Coastal headland loops
Carmel
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Cypress Grove, Bird Island, and Sea Lion Point loops deliver some of the most scenic short coastal hikes on the peninsula.
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Active and restorative
Push the trail, then melt it away.
Bookend the hard-charging days with deep recovery, in the redwoods and along the open coast.
Design This TripBase at Alila Ventana Big Sur, where the all-inclusive rate folds dining and wellbeing into one and the trailheads sit just beyond the redwoods. Start at dawn in Andrew Molera State Park, out to the Big Sur Rivermouth and up the bluffs, then trace the Soberanes Canyon and Rocky Ridge loop at Garrapata for the climb and the whale-dotted horizon.
Cool the legs in the resort's Japanese hot baths, then book Spa Aiyana for a deep-tissue session built around Big Sur botanicals.
The silent reset.
Cap the day at Refuge in Carmel Valley, cycling between hot pools, cold plunges, and the salt sauna in silence until every trail mile melts away.
What’s inside
- A dawn hike to the Big Sur Rivermouth at Andrew Molera
- The Soberanes Canyon and Rocky Ridge loop at Garrapata
- The resort's Japanese hot baths
- A deep-tissue Spa Aiyana session with Big Sur botanicals
- The silent thermal cycle at Refuge
A sample rhythm
- 01
Trail morning
A dawn hike to the Rivermouth and up the Molera bluffs.
- 02
The climb
The Soberanes and Rocky Ridge loop above the whales.
- 03
Recover
Japanese hot baths and a deep-tissue Spa Aiyana session.
- 04
The reset
The silent hot-and-cold thermal cycle at Refuge.
The Big Sur & Carmelwe’d build in
The pieces that fit this trip.
On foot
Redwood canyons and cypress headlands.
The peninsula's trails range from river-gorge redwoods beneath the Santa Lucia peaks to short, dramatic coastal loops where gray whales pass close to shore.
Redwood river canyon
Big Sur
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Redwood and oak trails along the Big Sur River Gorge beneath the Santa Lucia peaks, 26 miles south of Carmel. No ocean access in this park.
Visit official siteRivermouth and bluffs
Big Sur
Andrew Molera State Park
Nearly 5,000 mostly undeveloped acres with 15 miles of trails to the Big Sur Rivermouth and a Condor Discovery Center, 20 miles south of Carmel.
Visit official siteCoast and ridge trails
Big Sur
Garrapata State Park
Two miles of beach plus the steep Soberanes Canyon and Rocky Ridge loops, with seasonal wildflowers and frequent gray-whale sightings.
Visit official siteMcWay Falls trails
Big Sur
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Home to McWay Falls plus inland redwoods and the Partington Cove tunnel walk, 37 miles south of Carmel.
Visit official siteBeach and lagoon walk
Carmel
Carmel River State Beach and Trails
A mile-long strand south of Carmel with the Carmelite Monastery above and the gentle lagoon-and-bluff path connecting toward the headlands of Point Lobos.
Visit official siteSpa and stillness
Clifftop healing and vineyard treatments.
Recovery here means an outdoor thermal cycle, a redwood-shrouded sanctuary, or a grape-and-garden treatment among the vines, with the open Pacific never far.
Outdoor thermal cycle
Carmel Valley
Refuge
America's first co-ed outdoor relaxation spa, with hot pools, cold plunges, a Himalayan salt sauna, and eucalyptus steam across a hydrothermal cycle.
Visit official siteCliffside healing arts
Big Sur
The Spa at Post Ranch Inn
A clifftop spa of body therapies, shamanic and crystal sessions, and guided experiences set against the open Pacific.
Visit official siteForest sanctuary
Big Sur
Spa Aiyana at Alila Ventana Big Sur
A redwood-shrouded spa weaving Big Sur botanicals into massage, facials, and Japanese-bath wellbeing rituals.
Visit official siteVineyard wellness
Carmel Valley
The Spa at Bernardus Lodge
A 5,200-square-foot vineyard spa offering grape-and-garden-inspired treatments, couples rooms, and dedicated wellness programming.
Visit official siteHilltop ranch
Carmel Valley
Spa at Carmel Valley Ranch
A hilltop spa pairing locally sourced treatments with yoga, lavender from the resort's own plantings, and valley views.
Visit official siteCliffside hot springs
Big Sur
Esalen Institute
The legendary cliffside retreat center on Highway 1, where clothing-optional hot-spring baths perched above the surf are open to overnight workshop guests and by limited late-night reservation.
Visit official siteWhere to stay
A cliffside icon, a forest retreat, a village inn.
The peninsula keeps its great hotels in three distinct moods: the open cliffs of Big Sur, the sun-warmed vineyards of Carmel Valley, and the walkable heart of Carmel-by-the-Sea.
Cliffside icon
Big Sur
Post Ranch Inn
Perched 1,200 feet above the Pacific on Highway 1, this 40-room adults-only sanctuary earned three Michelin Keys and remains the definitive Big Sur splurge.
Visit official siteAll-inclusive forest
Big Sur
Alila Ventana Big Sur
A 160-acre adults-only retreat of 54 rooms with Japanese hot baths and redwood groves, on an all-inclusive rate that folds in dining and wellbeing.
Visit official siteRelais and Chateaux
Carmel-by-the-Sea
L'Auberge Carmel
An intimate 20-room Relais and Chateaux hideaway in the heart of walkable Carmel, home to the two-Michelin-star Aubergine.
Visit official siteWine-country luxury
Carmel Valley
Bernardus Lodge and Spa
A 73-room estate on 28 acres of vineyards and gardens, pairing a 5,200-square-foot spa with its own-label Bernardus wines.
Visit official siteAll-suite family
Carmel Valley
Carmel Valley Ranch
A 500-acre all-suite ranch in the sunny Santa Lucia Mountains with a Pete Dye golf course, a working farm, and hands-on farmstead programming.
Visit official siteHistoric oceanfront
Carmel Highlands
Hyatt Carmel Highlands
A 1917-built clifftop hotel with sweeping Pacific views and oceanfront dining, minutes from the trails of Point Lobos.
Visit official siteThe great drive
Bixby Bridge, the Lone Cypress, the crown jewel.
This is one of the most photographed coastlines on Earth, from the open-spandrel arch at Bixby Creek to the toll loop past the Lone Cypress and the headlands of Point Lobos.
The McWay Falls overlook trail is closed for a retaining-wall project running into 2026, though the falls remain viewable from a small Highway 1 pullout. We confirm same-day Highway 1 conditions before any drive.
Legendary coastal route
Big Sur
Highway 1, Big Sur Coast
The 72-mile Cambria-to-Carmel stretch was California's first designated Scenic Highway, threading cliffs, coves, and redwoods along the Pacific.
Visit official siteMost-photographed span
Big Sur
Bixby Creek Bridge
Built in 1932 about 15 miles south of Carmel, this open-spandrel arch is one of the most photographed bridges on the West Coast. Stopping on the bridge itself is prohibited.
Visit official sitePrivate coastal loop
Pebble Beach
17-Mile Drive
A toll loop through Pebble Beach past the Lone Cypress, Spanish Bay dunes, and the 18th at Pebble Beach, with the gate fee credited toward resort dining over $35.
Visit official siteCrown jewel of the coast
Carmel
Point Lobos State Natural Reserve
Often called the crown jewel of California's state parks, with coves, sea otters, and cypress headlands three miles south of Carmel.
Visit official site80-foot tidefall
Big Sur
McWay Falls
An 80-foot waterfall that drops onto a hidden cove beach inside Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, viewable from a Highway 1 pullout.
Visit official sitePurple sand and Keyhole Arch
Big Sur
Pfeiffer Beach
Reached by a narrow road off Highway 1, a wind-sculpted cove famous for its purple-tinged sand and the wave-pierced Keyhole Arch that glows at winter sunset.
Visit official siteOr another way
More ways to experience Big Sur & Carmel.
Adventure & Wellness
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