People say there's nothing to do in San Simeon except Hearst Castle...Of course, those with inside…read moreknowledge know where the cool non-touristy stuff can be found. Where.. The Jung Ranch Trail has two entry points where you can park and hike. The most accessible starting point (perfect for those staying in the area's motels) is at the end of 271 Vista Del Mar Ave. The other end of this trail is off Lone Palm Dr. The Hike.. The Jung trail about 1 mile in length from endpoint to endpoint. For the most part, it's pretty flat and could be easily walked by most people. This trail goes along San Simeon's breezy beach cliffs with plenty of access to the beach and the tide pools below. The Tide Pools.. If you have kids be sure to come here around low tide. While the specimens not be amazing when compared to other famous tide pools, there are crabs and sea anemones everywhere. You'll like see a sea lion of the farther out rocks. The kids said this was the highlight of our most recent trip. Know this! It can be very windy and cold on this trail. Dress appropriately. Definitely snakes in the field so stay on the path..

This trail isn't far from Hwy 1. There is a small area on a side road to the North park, or a…read morelonger side road on the south end to park. you can walk the trail which I believe is around 2-3 miles. We saw the pictures of the tide pools so was hoping to see something. So we made our way down and was walking the tide-pools getting looks as if we were nuts because the waves were big so we had to wait until the wave went down to walk a little bit, stop, and go again. But we didn't see anything in the tide-pools.

I love camping here. It's been years and coming back recently was as magical as always…read more I've only camped in the ocean sites due to having a VW camper van. The other sites are tent camping only. I must say, the ocean sites are very snug and limited in space. If you're looking for a spacious camping site with privacy, you're not going to get here. And not all of the sites are the same size so if you have a trailer and a truck, you're gonna have to really be choosy at which is a site to book. This is right underneath the underpass so you're going to hear road noise. But to be honest, a lot of the sound was drowned out by the nearby stream and the ocean. It was walking distance to what felt like a private beach. Since the last time I've been here it looks like they made a mini dam with the running stream creating a mini swimming cove with crystal clear water. There are no electrical hook ups but the bathroom has running water and hot showers available. The bathrooms can get freaking disgusting from the day use visitors, but they do clean it every morning. And let's not forget the beautiful drive to get here. Magical.

This review is for the Limekiln campground. We camped at…read moresite #17. The Redwood campground (sites #17-#29) is basically a big dirt parking lot divided into tiny "campsites." There's a creek running behind the big dirt parking lot and lots of big trees on the perimeter of the big dirt parking lot. But there's no trees or plants in the tiny "campsites." So forget hanging a hammock or having any sense of privacy. We could barely fit a 6-person tent in site #17. The creek was pretty. The bathrooms were decent and have flush toilets. Our campsite was, at most, a 2-minute walk to the ocean, which was pretty cool.

Shamel Park is a community park in the coastal California town of Cambria nestled in the burbs…read morealong Moonstone Beach. It's a six acre park that has a large grassy field, kids play area, swimming pool, reserved picnic table area with a Santa Ana grill, individual picnic tables with smaller grills, gazebo, restrooms, and direct access to Moonstone Beach. There is no fee to use the park including the parking. When I dropped by recently in the summer, the grassy lawn was crunchy brown. I don't know the reasoning for the lack of irrigation. But it was open for folks to use still, some folks were playing soccer. The swimming pool was surprisingly smallish size for a community pool; it was covered up and not in use. Possibly closed just for the day. I'm sure the schedule is posted on the San Luis Obispo parks district website. The pool is next to the children's play area, gazebo, and restroom. The play area and picnic areas are shaded by beautiful old growth trees. This is one of my favorite beaches, in Cambria, due to the restroom situation and combo park and beach access. There are several walking beach access points from the park. But most I recall involve stairs. The stairs are not numerous but they're there. The beach has sleeper currents and strong riptides. So if you go into the water be careful especially since there are no lifeguards here. To the far right behind the restrooms is a ragged tag self made old dirt trail leading to the Santa Rosa creek where it connects to the beach.Beautiful views. Movie worthy cinematography scenes. Regarding the dog policy, dogs are not allowed on the beach. But they are allowed in the park, leashed that is.

This park is a fine place to stop if you want to let the kids or the dog out for a bit…read more Most of the grassy area was taken up by a large group of gentleman playing soccer while we were there but there is a small, unfenced area where you can let your dog off leash for a bit and let them relieve themselves. Most people kept their dogs on leash though Be careful though as it's close to the street and people go around the corner there much faster than I would like, especially for a residential neighborhood. The bathrooms were clean and there is a playground area for kids. You can also access the beach from this park. There is a pool are that was closed, so as busy as it was when we visited, I imagine it gets even busier.

The hike itself says it's 1.8 miles, but truly feels longer…read more You have to pay $5 per person to enter the park, which isn't too bad. You can access the redwood decks and they're GORGEOUS. This hike feels longer because it's entirely uphill and very steep in some parts. It's a super fresh trail surrounded by lush greenery, trees, different Big Sur animal life and of course the Big Sur river. This being said it's beginner friendly. Take lots of stops, no one rushes you. Keep trudging, drink water. If you regularly do some stairs at the gym, you'll brush through pretty easily. Very worth it at the end (p.s. my 1 year old corgi made it & he has super short legs).

Trail access is from the Pfeiffer State Park campground (day use $10 for non-campers)…read more This hike is around 4 miles in total and I'd classify it as moderate. Probably difficult for those that have never hiked before. Your reward will be seeing big views of the valley and of the ocean in the distance. TIPS - At the loop sign I'd recommend going right. - This hikes start under deep tree cover and is cool. Close to the top there is no shade and you're under direct sunlight. Dress appropriately. - There are a few downed trees along the path that you'll have to walk through.

We got to visit the section of the beach that's right by San Simeon campground. There's a path from…read morethe campground that goes under PCH to connect to the beach. We went during the fall of 2022, not too cold in the afternoon but you'll probably want to wear a long sleeve since it's a little windy there. It's a nice peaceful beach, we saw lots out pull over spots along PCH so there's more than just one opportunity to check this beach out.

This is the beach below San Simeon's hotels, though it's often confused with San Simeon State Beach…read moreand the San Simeon Creek Beach.. It's a sandy beach with plenty of small rocks. This beach was made for long walks and is generally not very crowded. You can park off Pico Avenue and walk down to the beach from there. If you head north on this beach you can walk past Pico Creek and pond and walk over some large beach rocks. Heading south will take you Jung Trail and the area's best tide pools.

A short level trail. You enter through a gate into a field, and does not look like much until you…read morewalk towards the ocean. The bluffs drop about 75 ft. and give you sweeping views of the ocean. Such an easy trek right off Hwy 1 for nature's charm.

The Salmon Creek Trail and Waterfall is one of the funner places to take the family along Highway 1…read morein lower Monterey County. This trail is located about 3.5 miles north of the Ragged Point Inn along the middle of large bend in the road. There's a pull-off just north of the trailhead. You have to walk across the bridge to get to the actually trail. After a short walk down the trail you will come to a fork in the road. Follow the arrow to the "Balls".. It used to say Falls but someone changed it to "Balls"... This is a review of the Waterfall Trail that is a split off from the Salmon Creek Trail. The waterfall is less than a quarter mile so most families can make it to the waterfall. Those seeking to access the actual water pool will have to do some hiking over slippery rocks and cold rushing water. That's not advisable unless you're a crafty hiker. Your reward is to stand below, or even behind a 120-foot waterfall. The best pictures have to be earned the hard way on this hike. There's also a cave in this same area. Tips - The rocks here are slippery!! If you want to get to the base of the waterfall I recommend water shoes or just using you bare feet. - Check out the tunnel and graffiti under the bridge.. The trail is just off area where you park, don't cross the bridge, rather just walk down the tiny trail to the base of the bridge ( see my picture).

Short hike from the turn out. Definitely a good pit stop on the drive to big sur. The trail can be…read morea little bit confusing when you're trying to get to the upper falls. Will definitely have to climb some rocks but worth it. We didn't climb to the upper falls because there was quite a few people.

2020 review (8/21/2020) - The is the best family-friendly trail in the area. They've done extensive…read morecleanup since my last visit and many of the downed trees have been removed. It's mostly flat and the only risk to small kids are the Cliffs. The yelp address is misleading (this is not located in Pittsburgh). To get here you must park in the Hearst Memorial Beach parking lot. Walk down to the beach and walk north about 200 yards. Look for the trail that goes up to the cliff area ( just past the Hearst Winery Barn).. Many people just hike to the San Simeon point and the benches. BUT I highly recommend you continue your adventure through the tall tree path all the way to the cove with a sea cave. There are several openings along the tree trail that give exclusive and private views of the coastline. - When you start this hike keep a look out on the right hand side for a very short path that leads to a huge climbing tree.. The kids will love playing on that.. - The farther you go the fewer people you will see.

I read about this area via a SLO county travel site:…read morehttps://highway1discoveryroute.com/activities/hiking-san-simeon-ragged-point/ where it's also referred as the San Simeon Point Trail. Access to these trails are from William Randolph Hearst State Beach. Gates to the park open at 8 a.m. and there's no fee to enter. The trail is about 2 miles round trip and can be accessed if you walk along the beach (on the right side of the pier if you're facing it. You'll see a trail that leads up to the bluff, about 1/2 way down the beach. Once along the bluffs, you'll wind through the trees and catch views of the beach and pier. Not too far in, there are a few fallen trees and the path, at first seems to have disappeared-it hasn't. Look to the right and there's a small opening in the fence that allows day hikers to continue on (it's marked private property with allowance for passage of day use hikers.) It's a quiet trail that's partially shaded and very quiet. For a short while I was a bit unnerved being alone but soon enough I came across some locals walking their dogs. The hike out to the point is the big payoff and plan to spend a little while admiring the views, including a small cove to the north. It was the perfect short morning adventure and definitely a less known gem in the area.