Recently my family I were able to escape to Big Sur for our first and only vacation since the pandemic started. We took our new little Airstream, Goldie, up for a week and stayed at a privately owned campground. Big Sur was virtually empty (which was sad for the locals who thrive off of tourism), but pretty magical for us. I don't think very many people will ever get to experience Big Sur like we did ever in their lifetime. No tour busses, no crowds, just nature, peace and quiet, and quality time with my fam.

One of the best beaches in Big Sur hands down is Pfeiffer Beach. It’s a little hard to find from the main road because there isn’t a visible sign, and there’s not service in that area either, so your maps might go out and you might pass it a time or two, but eventually you’ll find it.

I suggest making a day of it: pack a lunch, a beach umbrella, a blanket, towels and a small cooler with drinks; and plan on staying until sunset. It’s so beautiful and has so much to explore, that you can post up and chill or venture out. We wandered around the bend and up a river bed to find a pretty amazing little hike. We hiked to the top of the cliff right before sunset and it was pretty epic. Coyote also found a sand mountain that made his day.

If you head North there’s some gorgeous beaches too, like in Andrew Molera and Garrapata. You can park off the side of the road wherever you see a trail head and go exploring. They all lead to incredible beaches that are pretty much deserted and have really good surf.

And if you head South, Sand Dollar Beach is great too. There’s great surf, and it’s a great beach to spend the day.

And we saw whales! You probably have to really zoom in to see, but there were two whales breeching, and it was magical to watch.

And of course you have to stop at Bixby Bridge and snap a pic.

For Coyote though, the park at the campground was probably his highlight. Convincing him to leave every morning was like trying to take a toy from a kid Christmas morning. Plus he made a friend, and after being isolated from everyone for so long, that was everything.

Oh, and the owner of the campground gave Coyote daily rides on her four-wheeler:)

This was our first trip taking our new Airstream out, and it really was the best place we could have gone. Campfires, s’mores and smiles every night.

And the biggest permanent smile on this kid.

Time to pack up and hit the road!

Luckily we went right before the most recent landslide that took out a large section of Highway 1, so we were able to drive both ways along the coast, and the pampas grass was in full bloom.

WHERE TO STAY:

CAMPING: BIG SUR CAMPGROUND & CABINS (where we stayed), RIVERSIDE CAMPGROUND & CABINS, FERNWOOD CAMPGROUND, PFEIFFER CAMPGROUND,

HOTEL/MOTEL: BIG SUR RIVER INN, BIG SUR LODGE, GLEN OAKS

WHERE TO EAT:

BIG SUR BAKERY, NEPENTHE, RIVERSIDE, ROADHOUSE

WHERE TO SURF:

GARRAPATA, SAND DOLLAR, PFEIFFER,