Travel Like an Artist: Big Sur, CA

Is Big Sur, CA on your bucket list too? It was on mine as soon as I saw the jaw dropping landscape photos from Instagram. Ever since, I’ve been dreaming of painting rugged coastline and delighting in Pacific tide pool treasure. I kept thinking… one day we will go there… so we did.

California did not disappoint. It was everything I’d dreamed of and more. If you have dreams of dramatic cliff landscapes as the backdrop for your next adventure, this post is for you. Here’s what we did, favorite places we stayed and all of our favorite delights in the area. As soon as we left, I wanted to go back. I hope our tips help you plan your own California adventure.

Painting by Katie Podracky

My Number One Favorite Place for Landscapes: Point Lobos State Park

If you’re looking for spectacular views, wildlife galore, tide pool heaven and one of the greatest easy hikes of your life, this is it. Yes, it’s kid friendly. Yes, they can do the hike. Yes, we saw otters! Yes we saw seals, birds and sea lions. Yes, you could easily pack supplies for plein air painting and set up nearly anywhere in this park for great success! Get there early (before 9:30) to secure parking and bring a picnic lunch. It also helps to have cash on hand for the park entry fees (It was $12 a vehicle here). If your family is anything like mine, you’ll want to stay all day. Most of my painted landscapes in The Cadence Collection are from the views at Point Lobos. Like most California coastal outdoor attractions, you’ll need sunscreen for your face, layers to stay warm, and it never hurts to have a picnic lunch and lots of water packed for the trip too.

"When the Fog Lifts" a painting of Point Lobos State Park

My Favorite California Beach for Families: Moonstone Beach.

This may be a surprise, because it’s not a top attraction. Moonstone beach was quiet in July. It was foggy, chilly and less crowded than I ever thought a beach in California would be. We loved building a fort out of driftwood logs (seriously big driftwood logs!) and staying across the street at Castle Inn. I could sit on the (barely) sun warmed pebbles and paint watercolors while the kids studied endless pieces of sea kelp, set up a pretend store to sell their treasures, braved a few ankle dips in the chilly waves and arranged colored stones. This was a low key relaxing part of our trip and a great entry point to Highway 1 and Big Sur from the south. On the 4th of July, we watched fireworks in the distance from the boardwalk. We also re-set our suitcases with the help of a laundry mat in the next town over.

My Other Favorite Big Sur Beaches for Families: Sand Dollar Beach (the view!) and Pfeiffer Beach. I can’t decide! Sand Dollar had the most dramatic views and literally made me gasp when we glimpsed the ocean for the first time. In my pictures, it’s the one of the kids and Dave walking down a steep staircase and seeing the vast aquamarine ocean and giant rocks stretch out in front of us. I painted it in the picture above and below too. Pfeiffer was also a must do and a family favorite. It has the rocky peaks with a “window” out to the ocean. I painted Pfeiffer on location and several times after that too. It didn’t hurt that we happened to travel to CA during a superbloom!

"Love Letter to California" painting by Katie Podracky

Our Big Sur Itinerary

Day 1: Fly into San Jose. Drive to Santa Cruz. Get settled. Spend the night.

Day 2: Santa Cruz Natural Bridges and the Boardwalk Attractions

Wake up and enjoy Natural Bridges State Park in Santa Cruz. There is a $10 entrance fee, and it’s well worth it. Explore tide pools and cliffs. Stare out at the Pacific Ocean. Make some sketches while the kids play in the sand. We stayed about 2 hours. Then drive or walk along West Cliffs Drive. Explore the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk area with the kids. Brave some rides if you dare! Get lunch by the water at the Wharf. Walk out to the end of the pier to see Sea Lions and watch surfers. Gayle’s Bakery and Marianne’s Ice Cream are great local treats after you’re done. Then drive to the Monterrey area. We settled in a little air bnb in a neighborhood in Pacific Grove.

Day 3: Point Lobos— The Crown Jewel of California State Parks

Wake up early, pack a cooler full of picnic food from Trader Joe’s and head straight to Point Lobos State Park. Bring some cash for the day pass (It was about $10- $12 per vehicle) and get there when the park opens at 8 a.m. Parking is limited to 150 spots a day, so arrive before 9:30 a.m. or after 3 p.m. for your best bet. We found a parking spot near Sea Lion Point and then took the South Shore trail toward Bird Island. Stop at Weston Beach for incredible tide pools at low tide, then continue toward Bird Island/China Grove area. The arrangement of all the sea thingys in my pictures and that really cool teal shell is from Weston Beach. We didn’t take anything with us but a picture— oh and so many perfect priceless memories too. We did “oooohhh and ahh” over sea urchin shells and all those little finds while we were in the park. Stop at Hidden Beach for a fantastic little pebbled beach and have a picnic watching the waves roll in. Our kids made a fort out of seaweed, driftwood and findings. There are stunning ocean views the entire way at Point Lobos, plus so much wildlife to spot. Otters, sea-lions, seals, California condors if you’re lucky. We turned around at China Grove and walked back to our car the same way we came. The hike was easy—more like a gravel trail than a true hike. The distance was enough for our elementary school aged kids to be finished by the time we returned to our parking spot. We walked about 2.5 miles there and the same amount back for a total of 5 miles the whole day. I wish we’d had time to explore the trail toward the north too. Dave and I could have walked forever, but if you have kids, consider coming back for a second day. There’s a Whaler’s cabin, a grove of cypress trees and so much more to the north as well.

Day 4: Whale Watching & 17 Mile Drive

Early morning bundle up for whale watching in Monterrey Bay. That picture of the baby whale breeching— Dave took that. It’s not a stock photo. We saw that FOR REAL! I will say, do yourself a favor and take the anti-sea-sickness meds they offer on the boat. It was a hold on tight or you’ll fall off kind of day when we went out. If you’re really prone to sea-sickness, visit the Monterrey Bay Aquarium instead. This was an adventure! It was downright cold in the wind, and we had to hang on to the railings — the waves were rolling that day. We did spot several whales, including the baby whale pictured above that breeched several times. Once your sea legs subside, grab lunch back near the wharf and explore cannery row if you like. We decided to do 17-mile Drive on Pebble Beach instead, starting at Spanish Bay and making our way slowly around the entire drive. The entry was $12 per vehicle and the views were priceless. My favorite views for painting were around the Restless Sea area and The Lone Cypress. You could easily set up a plein air easel on any of these stops and have a blast. Plus, this is kind of like middle-California’s mini version of the Blue Ridge Parkway. There were lots of pull-offs and spots to park to see incredible views not far from the car. We got to climb on some rocks, stick our toes in the sand and thoroughly enjoy ourselves in nature (right next to a ba-jillion dollar golf course!) 17-mile drive also had areas for restroom stops plus a visitor’s center & a market to grab snacks or dinner. We took pics of the kids next to the Pebble Beach golf carts for fun and went home dog tired and happy as clams just after sunset.

Day 5: Big Sur Drive from Monterrey with McWay Falls, Pfeiffer Beach and Nepenthe Restaurant

Highway 1 had some road closures when we visited, so we split the drive into two parts. From Monterrey, we woke up early again and drove straight over Bixby Bridge toward McWay falls. We did stop at Bixby Bridge for a picture, but we wanted to get there early for parking so we didn’t stay long. McWay falls was a must-do for me, and while it was busy to park-- and we had to wait for someone else to exit to make a spot for us, the waterfall view was easy to access on a short trail and so worth it. We probably spent no more than 30 minutes here (and they had restrooms too). Bring cash to pay for the little state park fee areas (this is one of them!). I believe it was $5 to $10 to park and access the falls. It’s magical to see a waterfall crashing onto the beach. I wish we could have gotten closer!

Next up, drive back toward Pfeiffer beach. Park in the lot there (way down a gravely road) (Yes, there’s an entry fee, and yes, you want to get there as early as you can) and bring your cooler full of snacks and non-alcoholic bevvies to spend the rest of your morning marveling at Pfieffer beach. This is a true sand beach with rocky outcrops and big cold Pacific waves. There are restrooms here too, and an iconic “window” to the sea in a particularly beautiful grouping of rocks. It’s lovely. Our kids made friends with other kids, found lots of blue “by the wind sailors” (a jellyfish-looking creature) and we got to relax with gorgeous views. If you can pull yourself away from Pfieffer beach, make your way to Nepenthe restaurant and have a late lunch/early supper. It will be crowded. It will be expensive. You can sit outside and kids are welcome. There will be a wait (we waited about 45 minutes) and yes, it is 100 percent worth it. Get your head right, enjoy every bite and don’t forget to check out the gift shop and swoon over the mountains meeting the Pacific as you dine outdoors. You can get a drink at the bar and sit around a giant fire pit or on the oversize steps overlooking the dining area while you wait for a table.

I had to paint this gorgeous view from Nepenthe!

Day 6: Pinnacles National Park and Travel to Cambria

Explore the Talus caves in Pinnacles National Park and see real bats! It’s worth noting that Pinnacles can get very hot in the summer. When we visited, it was over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Pack lots of water, a picnic and take it way easier on hikes that you normally would. We ended up seeing lots of California Condors soaring overhead and loved the rocky views. After a little sweat, relax into the air conditioning of your vehicle during a beautiful 2 hour drive through the valley to Castle Inn in Cambria, CA. Castle Inn is an older motel that’s been renovated for modern travelers. It was perfect for us in terms of location, a community fire pit and beach proximity. You’ll pass lots of agriculture on the way there and some nice vineyards, orchards and gorgeous California rolling hills as you get close to Cambria. We did the drive on a Sunday evening so most things were closed. I’d recommend going on a weekday or a Saturday so you could sample the California bounty! When you arrive in Cambria, grab some pizza or Mexican food at one of the family friendly restaurants. Luigi’s pizza or Cambria Cafe do the trick. If you have any energy left, check out Moonstone Beach that’s just across the boardwalk from Castle Inn as the sun sets.

Day 7: Moonstone Beach, Olallieberry Pie and Options

Build a fort on Moonstone beach in the morning. Then explore the shops and restaurants in Cambria. Stop at Linn’s for some olallieberry pie. Yes you read that right! Olallieberry is like a cross between blackberry and raspberry- and it’s grown at Linn’s farm and dished up in pie form (and many other forms too). We recommend it a la mode! In the afternoon, you could check out Hearst Castle as a local attraction, but we skipped it in favor of more driving along Highway 1.

Day 8: Elephant Seals, jaw dropping views and Sand Dollar Beach

Pack a picnic and lots of snacks. There aren’t that many stops on Highway 1 for food in this area, and the ones that exist are crazy expensive. Drive north toward San Simeon and Big Sur from Cambria. Marvel over Elephant Seals at Elephant Seal Vista Point. Listen and you’ll hear them grunting! We spent about 45 minutes here, watching them do their elephant seal things. They were swimming, tossing sand and sometimes even sparring. When you’ve had enough, continue on Highway 1 and head into the most beautiful views of Big Sur, stopping as you like for hiking and photographs as you make your way toward Sand Dollar Beach. This was our end stop of the day, and we spent a full afternoon soaking in the dramatic views and colors of the water. The beach is sandy, but there were lots of pebbles with lines running through them. We tried our hardest to find letters in the pebbles to spell our names. None of us wanted to leave this beach, but eventually, we had to walk back up the steps to our car and drive home. A note of caution- I wouldn’t want to drive this road at night- it’s twisty with steep cliffs. Drive during daylight for maximum enjoyment. We got “home” to Cambria just in time to walk over to the boardwalk and spot some fireworks for the 4th of July. Best day ever.

Day 9: Redwoods and heading home

Cambria to San Jose. Check out Big Redwoods Basin State Park on the way in Santa Cruz and walk the easy 0.7 mile Redwood Loop Trail . Marvel at giant majestic trees. Count the rings at the one by the visitor center and try to wrap your head around how old it is. Interesting historical dates are marked and they will blow your mind. Enjoy soaking up the komorebi and spot a banana slug in the undergrowth if you’re lucky! We stayed at the Hampton Inn & Suites near San Jose airport to return our rental car and catch an early flight the next day.

I hope these tips help you plan your own incredible adventure. Check out The Cadence Collection here to see how this trip inspired my paintings. These works are available starting at 10 a.m. November 12th for my Studio Insiders. You can join my Studio Insiders too for first dibs on new work.

With gratitude,

Katie

The Cadence Collection. Available November 12, 2024