Big Sur and the California Coast

From the middle of December until the middle of January the sun sets just right in Pfeiffer Beach where it crosses through Keyhole rock. I wanted to head down to capture the sunset but unfortunately so did everyone else.

The day began early by driving from San Francisco along the coast down to Half Moon Bay where we stopped at Mavericks beach to watch the waves crash against the rocks. The sun was shining bright and there were few clouds to block the light.

Fisherman and a photographer on the rocks at Maverick's Beach.

From Mavericks we headed south and stopped at Pigeon Point Lighthouse and enjoyed the views. The way the light was hitting the ocean was incredible and the jagged nature of the coast going south just looked magical.

After Pigeon Point we headed down to Santa Cruz and stopped by Shark Fin Cove where the waves were crashing into the rocks and the fin stood out beautifully against the cliffs. After enjoying the view we made our way to Natural Bridges State Beach and Mitchell Cove.

After spending a little time at the beach we stopped in Santa Cruz to grab some bagels for breakfast. We didn't have any time to spare so set off for 17 mile drive in Carmel.

17 mile drive is a serious tourist trap but its still beautiful and the way that the Pebble Beach golf course snacks around the coast is quite amazing. We stopped countless times on the drive to watch the waves and look out at the Pacific. We enjoyed a couple minutes watching seals sunbath on the beach at Sunset Point Lookout.

From Sunset Point we headed to the Lone Cypress where the sun was shining directly overhead and casting an incredible glow across the ocean.

After Lone Cypress we began our journey down through Big Sur. We stopped multiple times at turnouts to enjoy the views and made our way to Bixby Creek Bridge where people crowded around and some even walked out on the bridge. From Bixby we made our way to McWay Falls and Henry Miller Memorial Library.

After enjoying the views and the sun we headed back north to try to get to Pfeiffer Beach and Keyhole rock. Unfortunately, there was a ranger at the entrance of Highway 1 turning anyone who drove by around. The parking area was packed and since its a one way road to the beach they weren't letting anyone drive down.

I asked if we could walk the 2 miles to the beach but he said that wasn't an option so we set about to wait a half hour just in case we could drive down a little bit later.

I knew that waiting wouldn't work but figured it was worth a shot. Unfortunately, I was right and we couldn't get to Pfeiffer Beach so we decided to watch the sunset from Bixby Creek Bridge.

While I'm sure that the sunset at Pfeiffer Beach was incredible and the sun went perfectly through Keyhole rock we had a pretty good sunset at Bixby Creek Bridge. There was heavy cloud cover to the south so the setting sun didn't cast colors south but to the north there were incredible yellows, oranges and reds. The light casting through the bridge looked incredible and while it wasn't quite what I wanted on this particular day it proves that any sunset along the California Coast is worth the drive.