Muir Woods National Monument, for the redwoods
19 kilometers north of San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge (take the Highway 1/Stinson Beach exit), this national monument site (it is not a national park) is home to one of the very last forests of thousand-year-old redwoods in California.
We follow the Redwood Creek river before discovering four major sites: Bohemian Grove, Cathedral Grove, Pinchot Tree and Kent Tree.
Visitmuirwoods.com
To discover
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The advice:
take a fleece and a windbreaker, the temperatures change very quickly, even in summer.
Bixby Creek Bridge, number 1 on Instagram
The Bixby Creek Bridge is one of the symbols of this wild coastal area between Carmel and San Luis Obispo.
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Gateway to Big Sur on the north side, the Bixby Creek Bridge is one of the symbols of this wild coastal area between Carmel and San Luis Obispo.
If you're coming from the north (Monterey-San Francisco), don't get tricked, you'll first come across its twin, the Rocky Creek Bridge, a kilometer ahead.
Tip:
For the perfect sunset shot, switch sides and sit at the southern end of the bridge.
Pfeiffer Beach, the lost ark
In addition to a magnificent shoreline with this famous rock, the sand of Pfeiffer beach is…purple!
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This is arguably the most underrated stretch of coastline on the entire West Coast.
In addition to a magnificent shoreline with this famous rock, the sand of the beach is…purple!
This unusual color is due to the presence of manganese garnet in the rocks of the hills.
The other side of the coin, access is earned.
Tip:
when leaving Highway 1, you must take a steep and narrow road (Sycamore Canyon Road) and drive for nearly four kilometers.
Please note that Pfeiffer Beach is only open during the day, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, so much water!
A promontory overlooks the ocean with stunning views of McWay Falls.
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Sixty miles south of Monterey and eighty miles north of San Simeon, this is the best reward to effort ratio on the planet.
A 500-meter path, almost entirely flat, leads to a promontory overlooking the ocean and with a breathtaking view of McWay Falls.
This 24-meter high waterfall, visible all year round, crashes into the beach at McWay Cove and shoots out into the Pacific.
Tip:
being closed to the public, you won't have a footprint to spoil the landscape.
Perfect for photography.
Hearst Castle, castle life
This 165-room castle, completed in 1947, is a temple of opulence and excess that can be visited daily.
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Mansions abound in San Simeon, San Luis Obispo County, but none of that comes close to Hearst Castle.
This lavish creation, the work of Julia Morgan, California's first female architect, was the private residence of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst.
With a panoramic view of the 51 hectares of hanging gardens, this 165-room castle, completed in 1947, is a temple of opulence and excess that can be visited every day.
Hearstcastle.org
