Dog Friendly Weekend in Big Sur

While summer may have officially ended last week, that didn’t stop us and some friends from escaping down to Big Sur for a camping adventure. It was a bittersweet weekend though. We had to say goodbye to a friend who is moving back to the Midwest, but got to celebrate her last weekend here at a campsite she snagged last-minute in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. What an epic venue for a going away party!

Located along Scenic Hwy 1, Big Sur is not the name of any one town, but instead refers to a 90-mile region of California’s Central Coast that stretches from Carmel to San Simeon. The Big Sur segment of Hwy 1 was completed in 1937 after eighteen years of construction and is a  National Scenic Byway – one of the world’s most scenic driving routes. Here, you’ll experience unsurpassed coastal beauty with the Santa Lucia Mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west.

The majority of Big Sur belongs to state and federal agencies with many features named after descendants of the Pfeiffer family, who were early European settlers in the area. Of the six state parks here, Garrapata State Park and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park are the only ones where dogs are allowed beyond day-use parking lots. Most of the interior region of Big Sur is part of the Los Padres National Forest, which welcomes leashed dogs everywhere except inside visitor centers.

While Big Sur is not particularly dog-friendly – you won’t be able to explore the quintessential spots like Point Lobos State Reserve and McWay Falls at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park – we’re here to share alternatives that will still make it a memorable destination for you and your dog to getaway together.

At a Glance

• Afternoon in Downtown Monterey – Beers at Alvarado Street Brewing + Pastries at Alta Bakery & Cafe
  • Optional walk – Monterey Walking Path of History (easy 2-miles)
  • Optional shopping – Retail & specialty shops along Alvarado Street. Check out the Old Monterey Farmers Market on Tuesdays from 4-7pm.
• Explore Garrapata State Park – Calla Lily Valley + Garrapata Beach
• Scenic views at Hurricane Point Vista Point
• Overnight camping in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Day 2:

• Morning hike in Ventana Wilderness – Pine Ridge Trail (Los Padres National Forest)
• Relax on Pfeiffer Beach
• Cool down along Big Sur River – Big Sur River Inn Restaurant & General Store
• Iconic views of Bixby Bridge – Castle Rock Viewpoint + Bixby Bridge Vista Point
• Break up the drive back home with optional stops along the way:
  • The Barnyard Shopping Village (Carmel) – cute outdoor center of unique boutique shops
  • Del Monte Shopping Center (Monterey) – outdoor mall with popular retail shops like H&M, Lululemon and Williams-Sonoma, as well as restaurants with outdoor patios.
  • Costco Wholesale (Sand City) – fill up on gas
  • Barn Fresh Produce (Moss Landing) – buy local produce at affordable prices

Tips for the drive down to Big Sur

• The most direct route from the Bay Area to Big Sur is via Hwy 17 through Santa Cruz then connecting to Hwy 1. Check out our driving tips for Hwy 17. However, if you have a late start after 10-11am, consider taking Hwy 101 instead to avoid the inevitable Hwy 17 traffic.
• Hwy 1 is a two-lane roller coaster full of tight curves, blind corners, narrow shoulders and sharp drop-offs. There are no guard rails separating your car from the ocean below, so stay alert and keep your eyes on the road. Please use the turnouts if you want to enjoy the scenery and take photos.
• Start with a full tank of gas before hitting the road. While there are a few gas stations in Big Sur, the prices are staggering. We’ve never seen it lower than $7/gallon. We like to stop by the Costco Gas Station in Sand City on the way back home from Big Sur.
• Use your preferred GPS navigation app to download a map of the Big Sur area to use offline. You’ll lose cell service once you pass Carmel.
• Keep your preferred GPS navigation app turned ON throughout the drive. Having a preview of the windy road ahead will help ensure you aren’t taken by surprise when a sharp curve inevitably comes up.
• Public restrooms are scarce in Big Sur, so don’t wait to use one. The state parks in the area have public restrooms and generally won’t charge entrance fees to use them. Note that turnouts along Hwy 1 are typically full of tourists and thus lack privacy if you do end up needing to go roadside.

** IMPORTANT NOTE ** The section of Hwy 1 from Lucia down to Limekiln State Park remains a hard closure with NO DETOURS due to recent storm damages and road conditions. Limekiln State Park also remains closed.  There is no estimated time for reopening. Crews continue to work every day to repair damages from landslides in the area. For updates on Hwy 1 conditions, refer to the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce and/or Caltrans websites.

Day 1:

Afternoon in Downtown Monterey

We met our friends’ newborn baby for the first time the night before, which of course resulted in a later Friday night than anticipated — she is so darn cute! So we opted for a late start on Saturday morning and slowly made our way down to Big Sur after lunch. There was an extra 30 mins of added traffic via Hwy 17 with the late start, so Google Maps rerouted us through Gilroy via Hwy 101 instead. We left San Jose around 1pm and it took us ~1.5 hours to drive down to Monterey – one of our favorite halfway points to Big Sur.

When it comes to Monterey, most people probably think of the more touristy areas like Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf. While both are dog-friendly with plenty to do, we personally prefer historic Downtown Old Monterey with its cute boutiques, local breweries and trendy restaurants – most with dog-friendly outdoor patios. Plus, it’s a lot less crowded. We particularly enjoy walking down Alvarado Street, the main street of downtown Monterey and home to the original location of one of our favorite local breweries, Alvarado Street Brewery.

We’ve visited ASB’s Salinas and Carmel locations before, but keep coming back to this Monterey one because of the awesome, lush beer garden. Your navigation will route you to the front entrance on Alvarado Street, but find street parking on Calle Principal instead so that you can walk straight into the backside beer garden with your dog. ASB is known for brewing hop forward ales from hazy to West Coast-style IPAs, as well as heavily fruited sour ales. We always bring back home two 4-packs of beer. This way we can try one of their latest releases and enjoy one of our favorites like Mai Tai PA (tropical IPA GABF winner), Howzit Punch (POG kettle sour) and Cold Pressed (hazy IPA). This time we tried the PMB imperial sour with peach, mango and banana – it was DELICIOUS.

We primarily stopped by downtown Monterey this time to grab ASB beers to enjoy with friends later around the campfire, but did sneak in a quick visit to Alta Bakery & Cafe for an afternoon snack. Unfortunately there wasn’t much pastry selection left by the time we got there at 2:30pm… BUT I did snag the last smoked salmon croissant. It was so flaky! We’ll definitely come back earlier next time to try some unique flavors before they sell out. We really liked the vibe of their dog-friendly patio, which is next to a beautiful barn and garden venue where we spotted glimpses of a wedding ceremony.

• Parker-Lusseau Pastries – Small french bakery with delicious quiches, croissants, cakes and sandwiches. 
• Revival Ice Cream – Handcrafted small batch ice cream made from locally sourced ingredients. Try their award winning Bee’s Knees flavor. There’s always a long line out the door!
• Fieldwork Brewing Company – Local brewery with eight locations throughout the Bay Area/Sacramento. You can’t go wrong with any of their New England or hazy IPAs.
• Dust Bowl Brewing Company – Enjoy 24 taps just steps from Fisherman’s Wharf. Our favorites include Peace, Love & Haze (hazy IPA) and Fruit Tramp (kettle sour).

If you enjoyed yourself a little too much at the spots above and need to stretch your legs before driving 25 mins to our next stop, then step into the past and walk the two-mile “Path of History.” Follow the yellow-tiled markers embedded in the sidewalk throughout downtown Monterey and discover some of California’s most historic homes and buildings. While you can enter this self-guided tour of California’s earliest capital at any point, a good place to start is outside the Pacific House Museum. Note that dogs can walk with you on the sidewalk, but are not allowed inside park buildings or grounds.

There’s also plenty of retail therapy available in downtown Monterey. Plus, Alvarado Street transforms into the Old Monterey Farmers Market every Tuesday from 4-7pm. Here you’ll find organic produce, flowers, pastries, arts and crafts, international foods, and more! Unfortunately this location, just like all other farmers markets in California, is NOT dog-friendly. So consider bringing someone along to dog sit at one of the nearby beer gardens (with a tasty brew in hand, of course!) while you explore the farmers market.

Explore Garrapata State Park – Calla Lily Valley + Garrapata Beach

If you’d like to experience state parks in Big Sur beyond their parking lots, there are really only two that are worth visiting together with your dog: Garrapata and Pfeiffer Big Sur. Therefore, you’ll have to ignore the beautiful Point Lobos State Natural Reserve on your drive down to Garrapata. In fact, Point Lobos has a strict no dogs policy. Dogs are not allowed anywhere within the reserve – not even left inside parked vehicles. I like to think of this as an opportunity to explore other areas in Big Sur that are a lot less crowded than its most popular state park. But if you’ve never visited Point Lobos before, it is definitely worth finding a dog sitter so that you can check it out at least once.

Garrapata State Park is three miles south of Point Lobos. It offers diverse coastal vegetation with trails running from ocean beaches on the west side of Hwy 1 and dense redwood-filled canyons on the east side. However, leashed dogs are only allowed on Garrapata Beach (south end of park) and the trails leading to it. Unfortunately you and your dog won’t be able to explore the dense redwood groves in the Soberanes Canyon Trail and Rocky Ridge Trail areas on the east side of the park. 

But no worries, Garrapata is absolutely still worth visiting just to experience Calla Lily Valley – a stop we never miss out on when in Big Sur. It’s a hidden valley on the side of the road that overflows with calla lilies in the springtime. The trailhead at Gate 18 is easy to miss, so drive slowly and safely park on the oceanside of the road. The narrow trail meanders through wildflowers and a set of wooden stairs – at the bottom is Calla Lily Valley. Here you can continue onto Garrapata Beach by following Doud Creek as it flows to the shore.

We scrambled our way along a narrow cliff to avoid getting wet, but if you or your dog is afraid of heights, then simply wade through the knee-deep creek below to reach the beach. We love how Garrapata Beach is never crowded. Plus being surrounded by majestic cliffs makes this beach feel sublimely remote. When it’s time to leave, head south along the beach and up the staircase, where you’ll turn left and walk along the bluffs back through the calla lilies to the car. We recommend allotting at least 30 mins to hike this easy 1-mile loop trail through Calla Lily Valley and Garrapata Beach.

Hurricane Point Vista Point

Hwy 1 felt particularly crowded this past weekend, so we didn’t feel the need to stop at all the turnouts just to battle other tourists for parking and photogenic shots of the breathtaking coast. That is, with the exception of Bixby Bridge and Hurricane Point vista points. Rather than hold up traffic to turn left into the Bixby Bridge viewpoint, we’ll save that one for our return trip back home instead. Hurricane Point, on the other hand, is an easy turnout on the right side of Hwy 1. It’s 5-miles south of Garrapata Beach and one of the highest points in Big Sur that overlooks Bixby Creek Bridge. Hurricane Point is named for its exceptionally strong winds. You won’t want to miss the magnificent views here!

Camping in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Our final destination for the day was Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, where my friend reserved a riverfront campsite for five of us + Kona for the night. We forgot to download an offline map, but easily found the park entrance clearly marked off Hwy 1:

• Address: 47555 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920 (near mile marker 47.2)
• Dog Regulations: Allowed only on the 0.5-mile Warden’s Path/River Path loop (accessible at day-use lots 1 or 2), and paved roads in the day-use areas & campground. Dogs cannot use any other state park trails, the Big Sur River, or other natural areas. Must be on a maximum 6-foot long leash. Dogs are also allowed on Pine Ridge Trail in the neighboring Los Padres National Forest.
• Cost: $35/night (Standard) or $50/night (Premium Riverfront) + $7.99 reservation fee
• Weekend Availability: Medium. Fri – booked up 1+ months in advance, but can sometimes find last minute; Sat – booked up 3+ months in advance; Sun – available, but booked up months in advance on long weekends.
• # of Campsites: 189; Bike/hike-in and group sites available
• Campground Amenities: Flush toilets, token-operated hot showers, potable water, ADA accessible campsites, dumpsters, dog waste stations, RV dump station, camp store, picnic areas, softball field, campfire center
• Campsite Amenities: Picnic table, fire pit
• RVs & Trailers: No RV hookups
• Online Reservations: www.reservecalifornia.com
• Check-In / Check-Out Time: 2pm / 12pm
• Best Sites: They are all clean and spacious with lots of tree coverage. The premium riverfront sites are worth the extra $15/night with more privacy between sites and natural white noise. We really enjoyed staying at campsite #90.
• Publications & Resources: Park Brochure/Map, Camping Info & Campground Map
• Other Notes: Watch out for the poison oak that grows in abundance here – keep your dog close by! Look for leaves of three with prominent veins and a shiny surface. The park prohibits attaching any items to trees and plants (e.g., hammocks, clotheslines, slacklines, rope swings). Campsites here do not have food lockers, so safely lock all food inside your vehicle. You can buy firewood at the entrance kiosk or from camp hosts driving around before sundown.
• Pro Tip: Your camping permit gives you free entrance to any state park or beach until sunset on the day you check out. Garrapata SP is the only other state park in Big Sur worth visiting with your dog (and it’s already free). Get your money’s worth on the way back up to the Bay Area by visiting these dog-friendly state parks that you’d normally pay an $8-10 entrance fee: Manresa SB (Watsonville), Seacliff SB (Aptos), New Brighton SB (Capitola), Henry Cowell Redwoods SP (Felton), and Forest of Nisene Marks SP (Aptos).

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is located on the western slope of Santa Lucia Mountains and is further inland compared to neighboring state parks with their coastal trails and ocean views. Instead, it spotlights the Big Sur River that runs through the entire park and Pfeiffer Falls – a beautiful 60-foot waterfall. Dogs are not allowed to hike the popular Pfeiffer Falls Trail. Not only can you walk and camp along the river among redwoods, but are encouraged to cool off by wading in the Big Sur River Gorge swimming hole and hiking trails with river crossings. Dogs unfortunately are not allowed to join in the water with you.

While Pfeiffer Big Sur is an extremely popular campground, it actually doesn’t feel crowded since the campsites are not that close to each other and the trees provide privacy. We got lucky – my friend snagged this reservation just one week earlier. All the other state parks in Big Sur do not have dog-friendly campgrounds. However, there are private campgrounds nearby that allow dogs: Big Sur Campgrounds & Cabins, Riverside Campground & Cabins, Fernwood Campgrounds & Resort, and Ventana Campground.

We arrived at our riverfront campsite #90 around 4:30pm, which was conveniently located across clean restrooms and one of the only sites with direct access to the river. The campground was fully booked for the weekend, but our site felt very secluded from everyone else. We rarely saw any cars or people pass by our campsite, but did come across a family of deer. I have never been so close to deer before, especially with Kona by my side! Dinner over the campfire was quite a struggle. Among the five of us, none of us thought to bring extra foil or grill tongs to cook the burger patties, chicken tenders and corn… whatever, we made it work! I was pleasantly surprised by how well our campfire kept the bugs away, especially since our site was right next to the river. The night started off calmly with soothing sounds of the Big Sur River flowing behind us as we shared stories and s’mores around the campfire. But that drastically changed once a nearby campsite started their outdoor karaoke party, which lasted well into the night. I’m pretty sure I hummed myself to sleep that night.

Day 2:

While there are 8-miles of state park trails in Pfeiffer Big Sur SP, the only dog-friendly one is the short 0.6-mile River Path/Warden’s Path loop near the Big Sur Station Visitor Center. Luckily the park is adjacent to the Ventana Wilderness of Los Padres National Forest, where dogs are welcome to explore all 200+ miles of its trails. The most popular hiking trail in the Ventana Wilderness is Pine Ridge Trail, which can be accessed within Pfeiffer Big Sur SP from Big Sur Station or from the campground at campsite #31. This 23-mile trail connects Big Sur Station to China Camp and is popular among backpackers as it offers multiple backcountry campsites along the way.

The next morning we were obviously not prepared to backpack Pine Ridge Trail, so opted for a much shorter, 2-mile out-and-back preview of it instead. Just past the trailhead at campsite 31 is a short creek crossing at Post Creek. Ryan and I managed to cross without getting our feet wet by leveraging a very narrow and slippery log, but Kona not so much. Continue on a steady half-mile climb up a few switchbacks until you reach the wooden Post Creek Trail Overlook sign. Turn right onto Post Creek Trail for the next 0.4-miles to an overlook in a redwood grove. We figured the overlook would be a good turnaround point, but that grove frankly is not that attractive and Post Creek Trail was quite overgrown. While the overlook wasn’t much, the valley views along Pine Ridge Trail were beautiful. We did also come across multiple groups on Pine Ridge Trail – mostly backpackers returning from their journey, but also one large group of day-hikers with their three dogs. All in all, we’re thankful to have found a dog-friendly trail near the campground so Kona could join us on this 45-min morning hike.

Relaxing on Pfeiffer Beach

Pro Tip: Google Maps can accurately navigate you to Pfeiffer Beach. Just remember to download an offline map beforehand as there is no cell service in the area.

Although Pfeiffer Beach is part of the Los Padres National Forest, it is actually managed by the Parks Management Company and thus does not accept annual passes from federal or state agencies. The day-use fee is $15. When we arrived around 1pm last Sunday, the first wave of beachgoers had just left for lunch and so we were immediately able to find parking. However, during the peak summer season, the small parking lot is often full and the rangers will make you wait at the entrance until a spot opens up. The beach is a short walk from the parking lot through a grove of trees. While on the beach, dogs must be kept on a leash no longer than six feet.

We spent the next couple of hours alternating between relaxing on the left side of the beach (it’s a lot less crowded) and admiring both the purple sand and Keyhole Arch rock formation on the right side. The purple sand washes down from the manganese garnet rocks in the cliffs and is most visible after rain. We probably came across six other dogs during our time on Pfeiffer Beach.

Big Sur River Inn – Restaurant & General Store

It’s time to slowly make our way back home. But before we say goodbye to Big Sur, don’t miss out on the next two quick stops. Just 15-mins north on Hwy 1 is Big Sur River Inn, which opened in 1934 as the first resort in Big Sur. However, we’re not here to book a guest room for the night, but to indulge in some riverside dining. Over the years, this inn became known as the “place with the chairs in the river” – there literally are large wooden adirondack chairs in the middle of the Big Sur River, which flows behind their restaurant and general store. There’s also an on-site Valero gas station, but it’s very pricey. Big Sur River Inn is a fantastic place to cool down with your dog and dip your feet/paws in the refreshing river. But if you plan to, please be a good patron and either grab a snack from the general store or order takeout from the restaurant. You can even customize your own burrito at the burrito bar inside the general store – what’s better than riverside burritos?

Bixby Bridge

Nestled along the stunning coastline of Big Sur, we saved the most iconic landmark for last: The Bixby Bridge. Also known as Bixby Creek Bridge, it is the second most photographed bridge in California after the Golden Gate Bridge. Before Bixby Bridge was completed in 1932, residents of the area had to travel 11 miles inland on Old Coast Road, which was often impassable during the winter and could take 3+ days to traverse. Soaring 260 feet above a steep canyon carved by Bixby Creek, this engineering marvel still remains as one of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world.

There are multiple viewpoints along Hwy 1 where you can capture 360-degree views of Bixby Bridge. Our favorite is from the Castle Rock Viewpoint, which is very popular and generally not easy to find parking at. Thus, we recommend visiting it on the return trip instead. As you head north on Hwy 1, turn right onto Coast Road after driving over Bixby Bridge – it’s much safer to find somewhere to park here than at the turnout off Hwy 1 near Castle Rock Viewpoint. After parking, look both ways before crossing Hwy 1 and take as many magnificent pictures of Bixby Bridge as your heart desires!