What special places along Highway 1 between San Luis Obispo and Monterey?

I know this is a beautiful drive, but I wonder where the best views

are which elderly people can get to to photograph. We can't climb

anymore, nor hike too far from the car, nor do we want to trespass

onto private property. We expect to make the drive in two weeks. I

thank you in advance.

Point Lobos, just a little south of Carmel. is very nice

photographically and otherwise and has a lot of pull-inswhere

you can stop for a short walk.

Point Lobos also has a handicapped-accessible trail - you can take it on a wheelchair!

In addition to Point Lobos, here are two of my favorites.

McWay Waterfall at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is a unique

waterfall that drops into the ocean. It is visible from the road,

but there is a better viewpoint which is about 1/2 mile roundtrip

hike. Garapata State Park is great for views of surf over rocks.

Both are best in late afternoon until after sunset.

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Bill,

you'll be hard pressed to actually keep driving for more than a mile once you get on the PCH, it's all glorious, just there again last April

PLENTY of pull offs all along the road, no hiking or climbing involved, might want to take a tripod, rather breezy (two of my UNC caps are as we speak on the way to/in Hawaii)

 

Check the archives for locations, plenty of good advice there.

Something to think about is that you are on the coast side going from Monterey south, it makes it easier to see the ocean. If you don't like cliffs, it makes it easier to see the cliffs.

 

The coast from Morro Bay to about Ragged Point isn't too rugged and there are a lot of reasonable points where the road is very close to the ocean and the marked vista points are convenient. McWay Falls is a bit of a walk but it's essentially flat. Even in the more rugged portions of the coast, the vista points and turnouts are convenient to viewing and photography.

 

Should you want to visit Hearst San Simeon, I'd suggest checking in advance because most of the tours require climbing anywhere from 150 to 300 steps. My mother walks a lot and didn't have any trouble with tour 1 (150 stairs but it does take over an hour and almost all of that is standing/walking!). There is a wheelchair accessible tour but it's less frequent.

 

It is a strenuous drive. Just plan to take your time and relax on the road. It's way too beautiful to get aggravated by somebody riding your bumper so if you aren't comfortable driving fast, don't. Use turnouts to let traffic pass if needed because there will always be some people trying to set a land speed record and less interested in enjoying the drive. It will likely still be plenty hot inland, not so bad along the coast. Plan on taking plenty of water and other beverages and stay hydrated.

 

I've just posted some shots from the area from a recent trip. The only ones that my mother (mid-70s) couldn't accompany us to were the shots of Salmon Creek Falls. Everything else was essentially roadside or a short easy walk. For example, the Big Creek pictures were taken from a vista point and you can see the large turnout at the south end of the bridge on the long shot. The bluffs at Piedras Blancas that offer elephant seal viewing are easily accessible (although there may not be many in the area then, there were only a very few in the area last week.) The windmill was just north of Cayucos and is on state park property. Accessible areas are marked and you won't need to worry about trespassing as there are plenty of public areas.

 

http://www.pbase.com/gillettecraig/centralcoast

San Simeon -- see the Hearst Castle.

 

Big Sur -- see the seaside cliffs and the beautiful forests.

Here's a bizarre and semi-related note. Apparently, the town of Gorda Springs, which is somewhere in that Big Sur area, is for sale. According to a Coldwell Banker "Exceptional Properties" preview magazine (which I can't figure out why I get) says the whole town, with a separate house and 10 more acres of scenic landscape, is available at $10 million. Stop by and see if you want it.

 

[This is true, but I suppose it doesn't help you find the best views...]

You may also want to take the 17-mile drive near Carmel. Its a bit touristy but still worth it for pebble beach and the lone cypress tree. I have heard that you can not publish Lone Cypress because someone owns a copyright on it!

The entire place! If you are in pebble beach stop your car at, I think it's called Huckleberry Hill, if you have a map of PB it is the portion of 17-mile drive just below Sunset Lain, which can also be accessed easily through the gate off of Holman Highway, travel up sunset lane and turn left onto 17-mile drive, it will go back in the direction which you came. About 50 yards there is a place to park with a far ocean vista, not too spectacular.

 

Lock your doors, Grab your camera, and walk another 50 yards and there will be a trailhead leading down a very steep hill. If you come to a dirt road, you had gone too far.

 

Transverse the trail, and shortly you will come to a dirt road, across the dirt road the trail continues into a very pretty forest. Follow the trail until you get to a paved road about, maybe, a mile down hill. Turn right, and I am 75% sure that in another 100 yards or so you will find the trailhead to the SFB Morse Botanical Reserve, which is AMAZING.

 

On your way back, explore through the woods and fire roads below Huckleberry Hill. There is an abandoned shooting range, which is pretty earie, and some VERY pretty spots just beyond it. Betwene the groomed trails, the deer trails and the various trails left behind by homeless people, you could spend several days in this area. But be warned, it is easy to get lost in if you do not have a good sense of direction, trail maps are available for groomed trails, and are color coded, still, like the roads, these maps are not very easy to read.

 

In Monterey there is a bike trail that goes from, I think Spanish Bay all the way to Seaside. I would suggest start downtown and walk to spanish bay, it will take many hours. On the other side, start in Seaside and walk towered Monterey, it is not as interesting but there are sand dunes and a few vistas. Bike rentals are plentiful in monterey.

 

The Cannery in Monterey has some cool photo opertunities too, most of it is all glitzed over, but some spots remain the same. There is a bridge that connects two buildings that is pretty cool.

 

If you want any more suggestions, email me. I know the area pretty well.

EUGH! I feel like a moron! I did not catch the elderly part... Infact, I just got excited that i could help and didn't read the post at all... note to self... read post before replying... Fortunatly the Botanical Reserve is not a very difficult hike at all, in fact, I have mostly seen elderly people there. The lower end of the first trail I discribed isn't terrible either, but harder than the reserve. I'd very much suggest at least trying, it is a magical place.

 

I'd suggest driving to the reserve and walking up the trail next to it.

 

Again, sorry i didn't read over your post... I'm a big dork.

Hay, I want to thank all of you who made suggestions. I really appreciate the folks on photo.net. You are the best. I am looking forward to that drive all the more now and hope to bring home some special photos as a result of your helpfulness. Thanks.

Re: the Lone Cypress tree. Yep, it's copyrighted. Of course, you can take all the shots you want for personal use; you just can't use them commercially.

Anno's post reminded me about another potential area, it's off Highway 1 but easily reached. There is a boardwalk just behind the beach at Asilomar and it leads between Pebble Beach (??) Country Club and the beach. The easiest way to get there (well the easiest way for me to remember and describe anyways) is to simply follow the road that runs along the bay past the Acquarium and continue along through Pacific Grove along the bay to Point Pinos, which is a pretty and accessible rocky stretch with some nicely maintained Victorians (B&Bs) and out to Point Pinos by the golf course and small light house - and then continue around the Point around past the Asiloma Conference center - the beach is accessible and there is parking along there and up by the Fishwife Restaurant. I think the boardwalk is handicap accessible. You move between rocky outcrops and a large sandy beach and dunes. Even if you don't stop, it's a nice drive out to the point and back.

I just returned from that drive, and can reccomend Pfeiffer Beach, which is located off Rt 1 at the end of Sycamore Rd. (Rd, St. ?). It is not well marked; the only way to find it is get close via a map, and look for the warning sign as the paved road plunges off the main road--there's a sign for the beach about 20 yards after you enter Sycamore, so if you don't see the sign, it's not the correct road. It's a two mile winding road to the beach, and there is a short walk through some sand, but it's an excellent location. Huge sea stacks with ocean-carved windows, crashing surf, sand beaches, cliffs, and more. Windy, though, so protect your gear from sand, and don't put your gear down, since most of the blowing sand is right along the ground. I'll post some stuff when the processsor is done. Do not confuse this location with Julia Pfeiffer, or Pfeiffer State Park. It's Pfeiffer Beach.

<i>Re: the Lone Cypress tree. Yep, it's copyrighted.</i>

 

<p>

The Lone Cypress tree is <em>not</em> copyrighted. Allegedly, it’s

claimed as a <em>trademark</em> of the Pebble Beach Company. I say

“allegedly” because the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shows

the mark as abandoned since 1995. As I recall, the mark was registered and

abandoned several times in the past. Abondonement of registration

doesn’t necessarily mean that the tree isn’t still

<em>claimed</em> as a trademark, but it does weaken the case. Nonetheless,

even a successful legal action against the Pebble Beach Company probably

would be a very expensive proposition given their legal resources.

I’ve heard (but not verified) reports of people who look

“professional” getting hassled by security; I’ve only

been there once, with a large tripod, and no one said a thing.