The internet is full of blogs on how travel changes your life. It is also full of blogs on how photography changes your life. I’m not here to talk about any of those.

I’m here to talk about the bits which no one talks about — planning for the trip to soak in the beautiful landscapes around us; and getting a few good shots along the way.

I’ve made several trips for the one gorgeous shot that I saw on Flickr or 500px but often missed some gorgeous spots nearby. The same applies to driving down Highway 1 to Big Sur only for a shot of the McWay falls or the Bixby Bridge.

Make no mistake, driving down Highway 1 is one of the best road trips in US. Whether you’re looking for a weekend getaway from San Francisco or are touring the bay area, or love beautiful road trips, there’s a little bit for everyone. And, if you’re like me and want a few tips on finding some of the hidden gems, here’s a travelog of my trip driving down Highway 1 from San Francisco airport (SFO); a google maps link to all the places listed below. Enjoy!

Note: While google maps says 4 hours 17 mins for this drive (without traffic), I strongly recommend 2–3 days at best since you’ll want to stop and hike, take pictures, get off the beaten path, every chance you’ll get.

Day 1

Half Moon Bay

Google maps doesn’t play nice when you ask it for directions to Big Sur since it’s trying to get you there as fast as possible. Given that the speed limits on Highway 1 are nowhere close to US101S or any of the other freeways, you won’t be hitting Route 1 until Santa Cruz, which misses a majority of the beautiful coastline…. Unless, you tell it to go to Half Moon Bay instead and then drive down Highway 1.

Once you’re on Highway 1, it’s a straight road down to Big Sur; slow down, pull over at the very many turnouts, soak in the gorgeous views of the coastline and share some of the spots I might have missed.

Natural Bridges State Beach

About 1–1.5 hours into your drive (or 15 mins from Davenport beach pictured above), you should see signs to Santa Cruz coming up your way.

While I couldn’t get a good shot at this beach, here’s a link to a picture from Joshua Cripps that has me planning a trip to shoot the rock again.

For the next few miles up to Monterey, Highway 1 tends to move a little off-coast and a little more traffic and civilization could come your way — use that as a way to either stop for the day, get something to eat or drink.

We ended up staying in Monterey to break for the night. Carmel is another cute town where you could find some cool hotels too. If you have some time on your hands, Monterey Bay aquarium is worth a visit.

Day 2

17 mile drive (Monterey Bay, Pebble Beach, Carmel by the sea)

Another very popular spot on the list is the 17 mile drive. It has 4 main entrances but I highly recommend entering through the Highway 1 entrance. (Note: This road is owned and operated by the the Pebble Beach Co and requires a toll.) Once through the entrance, it’s pretty much a straight road with ~15 lookout points (you get a booklet with info on these spots). Unwind, hike, relax at the beach and get something to eat at one of their restaurants.

The famous spot here is the lone cypress tree and I highly recommend going down to the closer view point down the stairs, to the far left of the parking lot to get a better vantage of the gorgeous view.

Fun fact: The image of the tree has been copyrighted by the Pebble Beach Co. which prevents artists from using pictures of the tree for commercial purposes.

Point Lobos State Park

During my research, I have to admit, Point Lobos was the most underrated spot that I came across. It is one of the most gorgeous and breathtaking state parks I’ve been to. It’s perfect for hiking along scenic trails, viewing wildlife, rocky shores, crashing waves and gorgeous views of the ocean.

China Cove (within Point Lobos State Park)

China Cove requires a special mention for all the photo opportunities that it provides. Here are two of my favorite shots from the hike there.

Bixby Bridge

No road trip on Highway 1 is complete without driving to the iconic Bixby bridge. It happens to be one of the most photographed bridges along the Pacific Coast according to Wikipedia.

If you’re driving south, instead of parking in the lot on the right, a tip is to go the the opening on the left which will give you a vantage point below facing the sea. It was quite foggy when I went there but it also makes for a great location for night photography.

Fun fact: While driving south on route 1, you first come across Rocky Creek Bridge which is a smaller version of the grand Bixby bridge. So, don’t let it confuse you.

Note: Once you’re past Bixby Bridge, there’s very limited cell phone coverage so be prepared to have print-outs before hand.

Mcway Falls

Virtually all Google image search results of Big Sur result in a view of the gorgeous Mcway falls. The quickest way to see the falls is to park your car a mile past where google maps marks the falls — you should see a lot of cars there. From there it’s a short (0.6 mile) hike overlooking the gorgeous 80 foot falls.

Pfeiffer Beach (keyhole rock)

The grand prize at the end is the keyhole rock on Pfieffer beach. Considering that all of Highway 1 faces the west, you are going to see a gorgeous sunset no matter where you are. However, I wanted to find the perfect foreground for those gorgeous sunsets. The keyhole rock gives you just that. If you’re lucky, you could also get a shot of the sun’s star light from the keyhole of the rock.

It’s hard to find the access road if you’ve never been here before (lack of cell phone coverage doesn’t help either.) The trick is locating an unmarked Sycamore Canyon Road; which is the only paved, ungated road going west from Highway 1 between Big Sur Post Office and Pfieffer Big Sur State park. If you’re driving south, this is a very sharp right turn and quite easy to miss. Which is why I recommend going to McWay falls first and then driving back up north. This way you end up having to look for a fork paved, unmarked Sycamore Canyon road between the State Park and the Post office. Once you’re on the road, drive for about 2 miles until it ends into a large parking area at the end of the road. A short marked trail leads you to the beach.

We got there an hour earlier so we have enough time to locate the turn out and I could find the perfect spot. I couldn’t be happier with the shot!

Note: Technically this beach comes before Mcway Falls pictured above but I recommend coming here after visiting Mcway Falls. Mainly because it can be difficult to find the beach when driving south, than it is north. Also, it’s perfect for sunset which makes it ideal for it being the last stop in your day.

Bonus

If you want to stop somewhere drinks/coffee/food, with some great views, once you’re past Point Lobos, I highly recommend Nepenthe.

In case you’re curious, here’s a list of my gear:

Nikon D610
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 24–70mm f/2.8G ED Zoom Lens
Nikon AF-S FX NIKKOR 16–35mm f/4G ED Vibration Reduction Zoom Lens
B+W 77mm Kaesemann Circular Polarizer
B+W 77mm ND 3.0–1,000X