Pic worth 1000 words
Highway One’s most scenic stops are a hit on Instagram
THE most well-known, and photographed, stretch of Highway One runs along California’s Central Coast from Santa Barbara to Monterey, passing by the unspoiled coastline of Big Sur.
1.Carmel-by-the-Sea
Carmel Beach isn’t the only star of the petite Monterey County city. The enchanting destination has long exerted a magnetic pull on artists and authors. Today, Carmel Village is home to nearly 100 art galleries. Here, garden cottages that look plucked from the Brothers Grimm sit next to Mediterranean estates and modern ranches. Navigate 17-Mile Drive by car or bike, stopping to contemplate the Lone Cypress that’s clung to a patch of rock for centuries. Play a round at Pebble Beach, considered the number one public golf course in the country, or make for Point Lobos State Reserve, where scuba divers and kayakers share the water with harbour seals and sea otters.
2.Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
The 1km round-trip Waterfall Overlook Trail at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park could be the biggest-bang-for-not-much-work hike on the planet. The almost flat stroll ends in an oceanfront overlook with flawless views of McWay Falls, a favourite spot of Big Sur pioneer woman Julia Pfeiffer Burns, after whom the park is named.
3.Bixby Bridge
This is Big Sur’s version of the Golden Gate – and probably the most instagrammed feature along the Big Sur coastline. And rightly so. Pull over at numerous turnouts to get amazing views, particularly from the bridge’s south end at sunset. As one of the world’s highest bridges, it soars 79m above the bottom of a steep canyon carved by Bixby Creek.
4.Hearst Castle
Mansions are a dime a dozen in California, with movie stars and tech power brokers building palaces and adding wings with abandon. But nothing comes close to Hearst Castle. It was lavishly designed by Julia Morgan, California’s first female architect, as the private residence of publishing magnate William Randolph Hearst. Now showcased within one of California’s most visited state parks, it is an eye-popping extravaganza with a 165-room castle and 51ha of terraced gardens, fountains and pools.