California Central Coast
WHO
All four of us have visited Central California several times. When we took this trip in 2015, Averhy was almost 11 and Eden was almost 8 years old.
(In this photo, Sky is pointing at a sea lion relaxing on the rocks!)
WHAT
What did we bring on this trip? Way too much! This trip is an example of overpacking… we planned to spend 3 days in the Pismo Beach area, and then drive into the mountains to go skiing for 3 days. However, the weather was a lot warmer than expected, so we ditched our plans to ski and spent the whole week exploring the coast. The girls each carried a backpack, Sky had a carry-on suitcase, and I had a second carry-on duffel bag with most of our ski gear (which we didn’t use at all). We wore our winter coats and boots on the plane to save space in our luggage.
WHEN
We took this trip in January 2015. Traveling at this time was nice because the weather in California was temperate, and we were able to see the monarch butterflies as they were migrating through the area.
WHERE
During this trip, we stayed in Pismo Beach with Sky’s parents, who were living there at the time.
Isn’t is nice to stay with family and friends when you’re traveling? We try to do this whenever possible, and we love it when out-of-town friends stay at our house when they’re passing through Illinois!
The yellow stars on the map show all the locations we explored during our week in central California.
WHY
The first time Sky and I visited this area was in 2003, when we took a 2-week road trip driving the coast of California. The next time we traveled here was for a family reunion in 2013, when we stayed in San Luis Obispo. On the trip described in this post, we were celebrating a late Christmas with Sky’s parents! We would recommend visiting Pismo Beach and the surrounding areas because they are family-friendly, with a lot of different hikes, beaches, and interesting places to explore.
HOW
Day 1: Monarch Butterfly Grove & Pismo Beach
We flew from Chicago to LA to San Luis Obispo, then driving to Pismo Beach and arrived mid-day. Our first place to explore was the Monarch Butterfly Grove at Pismo State Beach. There were tens of thousands of butterflies everywhere. This photo is not leaves on a tree - it is all butterflies! Monarchs migrate to this area from October to early March every year.
Next we walked along the Beach Foot Trail out to the ocean. The girls had fun climbing the huge trees, walking among the sand dunes, and finding sand dollars everywhere on the beach. If you find a purple fuzzy sand dollar, it’s still alive so just leave it where you found it.
Day 2: Smuggler’s Cave, Pirate’s Cove Beach, Ontario Ridge Trail, & Avila Beach
After breakfast, we went on a short hike to see Smuggler’s Cave which had some neat rock arches. It started to get windy, so the girls and Sky’s parents walked down to play on Pirate’s Cove Beach. It was a rocky area that was fun to explore - but be warned that if you walk all the way down the beach, there is an area that’s clothing-optional! Sky and I hiked the Ontario Ridge Trail instead, which had one very steep section, but overall was not difficult.
After meeting back at the house for lunch, we drove up to Avila Beach for the afternoon. It was fun to dig in the sand and explore one large section of rocks that were covered with mussels.
We also walked down to the pier and saw lots of sea lions resting on the docks. Although it was sunny, the water was cold so we did not go swimming.
Day 3: Morro Bay, Elephant Seals & Big Sur
Sky and I drove up the coast while the girls spent the day with their grandparents. However, we all ended up seeing the same things! First up was Morro Bay, with a view of Morro Rock. This is a cute town, and during a previous visit to this area in 2013 we spent more time here.
Next up was the Elephant Seal viewing point on Highway 1, north of San Simeon. If you’ve never heard a hundred elephant seals hanging out together… they are LOUD. Their mating season here is November to March, so hopefully you can see them.
Sky and I kept driving along Highway 1 all the way to Monterey, enjoying the gorgeous views of Big Sur and lots of little beaches like this one along the coast. Driving straight through, it takes about 3.5 hours - but if you want to make a lot of stops and enjoy the view, plan on driving most of the day.
We arrived in Monterey around 3pm as the fog began to roll in, so we took the 101 inland to drive home.
Day 4: Montana de Oro State Park & Spooner’s Cove
Today was a bit of a rest day. After a relaxing morning at home, we drove to Montana de Oro State Park to briefly see some pretty views, and then spent more time at Spooner’s Cove. The rock formations here were interesting, with caves in the steep cliffs and jagged rocks along the shore. It kept us busy for quite a while! In the evening, we relaxed at home.
Day 5: Bishop’s Peak Hike & Pismo Beach
Sky and I spent the morning hiking trails around Bishop Peak, which included some neat wooded areas as well as great views at the top. In the afternoon, we all went back to Pismo Beach to play (our girls could spend all day digging in the sand). Sky & Averhy got in the water for just a little bit - it was still pretty cold!
Day 6: Hearst Castle & San Simeon
Hearst Castle is a really interesting place to visit, and our girls enjoyed this tour. There are a lot of different options, but we did the basic 1-hour Grand Rooms tour and found it to be just enough to keep our girls interested and engaged. After the tour, we walked around some more, then had a late picnic lunch on the beach in San Simeon before heading back to Pismo Beach for the evening.
Day 7: San Luis Obispo & Serenity Swing Trail
For our last day in central California, Sky and I drove over to San Luis Obispo to enjoy the views. We stopped at a few random viewpoints before finding a trail that led to the Serenity Swing. The girls spent the day playing with their grandparents at Avila Beach, and we wrapped up our week with some local theatre.
Final Tips
In 2017, a huge landslide covered part of Highway 1 along the Big Sur area and the road finally reopened in 2018. However, smaller landslides do happen from time to time on this road, so it’s a good idea to check for closures before you go.
We did a lot of little hikes, but there are a lot more in this area. If you have a favorite hike you’d recommend, please share it in the comments below!
