove Trail. We discovered this while searching for art galleries along the highway and saw people parked along the side of the road. Our curiosity got the best of us, so we immediately pulled over to see what the fuss was about. The path was a steep, rocky trail that led to a fork less than 1/4 of a mile in. Naturally, we had to explore all three. The leftmost one led up to a small stream where we walked on the rocks and admires the green overhang from the trees. The rightmost trail led to a pretty blue and grey hued cove, where we climbed over the rocks and felt the water.

The middle path was the most fascinating of them all. First, it led through a path surrounded by trees and bushes and soon came to an old wooden tunnel. We ran under holding our breaths (a silly game we had picked up as kids), and emerged from the tunnel to a magnificent cove with bright blue waters, slimy orange seaweed, and chalk white cliffs climb and explore.

Further into the cove was just as mesmerizing, with water crashes onto rock and into the cliffs, creating foamy white water and small tide pools we were able to (carefully) explore.