On 22 May 2022, my first week in California, my friend Jimmy He and I drove from San Jose down the Big Sur coast and back in one day. Here is our route, with the address, time, and photos for every stop, so you can plan your own day trip. Jimmy works at Tesla, so he was able to check out a Model Y; it was a great way to cut down on gas.
TLDR
- Time: about 13 hours, leaving San Jose at 5:35 AM and getting home at 6:31 PM.
- Best views: Bixby Creek Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach (my favorite), McWay Falls, and 17-Mile Drive.
- Food: Big Sur Bakery and Nepenthe Restaurant.
- Electric car? There is a Tesla charging station in Big Sur.
🫧 Big Sur Trip Itinerary
- Depart
- Bixby Creek Bridge
- Pfeiffer Beach
- Nepenthe Restaurant
- McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
- 17-Mile Drive of Pebble Beach
- Home
🛫 Depart
5:35 AM from San Jose on 22 May 2022.
🍩 Grocery Store
Bought water and donuts
⛅️ Coastline One
No address.
🌁 Bixby Creek Bridge
CA-1, Monterey, CA 93940
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🐄 Cows
No address.
🐚 Big Sur Bakery with Shell
47540 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920. Jimmy filled the air in the tires.
⛰️ Mountains
No address.
🚗 Tesla Charging Station
48123 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920. We charged the Tesla here so we would not worry about range for the rest of the day.
Time: 8:45 AM
🌊 Pfeiffer Beach
47199 Clear Ridge Rd, Big Sur, CA 93920
This was my favorite spot! I have so many photos.
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🪨 Mountains
No address.
👩🍳 Nepenthe Restaurant
48510 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920
🏞️ McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
52801 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920
🌴 17-Mile Drive of Pebble Beach
17 Mile Drive, Del Monte Forest, CA 93953
Did you know Pebble Beach has a website?
⛱️ Spanish Bay Beach
🐟 The Restless Sea
🦌 The Fanshell Beach
🦎 The Lone Cypress
🏠 Home
Time: 6:31 PM
🌸 Conclusion
I hope you like the photos from my Big Sur trip. These scenic activities were a lot of fun; I highly recommend anyone visiting California travel to Big Sur.
If you enjoyed this post, check out my travel page and my packing tips.
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