FAST FACTS

• 100 miles south of San Jose

HIGHLIGHTS

• Camping
• Beaches
• Hiking
• Whale watching
• Monarch butterfly migration
• Hearst Castle
• Highway 1 scenic drive
• Elephant seals

ABOUT BIG SUR

Big Sur refers to the 90-mile stretch of rugged and awesomely beautiful coastline between Carmel to the north and San Simeon (Hearst Castle) to the south. Just a couple of hours drive from San Jose, Big Sur has attained a worldwide reputation for its spectacular beauty. Flanked on one side by the majestic Santa Lucia Mountains and on the other by the rocky Pacific Coast, Highway 1 has been called the “road trip of a lifetime,” and was declared an All- American Road by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Scenic Byways program. From a variety of whales to California Condors and Elephant seals to otters, wildlife is accessible and plentiful in this region. Don’t miss the Monarch butterflies when they return to Big Sur in October and migrate north in January. Thousands of them can be seen clustered in the trees early in the morning and magically filling the air during the day.

For more information visit www.bigsurcalifornia.org