M O N THeadings EREY COUNTY Inside Getting Oriented Monterey County sits just south of California’s beachfront community of Santa Cruz and just north of San Luis Obispo. To the east, the county includes the verdant Salinas Valley, a lush growing region bound by the Santa Lucia and Gabilan mountains. Highway 101 is the county’s major thoroughfare. Our other highway, the world-famous California Highway 1, clings to the sheer cliffs of Big Sur, passes surf-pounded rocks at Point Lobos and skirts sandy beach towns of Seaside, Marina, and Moss Landing, along the edge of the Monterey Peninsula.
INSIDER TIP Visitors love to ask me questions... How cold it the water? — The water rarely gets to 60 degrees, wetsuits are a must. Aren’t you afraid of sharks? — The only sharks I see are in the Monterey Bay Aquarium. How was the Surfing? — Fun & Beautiful! -Wayne Holden, Local Surfer & Photographer
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Big Sur From Carmel Valley heading south, Highway 1 twists and turns along the cliffside toward Big Sur, one of the most spectacular stretches of coastline in the world. That the road even exists here at all is a testament to local engineering. The Ventana Mountains plunge virtually straight into the sea, with little coastal shelf on which to place a roadbed. Beginning in 1919, Highway 1 took 20 years to build from start (in San Juan Capistrano) to finish (in Mendocino County). Since then, however, the road has drawn birders, bicyclists, marathon runners, movie stars and more. The best way to get to know Big Sur is through its state parks and reserves. The first park south of Carmel is Point Lobos State Reserve, a jewel-like series of turquoise coves and craggy points where weathered Monterey Cypress trees have been twisted by the wind. If the mist can have the power of persuasion, if the salt water can be your muse, it will happen here. In this park, artist Francis McComas once described Monterey County as the “greatest meeting of land and sea.” After just a short visit, you’ll experience first-hand what he meant. Point Lobos isn’t the only park worth seeing along Big Sur. Other notables are Pfeiffer-Big Sur State Park, beloved for the two-mile Valley View trail that passes a waterfall that tumbles 80 feet onto a sandy, deserted beach, and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, where inland trails run through redwood groves to a pioneer-era mill. All told, the area’s half-dozen parks offer trails and picnic tables, beaches and campsites. For a stronger dose of luxury, Big Sur also accommodates with cozy cabins, inns, and unparalleled resorts.
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Call 1-877-MONTEREY for information
Point Lobos State Reserve