In some areas of the United States, such as northern California, tanbark is often called "mulch."…read more In these areas, the word "mulch" may refer to peat moss or to very fine tanbark. In California, Notholithocarpus densiflorus (commonly known as the tanoak or tanbark-oak) was used to tan hide into leather. This forest is full of not only twisted redwoods, but also tanbark-oak. Gorgeous autotrophs keep you cool under their shade froM a cathedral scaled canopy. Gratitude. Wonder. Stillness. This is what you will find here. Steep hike upward. Enjoy.

You will not find dramatic ocean views but you will have a peaceful walk in the woods with a good…read moreworkout. The base of the trail is a gentle slope running by a stream graced by redwoods. When you reach the Mcloughlin Grove make a sharp right and up a steep section. Afterwards its a series of switchbacks. When you reach the top, you have the option to turn back or extend your hike to the Tin House, which I recommend. It is just around the bend and you do catch a glimpse of the Water Trail (Unfortunately closed) with its series of capes by the ocean. An alternative it to take the Fire Road but it leads to HWY 1 and you need to trek a mile back to your car. Make sure you use GPS as the trailhead (Paddington Station?) is sunken below the main road and easy to miss.

Our twelfth stop (09:42) on the Cabrillo Highway on our southbound trip through Big Sur, this dirt…read moreturn off provides unmarked parking to get clear views of the Partington Cove trail that will take you down to see the cove. We couldn't take the hike down but there were already cars parked on the side of the road to allow easy entry onto the trailhead. No cell reception in this area.

We came here 10 years ago and it was a hidden gem at the time, we drove by around 8:30am on the way…read moreto McWay Falls and there were already 2 cars there so I knew it was no longer a secret. This is by far one of our favorite Big Sur spots. The entire beginning of the hike is all downhill so you'll have an easy time going down and be panting on the way back up, you'll see it in other people's faces as you are going down. At the very bottom split I would take the time to go both directions, if you take the bridge it'll lead to a view of the ocean that narrows and then broadens. There is a nice wood tunnel you'll pass through and at the very end of the trail you can do a small rock scrambles to get an amazing view of the turquoise blue water and seaweed gently swaying in the water. If you are lucky you'll spot some sea otters diving in the kelp. If you take the other path it leads to a rocky cove with fun boulders for kids and adults to climb on, if you come in a wet season or after rain there will be a stream with many mini waterfalls on the left side. The wave splashes here are epic and it is dangerous so I would always be mindful of the water and avoid rocks that are wet when visiting.

I did an overnight motorcycle ride with a buddy, from the SF Bay Area to Prewitt Ridge and WOW! The…read moreride south along Hwy 1 heading there is spectacular, but the views from the ridge are next level! The 5+ miles of silty, rough dirt road heading up to the ridge was a little challenging on street bikes, but we managed just fine. The views from the ridge are breathtaking in every direction, and it was very pleasant to see very little trash laying about. Clearly, this is a campground area that is mainly used by seasoned, "Pack Your Trash" campers, which is awesome. Hope it stays that way. We went in mid Fall during a very brief heat wave, and the small flies were annoying, but they don't bite. We just covered our faces with buffs and slept under netting. That was literally the only drawback. PROS: Awesome Panoramic Views FREE to camp! Many flat camping areas to choose from No Trash lying around Weather is usually comfortable Many trees to find shade under CONS: Some seasons have annoying, small flies. They don't bite though TIPS: If you're heading there from the North and you need provisions, stop at the Big Sur Lodge Store. They have EVERYTHING you may need Dirt road leading up to the ridge is not maintained (much) and may be tough to navigate for novice drivers. If muddy, may need 4WD and off road tires Bring a mosquito net No water access, so you have to bring your own No bathrooms - Bury your #2! *No open campfires allowed during the warm months (but you won't need it for warmth anyway) Jet boils and contained flame are OK PACK YOUR TRASH!

Wow, wow wow! Amazing spot! We went there during 4th of…read moreJuly this year and I have to say, it was packed! I am glad that we arrived early and found a spot. It is an amazing spot to watch the sunset, however, it is tough to get up there. Once off the paved road its another 20-30 min to get to where all those pictures are taken Whoever said 15 min was either not in a Prius (unlike us) or was speeding quite fast. It's a one-way road with a lot of potholes and curves where you can not see any other car coming around the corner which makes it very hard to drive safely. When we first got there, there were not too many people there but once we got out of the car, bees were flying around, bugging us quite a bit so we went back to find a better spot away from the bees and in the shade. Unfortunately, there is no shade on the top of the ridge. Throughout the mid afternoon we decided to go back to the bees since the other spot was covered in gnats which were 5x more annoying than the bees were. We brought mosquito repellant and a candle, but nothing worked :/ In the end, I was glad we went back to the highest spot right by the cliff/ridge. Directions: 1. Its hard to see but take a sharp right (coming from Los Angeles) onto Nacimiento-Fergusson Road ( over a rain gutter) and just continue going up the hill for about 20-30 min depending on speed and other people coming down the hill. 2. Once you see a sign and a road going downhill TURN RIGHT! We almost missed it since you don't pay attention to your right. It states "Prewitt ridge road" 5. Take it and be cautious of other cars coming your way! I recommend NOT to drive it at night, but it's up to you. 3. There is a little intersection where you have to take a sharp right to get where you want to get, there is no sign, but you can see that the road splits. 4. From there on, you will see multiple spots where you can camp if you want to. Continue going straight and then up to the main spot. You made it. We have seen any variety of cars going up. We were in a Prius and made it :) Tips: There are no bathrooms but plenty of bushes where you can go. There are firepits but I am not sure if they are allowed. You need a permit for a portable stove ( according to signs along the way). Bring games, guitars, food, beer etc to keep you entertained up there. But make sure to take back home what you bring up and don't leave anything up there. Anyways, enjoy!

Thanks to Yelp pal Hannah S.'s review, I had bookmarked this spot as a place to stop when we were…read morein the area. The views are indeed scenic! We grabbed some coffee at the shop located here and then took a stroll behind the stores to savor the cool breezes, the trees, and the lovely sights of the Pacific Ocean. There's actually a trail, too, but we didn't venture down it as we were pressed for time. This is worth a stop to bask in the beautiful seascape.

Lovely scenic stop along the PCH as you make your way up from Cambria towards Big Sur. There's a…read morerestaurant, gas station, great coffee shop, bathrooms, art work, some hiking and view points, and an inn all at this little stop area. I walked all the way to the back where there's a lovely overlook with expansive Pacific Ocean views all along the cliffs and out as far as the eye can see! I even saw a sea otter hanging out with a sea gull - playing around in the waves together haha!! I think the gull was chasing him and gobbling up the otter's leftovers lol. There's another hiking trail on site down to the black sands of Young Creek Beach - but it's a super steep hike down a 400 foot cliff and I wasn't feeling it lol! But there are lots of nice seating areas overlooking the trail, beaches and cliffs so it's still very enjoyable. I grabbed a coffee and some dessert at the coffee shop instead which I can highly recommend!! It was fantastic and the staff were wonderful (see my review for Ragged Point Coffee Shop & Bakery). At the time of my visit, it was about as far as you could go up the PCH to Big Sur bc the road further up is washed out but they're working on it. Still a great little spot to explore - lots of parking and great views. I'd definitely consider staying at the inn next time!

The tenth stop (09:22) during our southbound trip on the Cabrillo highway in Big Sur, this vista…read morepoint is named after the town itself. It has a large dirt turnout with space for a lot of cars, and a great view looking south.

Terrible experience going to this campground. I booked this site a month in advance. I ended up…read morechanging my camp site to a site deeper into the loop which I was charged additionally for. Upon arriving (after 5 hours and 300 miles of travel) I discover my campground is closed off. All surrounding campgrounds are either closed off due to "hazardous tree" or "reserved". So I was at a loss, no reception, no one there, no note left behind for my reservation that is unavailable. So I set up shop at site 14 and hope whoever shows up will share the campsite. Now I'm setting up my tent and I'm literally being swarmed by black gnats. Idk what they are because my citronella candle and dousing of mosquito spray is not working, not at all. After 3 hours of sitting like a duck and not seeing a single other person arrive to this campsite, I figured I couldn't stay alone in this abandoned campground. Over 22 sites here and only myself and a couple in site 1 which is upfront of the entrance were there. However their site shows most of the sites reserved. Unsure why people would choose to visit this campground besides its remoteness. Personally I can't say I recommend this place especially if you're traveling from some ways away. This is why I wrote Thai review. Unfortunately I couldn't in their website and I did not want someone else to have the experience I had.

I absolutely love Ponderosa Campground. There are no running water facilities, meaning no showers…read moreand just pit toilets. We got any water we needed that we did not carry with us from the spigots placed throughout the campground. One of my friends and I came here as part of a California Road Trip in mid-July 2018 (we were living in East Bay at the time - both of us in Albany) and this was our last campground before returning to the Bay Area. We had found most campgrounds were full up, but managed to find Ponderosa Campground with open spots online before making our way here by car. The drive in from the Southeast was through heathland with areas that had experienced burns/fires in the not too distant past. We also drove through Fort Hunter-Liggett, which we did not learn until driving through was in active use by the military. I even had to pull my tiny 2010 Toyota Corolla off to the side of the road to let the military vehicles, including tanks, drive past going the other direction. Careful to not pull off too far or get out of one's car and walk around if you need to pass through there, there were explosives in the ground... literally... We returned to the Fort area briefly after checking in to our campsite to contact our family/friends and let them know we were safe. At the campground itself we did not have cell phone reception and there were zero campground lights. Perfect for if you want to watch the stars at night. Just be careful and don't spook those mountain lions (also called cougars or pumas) into following you when you go to use the pit toilets at night. I found them to be quite friendly if treated kindly and not provoked. The campsite we used had a picnic table, parking space, and a fire pit which we couldn't use due to fire danger. Our site was flat, which was perfect for setting up the tent and playing a board game (Trivial Pursuit) by lantern light at night. The trees were tall and magical, as was the heathland outside of the campground on our drive in. Other campers were respectful and not too noisy, we tried to be quiet as well. All around a great stay I would say.

What an amazing hidden treasure. Hard to find and if you know you know. Not easy to find no markers…read moreits about 800 feet south of sand dollar beach. Hike through some poison ivy into a cool meadow over looking the beautiful cove. Now finding your way down is no joke adventurous people only. Need to find the cliff with the ropes and hold on tight as you cascade the cliff. Once at the bottom you feel amazing like you conquered a hidden secret Now climbing back up I thought would be tough however climbing back up is much easier than going down. This is not for the weak but totally worth it. Highly recommend. Jade well thats the color of the water and if thats what you're searching for I suggest diving for it.

Fun, but getting there can be tricky. I used the AllTrails app to find Jade Cove. I then opened up…read morethe Jade Cove map and looked for the blue dot (my car) going along highway 1. I pulled over at the trail marker.. It worked perfectly. The best part of this experience was the short but precarious hike down to the cove. You'll be required to use a rope to hike down to the beach and back up again. The rope is a permanent fixture. Kids seven and over could do it without any assistance. When at the beach you'll see a lot of green rocks, mostly serpentine. The rule is that you can take anything you like as long as the "tide" ocean is able to touch it. The tidal range goes all the way to the cliffside. - There is no highway sign for jade cove anymore. That was taken down many years ago. - Check the tides and try to come here at low tide. - If you can, when you're at the bottom of the rope hike southward to the next cove. Better rocks over there.

This is a nice quick walk off of Hwy 1 with a lot of roadside parking available. It's a nice quiet…read morewalk since the highway has very few cars and there's thick vegetation around. My complaint with this waterfall is that we couldn't figure out how to get to it! The signage is bad and they need to point you in the right direction more. We were prepared to climb some rocks, as we'd heard that you have to to get to the falls, but when we couldn't figure out which rocks to climb, we just turned around. We were able to see the waterfall from a distance and heard people splashing around. Definitely not a trail to walk when muddy and definitely be prepared to climb a lot of boulders to get to the waterfall.

June 2025 As a city person, this is not a "normal easy…read moretrail" Fair warning, the trail is everywhere, no signs or one real pathway to the fall I'm not a hiker and end up turning back because I didn't think I can hope over wet boulders and climb pass a ledge to reach the waterfalls I'm sure it was worth it, I hear others swimming and having fun but I'm too old for that trail I hope you guys give this a try but be careful