Big Sur – bluejay thieves & purple sand

When I was there: April 29-May 1, 2016
Why I went: Camping
Where I stayed: Campsite #182 at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Where I ate: Big Sur Bakery
What I saw: A bluejay swoop down and snag a whole sliced piece of spam only to drop it after getting a slipper thrown at it.

Site 182 had good level ground, was next to the bathroom, had a picnic table, fire pit with a grill rack, enough space to fit 3 tents (we only had two) and two cars. I liked this campsite better than Kings Canyon Sequoia National Park, which I went to last Labor Day weekend, since it was less level and rocky at Sequoia. Also, there were no bears or raccoons to seem to worry about, minimal mosquitos or other critters – the blue jays were the only ones we had to worry about. They actually swooped down and stole spaghetti noodles straight from the pan on the burner!

I loved the redwood trees that were sprinkled throughout the campgrounds.

We had heard that Big Sur Bakery was the place to grab breakfast in the area and it was a bonus that it was close by to the campground. Such unique presentation with a doughnut hole nested into the actual hole of the doughnut. The almond pastry was my favorite over the strawberry filled pastry and the doughnut. Unfortunately, we did not get a chance to try their regular breakfast since we were there too early.

There are several trails and we chose to do Pine Ridge Trail to Sykes Hot Springs. We only went a couple of miles in before turning back around. We came across several hikers/backpackers who were doing the full 10 mile hike to Sykes Hot Springs. I wouldn’t call myself a hiker and am not the type to work out regularly so this hike was a good challenge for me. It took 3 hours round trip and did have a beautiful view as you can see below.

We also spent a few hours at Pfeiffer Beach – you really have to watch for the turnout for this as it can easily be missed. Several people had parked on the main road and were walking to the beach. I would NOT recommend this as it is a bit of a trek. Trust me, that the $10 fee is worth the price! Going in is easier as it is downhill, but it would be tiring walking back uphill after spending time at the beach. There were actually a couple of girls who had asked us for a ride up, but we had a full car already.

Pfeiffer Beach has purple sand and rock formations with “key holes” that make for beautiful pictures. It is a beautiful beach and a must see if you are in the area.

Overall this was a great camping trip and I would definitely come back again…but maybe after I go to the redwoods in northern CA since that is my preferred next camping destination.