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Point Sur State Historic Park

4.6 (34 reviews)

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Cathy C.

Thank you so much to our friendly and knowledgeable Docent who wonderfully paced this hike with useful information, photos and historical experiences that showcased how largely the NorCal and Central Coast cohesiveness came together. It's a 3 hr tour and you need to get there as they limit the visitors to first come first serve. The views are spectacular, we were lucky to have visited when it was clear and not windy. It's encouraged you bring your jacket, water and comfortable walking shoes. You pay at the top and if you are lucky you will see Whales in the distance along with sea lions, sea otters and dolphins like we did. It was a perfect day.

Sylvia Y.

Came here on Saturday for the lighthouse tour. You can't make reservations online in advance, so we waited at the gate in our car 30 minutes prior to the tour start date (10 am). Definitely show up early because they limit the number of people per tour and will close the gate once it's full. There are Porta Potties at the bottom and also portable toilets with flush. Hollie was our guide. The tour was about 3 hours long and was pretty informative of the history of the lighthouse grounds, accidents in the area etc. We also got to go inside the lighthouse. Tours are $15/person and you pay once you get to the top. Overall, a good way to spend a couple of hours in Big Sur!

Volunteer guide
Ry T.

We arrived way too early to wait in line to get in but we ended up being the first car. About 28 persons were in this tour on a Tuesday. The sign really isn't visible from the road. It's posted on the wooden gate and we saw several cars stop, parked and the drivers got out to look to make sure they were in the correct place. The volunteer guide arrived at 9:30 AM to go inside to set up while we were told to wait. A second volunteer guide came out later to check off our names and directed us to drive up the road to where the 1st volunteer was standing. There is an outhouse with running water and flushing toilet you can use right before the hike uphill. After some safety rules, the guides split the group in half and we proceeded upwards while getting a history of the coast, lighthouse and what life was like for the keepers who lived here. Great views of the ocean but we were all fogged in and couldn't see much. We got to go into the lighthouse, old home of the keepers, blacksmith's work house, a haunted building and small gift shop where you pay your entrance fee. There's a lot of work the volunteers need done to raise money and renovate thee Ed buildings snd roads before they're allowed to bring the original lens back to install. Mostly for decoration as the current light is an outside, small LED lamp. Hope to be back one day when their lens gets reinstalled, it's spectacular in the pictures.

M S.

We joined the 90 minute navy site tour because we were late for the 3 hour light house tour - it was pretty chilly and we were a bit tired so maybe it was for the best. Mike was our tour guide and as an ex Navy officer he was so knowledgeable and interesting. I don't want to give away too much but the site only more recently became declassified and they haven't even released much info yet. The site itself is also a ghost town and not super cool, but the stories and tour guides kept us curious and wanting to find out more. I absolutely recommend this and it was only like $10.

View from where you park...
Sidney S.

Just don't go back to Big Sur Hangin' around, lettin' your old man down Just don't go back to Big Sur Baby baby please don't go Baby baby please don't go -- The Thrills "Big Sur" And now I pass my Yelp friend Emmalouise once again in our review contest... The drill here is well known. Get to the gate by 10 on weekends (or 10:03 like I did). Have almost 3 hours to spare (or 2:45 hours like on our tour). Get informed to death about the history of this and other lighthouses. See spectacular scenery. Meet nice folks. Buy a few things at gift shop for mini me. They also have cool full moon and Halloween tours. As Magnus wrote, amazing pristine beach is either part of ranch or part of state park and not accessible. Man it is a gorgeous beach. Bring water like I did as it is a long tour. Wear layers. If this tour leaves you out of breath hit the treadmill or exercise bike or go for a hike when you get home. Plenty of stops on tour and no way anyone should ever get out of breath on this. Docents were very nice. Highly recommended at least once! $12 fee helps keep the gates open.

Nina Z.

Beautiful view along the coast of Big Sur. Super windy, so be sure to bring a windbreaker jacket. You have to cross through private property in order to reach the base of the lighthouse, so you have to park outside of the gates. They open the gates at 9:45AM and admission is on a first-come, first-served basis, so come early. I was expecting a more strenuous hike, but instead got a very mild hike and a rich, detailed history of the Point Sur Lighthouse. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and friendly. When you reach the top, you get the chance to explore the lighthouse and the houses atop the plateau. Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for those ages 6-17. You pay the admission after the 3 hour tour when you reach the top of the plateau. This was more of a leisurely walk and learning more about the area versus an actual hike. If you're into lighthouses, definitely worth checking out (and open to the public!).

Moonlight tour
Kristen S.

As a Monterey local, I had been dying to go here but just never knew exactly how. Recently saw an event via Facebook for their Moonlight Tour and knew I needed to jump on it. The volunteers were extremely knowledgeable about the rich history of the lighthouse and you can tell they're passionate about what they do. The moonlight tour itself was a lot of fun! My biggest tip: when you think you've worn enough layers, wear more. My group and I showed up in long sleeves and jackets, and we definitely could have used at least another after that evening wind started to kick in. The tour is first come first serve, so we made sure to show up about an hour early. You just wait by the entrance gate where the road to the lighthouse starts. The volunteers will roll up about a half hour before the tour is scheduled to begin and they go over all the directions with you. The moonlight tour is amazing and the way the moon shines on the ocean is hauntingly beautiful. Worth the $25 fee!

Point Sur Light Station
Trung N.

One of the most beautiful places to visit along the coast of California.. The breathtaking views even traveling to the lighthouse itself is amazing. Point Sur Lighthouse has so much history and can only be visited during tour hours so be sure to check the calendar and make plans before arriving. One of my friends whom recently passed was fond of coming here.. He took the tours so often that all the docents (tour guides) who volunteered there recognized him every time he came to visit. As I had never visited the lighthouse myself, after his passing, a group of us decided to make a group trip in remembrance to his favorite place in the world and I took the opportunity to finally visit. Knowledgeable docents, beautiful views.. and an opportunity to reminisce among friends. An experience that makes me wish I could live there... The tour of the furnished lightkeeper's house that is on display was just a crazy tease that did not help at all.. lol..

Point Sur light station out buildings.
Bradley N.

Ten Easy Steps™ Vol. 3: Lighthouses No. 1: Point Sur Light Station, Big Sur, CA I think that anyone who has lived (make that "survived") one full year in the state of California should be invited to the governor's office in Sacramento and one of the staff should hand them a golden-colored bucket, and in that bucket, there should be a list of things to do in the next few years of their residency to make them truly Californian in outlook, rather than just another transplant from somewhere else. Of course, there will be places like Yosemite and Death Valley, the Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods and a Spanish mission or two, but there also should be a section devoted to the lighthouses of the California coast, especially its northern, rocky, rugged places, like Point Arena or Point Reyes. And of all the lighthouses on that list, the one atop that big rock in Big Sur has just GOT to be there right at the start. If you don't leave a 3-hour tour here (just make sure your tour guide isn't named Gilligan) feeling a little more Californian and a little less of whatever you were before you got here, I would be shocked. Shocked! There is just so much history here - natural and human - to love. And be slightly scared about. And that, in a nutshell, is what feeling Californian is all about: a little scared about the place, but in love with it, nonetheless. So, how to make your next road trip to Big Sur one truly to remember? Sounds like another job for the Ten Easy Steps™ ! 1. Wake up early. You will need to in order to arrive at the locked gate before the docent pulls up in his car, usually about 9:45 or 9:50am, to let you into the grounds. Cars line up in single file at a narrow dirt pullout right next to the locked gate. This happens Saturdays and Sundays at 10am unless the highway is closed due to a landslide or flooding, and some Wednesdays at 1 pm. 2. Check out the Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers web site well ahead of time to plan for your visit. There is a great deal of useful information here that ensures you won't arrive at the wrong date or time: http://www.pointsur.org/ 3. Bring hat, gloves, and wind-proof clothing! And if you bring a hat, make sure it stays on your head even in 50 mph wind gusts. It may not be windy on the highway, but at some point on the walk up to the lighthouse, you will feel the power of the Pacific, and it ain't gonna be pretty if you came dressed for the beach. 4. Take a small backpack with water, snacks, and other supplies (lip balm, sunscreen, extra hat and gloves, binoculars, sun glasses, etc.) The tour lasts 3 hours, you know, and only at the end do you reach the visitor center, where $1 hot drinks and free water is available. Otherwise, you'll have to suffer in silence. 5. Don't fill up on 22 oz. lattes before the tour! There are 2 outdoor stalls at the parking area, then several additional ones at the top, near the stone residence buildings. The restroom facilities are clean and well maintained - pretty fancy as far as PTs (portable toilets) go - but I just don't think you want to worry about such things when perched 300 feet above a surging, foaming, wave-crashing ocean, now do you? 6. Bring binoculars. You never know when a whale might swim by, or if something cool is happening on the ocean, or if you want to get a little bit closer to the action on highway one. What? No binoculars? Perhaps a trip to Cabela's is in order before you go ... 7. Wear actual hiking shoes. Yes, the trail is paved, but being out in the ocean like it is, the place gets pretty banged up. Lots of little rocks tumble down in an ongoing process of erosion, and - haven't you heard - California is on a major geological faultline, and that's abundantly clear when you look at the Santa Lucia mountains from Point Sur station. Also, you will be climbing metal stairs to reach the lighthouse's inner core, where the fresnel lens was and where its replacement currently resides, and you don't want to wear the Manolos in case the heels get stuck in the tread. 8. Save energy for the best part of the tour - no, not the ocean vistas and cool historic stuff in the lighthouse and carpentry/blacksmith shop. I'm talking about the gorgeously restored Lighthouse Keeper's house, which you visit near the end of the tour. It's done up as a 1950's nuclear family idyll, replete with rooms for the kids, a well-stocked kitchen, a laundry room, a study, a bathroom, and bedrooms to match. There is a lot of museum-quality stuff lying all around, provided by the amazing Lighthouse Keeper volunteers using money raised by local philanthropists (you know, people like ... um, Clint). While some sections are roped off, most are open for you to explore. How cool is that? 9. Bring the kids! If you have them, of course. This is definitely kid friendly adventuring, and who is going to be more Californian than them? 10. Take time to enjoy the view. It is unforgettable!

05.10.14 signage before you go uphill and start your tour
May A.

Great tour! The view on Highway 1 along Big Sur just to get to Point Sur Light Staton was already beautiful enough but to be able to view it up top from the lighthouse was even more spectacular. Saturday tours are 10:00a and 2:00p. Get there early if you can... cars begin to line up outside of the gate. First come, first served and they don't take reservations. Adult admission is $12 but they also have moonlight tours for $20. Name and # of people in your party are taken down at the gate and you pay at the gift shop. Children welcome. Ages 6-17 are $5 and ages 5 and under are free. Seen little ones on our tour... by the end of 3 hours they were being carried by their parents. We took a tour to get a history about this place and to view the lighthouse. You will hear a lot of history just about the ocean alone - hazards and shipwrecks. We were able to actually go inside, upstairs, and outside the lighthouse. It is a working lighthouse that is visible for 23 miles out to sea and became automated in 1975. The original light used in the 19th century is now on display in the Maritime Museum in Monterey. Oh so windy! Make sure you hold on to the railings because we were warned that anything not secured will fly away (glasses, phone, cameras, hats, scarves, yourself?) I am not sure if it is this windy there all year round but heed warnings, please. Dress in layers. The volunteer docents were nice, friendly and well informed and the approx. 3-hr tour was interesting and full of history. Wear comfy shoes! A lot of walking because you will tour the whole place from where you parked to the lighthouse to the once occupied resident homes and back down again. Bring water. Although water and coffee are available at the gift shop and donations are accepted. Fun day! Zak, Nick and Aaron of Ghost Adventures came to investigate the many claims of paranormal activity at Point Sur, one of the most haunted lighthouses in America. Review #0202

amazing view of the living room of where the head lighthouse keeper lived.
Amy Y.

Great tour if you really want to get into the nitty gritty of the history of life in Big Sur! the tour guides are very very knowledgeable and friendly. There is a hike up to the big sur lighthouse, however, you stop so often that you really don't feel tired at all. I mean i'm no crossfit yolked girl or anything but we did stop more often that I would've liked. Anyways, great tour of the lighthouse, you get to go up and see the views as well as where the people used to live, great little house- wouldn't mind living there myself! So the guides are all volunteers and I don't even think you actually have to pay, they just tell you it's a suggested gratuity of $12 a person which is not bad for the 3 hour tour. Recommend it for people who like to learn a bit of history and see great scenery. :)

Daddy O.

This is one of my favorite things about the Big Sur Area. For the longest time I would drive past the gate and windy point and wondered exactly WHAT THE HECK is up there. Finally, curiousity got the best of me and I decided to take the tour with a friend. Tours are limited to 30 people, and it is first come first served. After the 1 mile drive down the poorly paved windy road to the base of the point, the docent meets you and you begin your informed ascent. For $8, the three hour tour provides you more information about the history of Big Sur, Light Stations, and the old days than you might get at a typical museum. Plus getting to see a Frenell Lens up close is pretty awesome. The views are among the best in Big Sur, hands down! You could see miles in all directions, and the ocean is a deep shade of aquamarine around the point. If you're lucky you might even spot some aquatic life...sea lions, dolphins, maybe even whales! This tour is totally worth the time and trouble. (19 miles south of Carmel)

Interior of carpentry shop.

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So beautiful, up here! Don't forget to bring comfy shoes.

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Ask the Community - Point Sur State Historic Park

I see tours are cancelled until further notice due to bridge repair. Can you still go view the lighthouse or is everything closed?

We were there at the end of April 2019, everything is closed with the view of the lighthouse from the road barely visible unfortunately.

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Review Highlights - Point Sur State Historic Park

It is a great history tour (the lighthouse existed before hightway 1 ) Try to go when its sunny.

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Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

4.4(403 reviews)
7.6 mi

Another great Ca.state park. A short drive from Carmel down the Hwy 1. Plenty of parking. A nice…read morevariety of walking trails. Some short flat trails. We saw a lot of campers heading out on the trails for some overnight camping. Nice to see some hard to find California native flowers. FYI no cell service. Download your maps, or bring a paper map

We stayed two nights at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and while the scenery is absolutely stunning…read more(as expected for Big Sur), the experience was seriously impacted by poor enforcement and lack of oversight from staff. Right off the bat, our check-in experience was frustrating. We had reserved and paid for an ADA campsite, only to arrive and find someone else already occupying it. Apparently, there is no system in place to verify IDs against reservations, which seems like a huge oversight--especially for ADA-designated spots. After spending time sorting that out, things settled temporarily. Our first night at the Weyland campground quickly went downhill once "quiet hours" (10pm-6am) began. Instead of quiet, the majority of the campground was loud, playing music, and talking well into the night--until nearly 4am. There was zero enforcement of quiet hours, and no visible presence from a camp host or ranger to address it. It honestly felt more like a free-for-all than a state park campground. Hoping for a better experience, we moved to the South campground for our second night. Unfortunately, things got worse. The bathroom across from Site 45 was in unacceptable condition. The ADA shower stall took three of my paid shower tokens without working, and to make matters even worse, there was literal human feces on the floor. Not just dirty--completely unsanitary and clearly not being maintained. We attempted multiple times to contact the camp host about both the bathroom situation and earlier noise issues, knocking several times with no response. It was incredibly frustrating to have no support or accountability when problems came up. It's really disappointing because this park is naturally beautiful and has so much potential. But the lack of basic management--no ID checks for reservations, no quiet hour enforcement, and poorly maintained facilities--completely takes away from the experience. It honestly feels like the park is being let down by the very people responsible for running it. Would love to return someday, but until there are major improvements in oversight and maintenance, it's hard to justify coming back.

Photos
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park - Family Camping September 12-14, 2025

Family Camping September 12-14, 2025

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park - Family Camping September 12-14, 2025

Family Camping September 12-14, 2025

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park - Family Camping September 12-14, 2025  THE JOY LUCK CLUB

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Family Camping September 12-14, 2025 THE JOY LUCK CLUB

Andrew Molera State Park

Andrew Molera State Park

4.3(135 reviews)
3.4 mi

First time visiting Andrew Molera State park this last weekend 5/25/2024. We were feeling ambitious…read moreand decided to hike the whole 8 mile loop (creamery meadow, ridge, panorama, and bluffs trail) roughly 1450 ft elevation gain total. At the beginning of the hike and at the end of the hike you have to cross a river that is about knee deep for someone around my height of 5"4. The hike took us 5 hours to compete with ample breaks included. We hung out on two different beaches (not included in the time) throughout our day which was a ton of fun. It was my first time ever seeing or even hearing about purple sand and my mind was blown. The trails are VERY overgrown so I'd suggest wearing long sleeves and pants to avoid ticks, poison ivy, and stinging nettle. Parking is free if you are willing to park along hwy 1 and walk/run across the street. There is paid parking inside of the park and there seemed to be plenty of space if that's your preference. Lastly, I love that there are clean bathrooms at the beginning of the trail head. Overall, this loop offered absolutely amazing ocean views during the majority of hike. Bring lots of water, sunscreen, and your camera.

What a nice park. I would recommend the one mile trail walk to the beach. The beach is quite empty…read moreduring the week. Also, while the trail is quite wide, it is lined on both sides with poison oak almost the entire walk which is fine as long as you don't touch it. The trail floor starts out as dirt and small rocks and eventually turns to sand and rock. There's also a small section of a two planks wide stable bridge over a river. It's maybe 30 feet long and the water below is about 6 inches to a foot deep. It would be fine for most children to cross with an adult. The views once you arrive at the ocean are truly stunning . The sand is quite hot and there are many small rocks and lots of seaweed, so I'm glad I wore flip flops. Sneakers would have been better I think.

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Andrew Molera State Park - River to cross before and after

River to cross before and after

Andrew Molera State Park
Andrew Molera State Park

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Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

4.9(1.1k reviews)
17.2 mi

This is one of the most gorgeous state parks in California!! I've been wanting to visit for years…read moreand we finally made it here this past weekend. We were staying in Monterey, so it was about a 25 min drive to get there, we arrived before 11am. We parked before the park entrance along Highway 1 where there were NO signs saying "No parking at any time" THIS IS IMPORTANT because as we were walking towards the entrance, there was a parking enforcement officer giving tickets to all the other cars parked where the signs were clearly posted closer to the entrance. So make sure you pay attention! There is parking inside the park too for only $10. Once inside there were park rangers helping you with questions and guiding you on deciding which trails to go on, which was very nice and convenient! We took a picture of the map and choose to do the Cypress Grove, and the Sea Lion Point Trails. We only had about 3 hrs to hang out at the park, so those two were perfect easy hikes and roughly about 2.5 miles if you do both loops. We got spectacular views everywhere, you could hear the Sea Lions and see so many beautiful birds flying around. Wish we would've brought binoculars, so bring some with you if you remember. We can't wait to come back another time and do a full day of hiking because there are so many other trails! The park and restrooms were clean and well kept too, it's definitely a must visit once in your lifetime at least!!

Absolutely stunning scenery! Easily one of the best hiking trails I've experienced! I've visited…read moretwice now, and both times have been fantastic. The coastal trails are well marked and offer breathtaking lookout points throughout the hike. Today was a little foggy but we were still able to enjoy the beauty. It's definitely worth arriving early to secure parking. The main lot was full when we got there, but we were able to find a spot along Highway 1. While it was a bit crowded, the variety of trails helps spread people out, so it never felt too overwhelming. We hiked about 3.5 miles and made it to the cove where seals birth their pups, Bird Island, hidden beach coves with beautiful blue water and tide pools. There were also docents and volunteers we spotted along the way. Next time I'd like to go further down the trail and explore more of the park.

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Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Lobos State Natural Reserve - Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

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Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

Point Sur State Historic Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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