Best Day Trips on the Central California Coast
This June, I went on a road trip along the Pacific Coast Highway, starting in San Francisco. Carmel-by-the-sea was our home base to see so many of the amazing spots on the central California coast! From Monterey to Santa Cruz to State Parks and more, there is so much to see and do. Here are some of our thoughts on what to definitely see, save if you have more time, or skip on your trip to the central Cali coast:
See: Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park
A must-see!! I had never heard of Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park until it was recommended to us by a ranger at another nearby State Park. We were planning on visiting Big Basin State Park to see some Redwoods but learned that it is recovering from the 2020 wildfires, and the ranger suggested that Henry Cowell State Park would be a good stop. I’m so happy we went! We walked the Redwood Grove Loop trail, which is an easy walk along a marked trail. We picked up on of the loaner guides near the entrance of the trail, and it contained information about 15 of the spots along the trail.
See: Elephant Seals at Ano Nuevo State Park
This was at the top of our list once we landed in California. You do have to hike a trail that is partly gravel, sand dune, and boardwalk, but it is worth it! We saw probably around 30 elephant seals on the beach and learned that they were practicing fighting and their voices. There were docents stationed throughout the trail to teach about the habitat and the elephant seals.
See: Kite-surfers Scott Creek County Beach
Another thing we stumbled upon! Driving South on the Pacific Coast Highway, we came around a bend and our jaws dropped seeing these kite-surfers. The amount of surfers each day can be hit or miss, but we saw at least 15 surfers when we drove past in the afternoon. It was so cool watching them do tricks on their boards!
Save: Big Basin State Park
As I mentioned earlier, Big Basin is recovering from the wildfires in 2020. We would have loved to still go if we had more time, but will have to save it for a future trip instead!
Skip: Shark Fin Cove
We drove past Shark Fin Cove a few times but never stopped. It’s viewable out the car window, which was enough to satisfy our interest for the trip!