Where to camp in Big Sur and Ventana Listed North to South |
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Bottchers Gap Palo Colorado Canyon Road – at the top of a rough road – 7.7 miles |
Primitive camp sites. No drinking water. First come basis. Good views of Pico Blanco and Ventana Double Cone mountains $12 per night |
Andrew Molera
State Park 21 miles south of Carmel crossroads. |
California State Parks made
improvements to the Molera Big Sur camping experience. Hike in to 24 rustic environmental sites. Secluded. No RVs. By the Big Sur River. Limited to 4 people per site. No reservations. First come – first serve. New restrooms Dogs are not allowed beyond the picnic area between the river and the parking lot. Good hikes to mouth of the river. Excellent bird watching- Bird banding and conservation talk each Saturday morning. State Park. Fee: $7 per night. Day use fee: $5 per vehicle |
Pfeiffer Big Sur
State Park Campground 24 miles south of
Carmel River 214 camp sites,
along the Big Sur River in the redwoods. 2 group campsites –
for up to 35 people Sites are well
spaced apart. 1,006 acres.
Showers. Store. Restaurant, gift
shop and grocery store at lodge. River swimming. Good
hiking trails. Waterfalls. Camping Fee: $16 a
night. Campsite
reservations: 800.444.7275
Ca
State Parks
Seniors $14
Off season rates: $13 – ($11 Seniors)Dogs allowed in
campground areas only
Premium Sites are $20 In-Season ($18 for Seniors), $17 Off
Season ($15 for Seniors )
Dump station for RVs
Hike in
environmental campsites, like Molera. But nicer. And, cost
more. Price here is $14 per day ($12 for Seniors) In-Season,
and $11 ($9 for Seniors) in Off-Season. There are two sites,
each accommodates up to 8 people. If
you do not see it for yourself, you will not believe
it. No water. No
toilets. You have to hike back to the park entrance for
those. The hike from the park’s vehicle parking area is
about 1/3 mile. But, the campsites can be reached from the
road by foot (there’s a closed gate at the trail to the camp
sites), and that cuts the hike in half. The sites have a
cupboard, table, typical camp charcoal stand, and a fire
pit. The views are
breathtaking. The camp sites are situated among granite
boulders, in a pine and cypress forest. The other
mentionable feature is a picnic area near the Park
entrance. It is in a Redwood canyon along the McWay creek
– as delicious and idyllic a scene as any Hollywood set
creator could dream up. There are ancient
Redwoods that were not harvested 125 years ago as most
virgin trees were because they had anomalies –like
twisted trunks or great burl out growths that diminished
their commercial values. But left to grow they are
magnificent reminders of what the forest was like. They
are like huge holy creatures. The forest floor is a soft
bed of fluffy needles accented by glossy green ferns,
sunlight beaming through the forest canopy on to the
busy, gurgling steam –which is flopping over colorful,
mossy rocks in a gentle meander to its thunderous fate in
the spectacular falls into the Pacific Ocean. Our Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park site: JPB
State Park
Ca
State Parks
These
sites have something rare and exhilarating.
(Dogs
are not allowed.)
Set
on the south side of the promontory that forms the
threshold for McWay Falls, the camp sites face Saddle
Rock – a unique scene of extraordinary beauty – and the
granite coves of the south side of this point.
Two
other features of Julia Pfeiffer Burns are worth
mentioning. McWay Falls is an 80 foot drop over a granite
precipice, into the ocean tide on a pristine beach in a
cove that is completely unmolested by humans – except
there is a trail high up the granite cliffs on the
opposite side where people trod a well beaten path to
view one of this continent’s most exquisite
sights.
A
great hike at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
••••••••••••
Best of California’s
Central Coast –
Approved to benefit
Pelican Affinity Partners, the community-based non
profits who help the arts and environment.
Interactive Map for Big Sur Region
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