California, Big Sur specifically

[tvlmm]

Hello!

DH, myself, and our 6.5 y.o. and 4.5 y.o. are going to CA later this year and I need some help with lodging/timing, please!

We'll be spending our 1st night on the coast in Santa Cruz.

After that I really don't know how much time to give ourselves.
The next day we plan to do Monterey (Aquarium, maybe Cannery Row, 17 mile Drive), Pacific Grove, maybe Asilomar Beach and if the kids need it, some time on Dennis the Menace playground. Then we'll go to Carmel, the plan there is to go to Carmel River State Beach and Point Lobos State Reserve and possibly Garrapata State Park.

Do we then stop and spend the night somewhere in this area?? We like to take photos and scenery, so we'll be getting out often, we'll do a few short hikes, we are not planning on any swimming but will probably walk on the beaches, let the kids run around, throw rocks, etc. We are not foodies and will not be spending a ton of time eating, mostly we'll have casual non-fancy meals.

From Carmel, our plan is: Bixby Bridge and Hurricane Point for photo ops; maybe drive up Palo Colorado Rd and Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd. Not sure if we'll hike in Garland Ranch Regional Park but we'll likely stop by Point Sur Lighthouse. Next on the list are Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Pfeiffer Beach, with a possible stop at Nepenthe. Then onto Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls. I am not sure how long this would take and how far south we should be driving before stopping for the night and heading East to Yosemite the next day. Should we stop at San Simeon, or head farther to Morro Bay?

(time is not an issue and we can spend 2 more nights after Santa Cruz on the coast)

TIA!!

[mdgirl]

My husband and I went to Monterey a couple weeks ago, and spent a day-and-a-half at the Aquarium. I'd be sure to devote a good chunk of time to it with kids that age. One thing that's nice about it is that you can leave and re-enter throughout the day. I can't help with Big Sur because we didn't make it down there.

[emilyinchile]

Feb 12, 2015 9:35:44 GMT -5 tvlmm said:

After that I really don't know how much time to give ourselves.
The next day we plan to do Monterey (Aquarium, maybe Cannery Row, 17 mile Drive), Pacific Grove, maybe Asilomar Beach and if the kids need it, some time on Dennis the Menace playground. Then we'll go to Carmel, the plan there is to go to Carmel River State Beach and Point Lobos State Reserve and possibly Garrapata State Park.

Is this all one day? Because that is not really possible. Even just the stuff you have in the second sentence is a ton...the Aquarium (which I LOVE) takes several hours.

I can't tell if Carmel is a separate day, and then everything else that I deleted is a third day, or if you're thinking Monterey and Carmel as Day 1 and the Big Sur stuff as Day 2.

I wouldn't plan to keep going south if your next stop is Yosemite because that's farther north and is going to then be a really long driving day, especially for kids. To break up the drive, assuming you need to do your first night in Santa Cruz, I would actually even consider heading down to Big Sur for the first day and then making your way back up the coast so that on the day you drive to Yosemite, you're going from Monterey which isn't as far.

[tvlmm]

Feb 12, 2015 11:34:15 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

Feb 12, 2015 9:35:44 GMT -5 tvlmm said:

After that I really don't know how much time to give ourselves.
The next day we plan to do Monterey (Aquarium, maybe Cannery Row, 17 mile Drive), Pacific Grove, maybe Asilomar Beach and if the kids need it, some time on Dennis the Menace playground. Then we'll go to Carmel, the plan there is to go to Carmel River State Beach and Point Lobos State Reserve and possibly Garrapata State Park.

Is this all one day? Because that is not really possible. Even just the stuff you have in the second sentence is a ton...the Aquarium (which I LOVE) takes several hours.

I can't tell if Carmel is a separate day, and then everything else that I deleted is a third day, or if you're thinking Monterey and Carmel as Day 1 and the Big Sur stuff as Day 2.

I wouldn't plan to keep going south if your next stop is Yosemite because that's farther north and is going to then be a really long driving day, especially for kids. To break up the drive, assuming you need to do your first night in Santa Cruz, I would actually even consider heading down to Big Sur for the first day and then making your way back up the coast so that on the day you drive to Yosemite, you're going from Monterey which isn't as far.

[tvlmm]

Feb 12, 2015 11:34:15 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

Feb 12, 2015 9:35:44 GMT -5 tvlmm said:

After that I really don't know how much time to give ourselves.
The next day we plan to do Monterey (Aquarium, maybe Cannery Row, 17 mile Drive), Pacific Grove, maybe Asilomar Beach and if the kids need it, some time on Dennis the Menace playground. Then we'll go to Carmel, the plan there is to go to Carmel River State Beach and Point Lobos State Reserve and possibly Garrapata State Park.

Is this all one day? Because that is not really possible. Even just the stuff you have in the second sentence is a ton...the Aquarium (which I LOVE) takes several hours.

I can't tell if Carmel is a separate day, and then everything else that I deleted is a third day, or if you're thinking Monterey and Carmel as Day 1 and the Big Sur stuff as Day 2.

I wouldn't plan to keep going south if your next stop is Yosemite because that's farther north and is going to then be a really long driving day, especially for kids. To break up the drive, assuming you need to do your first night in Santa Cruz, I would actually even consider heading down to Big Sur for the first day and then making your way back up the coast so that on the day you drive to Yosemite, you're going from Monterey which isn't as far.

So it sounds like what you are saying is that we should do Aquarium and 17 mile drive one day and then spend the night somewhere in Monterey/Pacific Grove area. And then do Carmel and the south the next day?
We have 2 nights to spend on the coast after Santa Cruz and are flexible on where to overnight and how much time to spend in each location.

According to google maps, Monterey to Yosemite is almost the same as San Simeon to Yosemite, we were planning to take Hwy 41 East, is there a better/faster way?

Thanks!

[Alyssa]

I live in Santa Cruz...born and raised here.  It sounds like you have a lot of the places of interest covered.  I do recommend checking out Henry Cowell in Felton if you have time.  It is beautiful and an easy walk with kids.  Plus you are right next to Roaring Camp where they have a steam engine that runs through the redwoods.





www.roaringcamp.com/



Lover's Point in Monterey is also a fun walk.  If you arrive in April, the ice pants are in full bloom and everything is carpeted in a vibrant pink.....makes for some great photos.

[tvlmm]

Alyssa, yes, I read about it and DS is obsessed with trains so this needs to go on our list, thanks for the reminder!
Would the pink be visible in late March by any chance?

ETA: it is on my itinerary, just before Santa Cruz (we will be driving from SF), which is why I didn't post about it here

[emilyinchile]

Feb 12, 2015 12:22:06 GMT -5 tvlmm said:

Feb 12, 2015 11:34:15 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

Is this all one day? Because that is not really possible. Even just the stuff you have in the second sentence is a ton...the Aquarium (which I LOVE) takes several hours.

I can't tell if Carmel is a separate day, and then everything else that I deleted is a third day, or if you're thinking Monterey and Carmel as Day 1 and the Big Sur stuff as Day 2.

I wouldn't plan to keep going south if your next stop is Yosemite because that's farther north and is going to then be a really long driving day, especially for kids. To break up the drive, assuming you need to do your first night in Santa Cruz, I would actually even consider heading down to Big Sur for the first day and then making your way back up the coast so that on the day you drive to Yosemite, you're going from Monterey which isn't as far.

So it sounds like what you are saying is that we should do Aquarium and 17 mile drive one day and then spend the night somewhere in Monterey/Pacific Grove area. And then do Carmel and the south the next day?
We have 2 nights to spend on the coast after Santa Cruz and are flexible on where to overnight and how much time to spend in each location.

According to google maps, Monterey to Yosemite is almost the same as San Simeon to Yosemite, we were planning to take Hwy 41 East, is there a better/faster way?

Thanks!

Yes. Even if you like to do things fast, I don't think the list of things you had fits into one day's-worth of hours.

I actually hadn't looked at the mileage difference between Monterey and San Simeon to Yosemite, I was just thinking geographically. From Monterey you'd take 152, which is what I've always done coming from the Bay Area, but I don't know how 41 compares. There it looks like again, it comes down to how much you like to pack in - I would want to split up the longer driving day of getting to Yosemite with a few days of not going as far (so sticking more around Santa Cruz-Big Sur rather than heading all that way south just to see more coastline), but that's just personal preference.

[tvlmm]

emilyinchile, thanks for your advice, we'll spend a night in Monterey/Carmel area. I am now thinking perhaps we should spend 2 nights there. After the 1st night in M/C, we would like to see:

the stuff I listed in my original post
I have no idea why it won't let me C&P here!!

does it make sense to drive down to McWay falls and do all that in one day and then up again to spend the night in M/C before heading to Yosemite?

[tvlmm]

(ok, it's letting me C&P here via "Quick Reply," just not when I hit "Reply")

After the 1st night in M/C, we would like to see:
River State Beach
Point Lobos State Reserve
Garrapata State Park (maybe)
Bixby Bridge and Hurricane Point
maybe drive up Palo Colorado Rd and Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd
Not sure if we'll hike in Garland Ranch Regional Park
we'll likely stop by Point Sur Lighthouse.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Pfeiffer Beach
possible stop at Nepenthe
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls


So, the question is, is all of the above doable in one day, plus the drive back up to Monterey for the night? (we'd like to be in the hotel NLT 6pm b/c of the kids and their bedtime)

[RoxMonster]

A few years ago we stayed in Carmel and did day trips to Monterey and Big Sur, but on separate days.

On one day, we hiked Point Lobos in the morning, then did Monterey, including the aquarium and walking around, in the afternoon. I think we came back and did 17 mile Drive that same day.

The second day, we did Bixby Bridge, Andrew Molera, Pfeiffer Beach, and McWay Falls plus lunch at Nepenthe. That pretty much took one whole day by itself. We did not get to do the other things listed on your itinerary.

I think that is a LOT to do in one day. Just the driving plus stopping for photos plus visiting the few places we did took us a full day. We did about a one-hour hike at Andrew Molera and stayed at Pfeiffer Beach for about an hour, but we did not stay at each place for a super long time. I would split it up if possible or omit some things from your itinerary.

If it helps, Nepenthe was a HUGE time suck. The wait was long and service was slow. The food was not great. Yes, the view was drop-dead gorgeous and I would go up and see the view and maybe check out the gift shop, but I don't think I'd eat there again. I'd actually rather pack a picnic and picnic at one of the parks instead of eating there. That would also save time.

[emilyinchile]

Feb 13, 2015 11:06:56 GMT -5 tvlmm said:

(ok, it's letting me C&P here via "Quick Reply," just not when I hit "Reply")

After the 1st night in M/C, we would like to see:
River State Beach
Point Lobos State Reserve
Garrapata State Park (maybe)
Bixby Bridge and Hurricane Point
maybe drive up Palo Colorado Rd and Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd
Not sure if we'll hike in Garland Ranch Regional Park
we'll likely stop by Point Sur Lighthouse.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Pfeiffer Beach
possible stop at Nepenthe
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls


So, the question is, is all of the above doable in one day, plus the drive back up to Monterey for the night? (we'd like to be in the hotel NLT 6pm b/c of the kids and their bedtime)

I haven't been to all of those places, but just the length of the list overwhelms me, honestly. That's 11 places. Assuming a start time of 8 am and an end time of 6 pm, you have less than 1 hour per place including drive time, bathroom breaks, snacks and lunch stops. That to me is not doable because literally just stopping for a photo at each place wouldn't be interesting to me.

I'd pick your top 4 or 5, map out the drive times (including the fact that it always takes a while to get into/out of the car, find the parking lot, walk to the exact vista point, etc) and consider how long you actually want to be in each place - are you happy with just a photo, or do you want to walk around, let the kids play, have lunch - to decide what's going to be doable for you.

[earlybird]

Feb 13, 2015 11:06:56 GMT -5 tvlmm said:

(ok, it's letting me C&P here via "Quick Reply," just not when I hit "Reply")

After the 1st night in M/C, we would like to see:
River State Beach
Point Lobos State Reserve
Garrapata State Park (maybe)
Bixby Bridge and Hurricane Point
maybe drive up Palo Colorado Rd and Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd
Not sure if we'll hike in Garland Ranch Regional Park
we'll likely stop by Point Sur Lighthouse.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Pfeiffer Beach
possible stop at Nepenthe
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls


So, the question is, is all of the above doable in one day, plus the drive back up to Monterey for the night? (we'd like to be in the hotel NLT 6pm b/c of the kids and their bedtime)

This is a lot to do in one day.  Honestly, I'm not sure it's possible, particularly with kids.  Depending on when you leave, there is also the potential for heavy traffic between Monterey and Big Sur.  It took us more than an hour and a half to go 7 miles the last time we went to Big Sur.

ETA: Grey whales migrate back to Alaska in April.  You can see them from the shore, but if time allows, it might be fun to take a whale-watching trip.

[honeybadger]

No comment on the rest, but my kids LOVE Dennis the Menace park!  We were just there in August--so much fun!  Enjoy!

[1confused1]

Feb 16, 2015 15:29:57 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

Feb 13, 2015 11:06:56 GMT -5 tvlmm said:

(ok, it's letting me C&P here via "Quick Reply," just not when I hit "Reply")

After the 1st night in M/C, we would like to see:
River State Beach
Point Lobos State Reserve
Garrapata State Park (maybe)
Bixby Bridge and Hurricane Point
maybe drive up Palo Colorado Rd and Nacimiento-Fergusson Rd
Not sure if we'll hike in Garland Ranch Regional Park
we'll likely stop by Point Sur Lighthouse.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Pfeiffer Beach
possible stop at Nepenthe
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to see McWay Falls


So, the question is, is all of the above doable in one day, plus the drive back up to Monterey for the night? (we'd like to be in the hotel NLT 6pm b/c of the kids and their bedtime)

I haven't been to all of those places, but just the length of the list overwhelms me, honestly. That's 11 places. Assuming a start time of 8 am and an end time of 6 pm, you have less than 1 hour per place including drive time, bathroom breaks, snacks and lunch stops. That to me is not doable because literally just stopping for a photo at each place wouldn't be interesting to me.

I'd pick your top 4 or 5, map out the drive times (including the fact that it always takes a while to get into/out of the car, find the parking lot, walk to the exact vista point, etc) and consider how long you actually want to be in each place - are you happy with just a photo, or do you want to walk around, let the kids play, have lunch - to decide what's going to be doable for you.

Is there a reason you want to hit all of those rather than have longer time in less locations?

I've lived in Nor Cal my whole life and haven't been to nearly half of those places.