My husband and I booked a week in Northern CA in late March (20-27). We have flights into SJC and plan to drive straight to Yosemite (shutdown dependent) for the first three nights, then head back to the coast where we have a hotel in Carmel for three nights to explore Big Sur/surrounding area. Our last night (26) is currently open as I figure out a fun but practical spot to stay before our 11am flight out of SJC the next day.

My question -- with three nights in Carmel, should we explore Big Sur both of the two full days? We will (hopefully) have had two days of challenging hikes ahead of our arrival to the coast, so anticipate driving the coast line with smaller hikes to see the redwoods and beaches. But should that take both days, or should we dedicate one to explore elsewhere around Carmel? I keep seeing mention of the Carmel Valley and their wine country, which sounds intriguing as long as it didn't sacrifice valuable time we should dedicate to Big Sur.

Background -- married couple in our mid-30s, no kids. Ideal day is a hike/outdoor activity that pairs well with a local brewery/winery/food.

Many thanks for any advice!

Well, to me, Big Sur is nice, but to me it's the other things around Monterey Bay and the Monterey Peninsula that are the real draws. First on the list is Point Lobos - glorious scenery, wildlife... Then there's the Monterey aquarium, the old Spanish mission at Carmel. On the other side of the bay, the Henry Cowell and Big Basin redwoods in the hills above Santa Cruz are terrific (and, IMO, offer a somewhat better experience than the Pfeiffer redwoods in Big Sur.) And the Beach Boardwalk amusement park in Santa Cruz is a cool throwback of a place.

One thing I'd do is take a day to drive down to the Hearst Castle - a couple of hours from Carmel. The drive is, of course, stupendous, and the castle is too, but the elephant seal colony just north of the castle's visitor center is very cool. In March there will probably still be some babies around, and the scene is quite something.

We've visited Big Sur, Carmel, etc too many times to count. If you don't plan to hike much or visit Hearst Castle - one day-trip from Carmel is fine. Have lunch at Nepenthe.


Stu Dudley

What about Santa Cruz..you can see Henry Cowell Redwoods and Capitola...

>>Yosemite (shutdown dependent)

Thanks for the thorough info (and adorable photo!) Garyloo. I wasn't even thinking about all the options for exploring redwoods and I love the idea of saving one more park for our drive back to the Bay Area. I was toying with the idea of Hearst Castle and those guys may have "sealed" the deal Also, pleasantly surprised by some great breweries in that area!

THANK YOU for the reminder about Capitola! I just looked it up and recall falling in love with the town after reading a Coastal Living article. I absolutely will stop through if we do the redwoods basin in SC, thank you!

Thanks, Stu -- greatly appreciate the reminder about the beach (though seriously hoping we're not still in shutdown mode come late March...). And Nepenthe is going on the itinerary for sure, glad for the recommendation!