NorCal Coast Run Jason, Karen, Sierra & Christian · June 2026

Day 3 Road Guide

Date:Monday, June 8, 2026 Crew:Jason, Karen, Sierra, Christian Sleep:Big Sur Lodge
Cambria → Hearst Castle → San Simeon → Piedras Blancas Lighthouse → Piedras Blancas Elephant Seals → Big Sur

Route Map

Open full route in Google Maps →

Hearst Castle

750 Hearst Castle Rd, San Simeon, CA 93452 · (800) 444-4445 · hearstcastle.org

Landmarks

  • 165-room "ranch" built by William Randolph Hearst 1919-1947
  • Designed by Julia Morgan, one of California's first female architects
  • Neptune Pool (outdoor Roman temple pool)
  • Roman Pool (indoor tiled mosaic pool)
  • Casa Grande (main house) — 38 bedrooms, 41 fireplaces
  • Hearst's private art + antiquities collection

Things to do

  • Grand Rooms Tour — the standard pick, ~$30/adult, 90 min on-site
  • Upstairs Suites Tour — Hearst's private rooms, slightly more
  • Cottages & Kitchens Tour — guest cottages where the celebs stayed
  • Watch the Hearst Castle film (40 min IMAX-style at visitor center, $10, optional)
  • Walk the visitor center exhibits (free, plan 30 min)
  • Ride the shuttle up the hill — the views alone are worth it

Famous for

  • The pools — Neptune + Roman are the iconic photos
  • Hearst's exotic zoo — descendants of his zebras still graze the property
  • One of the most-visited state parks in California

Movie locations / pop culture

  • Spartacus (1960) — Stanley Kubrick filmed scenes here, using the castle as Crassus's villa
  • Lady Gaga "G.U.Y." music video (2014) — filmed at the Neptune Pool + Roman Pool
  • Citizen Kane (1941) — Hearst was the real-life inspiration for Charles Foster Kane (not filmed here, but the source)
  • Hearst Castle: Building the Dream — 40-min documentary plays hourly in the castle theater (included with tour)
  • Commercial filming is rarely granted — only ~2 productions approved since 1957

Hearst-era guest list (Hollywood Golden Age)

  • Charlie Chaplin, Cary Grant, Marx Brothers, Greta Garbo, Buster Keaton
  • Mary Pickford, Jean Harlow, Clark Gable, Hedda Hopper
  • Winston Churchill, Charles Lindbergh
  • Marion Davies — Hearst's longtime companion and a major film star; she essentially co-hosted the castle's social life from the mid-1920s on

Trivia

  • Reservations required — book on hearstcastle.org, especially summer
  • Tickets often sell out 2-3 weeks out for summer dates
  • 165 rooms, 127 acres of gardens + grounds
  • Look for zebras grazing on the way up the hill — really
  • Plan 3 hours total (visitor center + tour + travel time on shuttle)

San Simeon

Tiny coastal village at the foot of Hearst Castle

Landmarks

Things to do

  • Coffee + sandwich at Sebastian's
  • Walk the small pier across from Hearst Castle
  • Photo op at the beach (Hearst Castle visible in the hills above)

Nature

  • Cattle + zebras (Hearst descendants) grazing the hillside
  • Whale spotting from the pier in season

Trivia

  • The town exists because of Hearst Castle
  • Population: about 460

Piedras Blancas Light Station

15950 Cabrillo Hwy, San Simeon, CA · (805) 927-7361 · piedrasblancas.org

Landmarks

  • 1875 historic lighthouse, 100-ft tall (originally)
  • Restored Fresnel lens on display at the visitor center
  • "Piedras Blancas" = white rocks (named for the offshore guano-coated rocks)

Things to do

  • Lighthouse tours by reservation only — typically Mon/Tue/Thu/Sat at 9:45 AM, ~$10/adult
  • Tour includes the grounds, lighthouse exterior, and history of the keepers
  • Photo of the rugged coast + offshore rocks

Nature

  • Whales offshore (gray + humpback in season)
  • Sea otters in the kelp beds
  • Sea lions on the rocks

Trivia

  • Originally 100-ft tall — top was removed after a 1948 earthquake
  • Active Coast Guard aid to navigation (still operating)
  • Reservation tip: book a few weeks ahead

Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery

15950 Cabrillo Hwy, San Simeon (between mile markers 63-65 on Hwy 1) · elephantseal.org

Landmarks

  • Free, open year-round, roadside viewing
  • Boardwalk above the beach (wheelchair accessible, no stairs)
  • 1,000+ elephant seals visible year-round (numbers vary by season)

Things to do

  • Walk the boardwalk — seals are 20-30 ft below you on the sand
  • Talk to the volunteer "Friends of the Elephant Seal" docents in blue jackets — they know everything
  • Bring binoculars (or use your phone zoom) for offshore whales

Nature (June seal scene)

  • June = juvenile and subadult males on the beach (the big bulls are out at sea)
  • Watching them mock-fight in the shallows is the entertainment
  • Some molting females + pups still around
  • You'll smell them before you see them — that's how big the colony is

Famous for

  • One of the largest accessible elephant seal rookeries in the world
  • 5,000-7,000 seals at peak season (winter)
  • Completely free, no reservations, no gate

Big Sur

~90 mi of dramatic Pacific coast — Hwy 1 between San Simeon and Carmel

Landmarks (south to north, in driving order)

Things to do

  • Drive Hwy 1 — slow, pull-offs everywhere
  • Watch McWay Falls from the overlook (5-min flat walk, no descent to the beach allowed)
  • Walk Pfeiffer Beach — purple sand from manganese garnet washes from the cliffs
  • Pull off at Bixby Bridge for the iconic photo
  • Henry Miller Memorial Library (eccentric, books, vinyl, frequent live music)
  • Dinner at Nepenthe — cliffside, sunset, the "Ambrosia Burger" is famous

Nature

  • California condors (largest land bird in North America) frequently sighted
  • Coast redwoods inland from Hwy 1
  • Sea otters in the kelp
  • Whale spotting from cliff pull-offs

Famous for

  • Nepenthe — the iconic Big Sur restaurant + view since 1949
  • Big Sur Bakery — wood-fired pizza, breakfast, locals' favorite
  • Café Kevah — under Nepenthe, breakfast cliff views
  • The Henry Miller Library (offbeat cultural landmark)

Movie + pop culture locations

  • Big Little Lies (HBO) — Bixby Creek Bridge featured prominently in the opening + driving sequences
  • Play Misty for Me (1971, Clint Eastwood's directorial debut) — Big Sur, Hwy 1, Monterey Wharf
  • The Sandpiper (1965, Liz Taylor + Richard Burton) — Big Sur cliffs
  • Big Sur (2013) — film adaptation of Jack Kerouac's novel
  • A Summer Place (1959) — Monterey/Big Sur coastline

Literary + artist residency

  • Henry Miller lived in Big Sur 1944–1962 (18 years) — invited by artist Jean Varda, first staying in a cabin rented from novelist Lynda Sargent, later moving to a wood cabin on Partington Ridge
  • That Partington Ridge cabin had been owned by Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth (sold to them 1945, then to Miller's friend Emil White)
  • Beat Generation: Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti all spent time in Big Sur
  • Robinson Jeffers (Carmel poet) and his stone Tor House are nearby — same cultural orbit
  • The Henry Miller Memorial Library preserves his legacy + hosts events

Trivia / heads up

  • No reliable cell signal on most of Hwy 1 through Big Sur — download maps offline before leaving Cambria
  • Gas is expensive and rare — fill up in Cambria or San Simeon
  • Hwy 1 is sometimes closed by landslides — check caltrans.gov before driving
  • Drive in daylight — the road is windy + dark with zero shoulder lighting

Big Sur Lodge (Sleep)

47225 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920 · (800) 624-4787 · bigsurlodge.com

Why this is the family pick

  • Inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park — wake up surrounded by redwoods
  • Cottages, not hotel rooms — feels like a cabin in the woods
  • Some units have fireplaces and kitchenettes
  • Family-friendly (unlike Post Ranch / Ventana which are 18+ only)
  • Pool + on-site restaurant + general store + gift shop
  • Walking distance to the Big Sur River, Pfeiffer Falls, and the Lodge restaurant

Things to do at the lodge

  • Big Sur Lodge Restaurant (on-site, no driving for dinner)
  • Pool (seasonal, usually open by June)
  • Walk to the Big Sur River — flat trail through the redwoods
  • Fireside Lounge — actual fire, comfy chairs, evening hangout
  • Stargazing in the parking lot — minimal light pollution

Famous for

  • The only lodging inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
  • Cottages designed in mid-century California park style
  • Affordable Big Sur option vs. the $1,000+/night luxury resorts

Booking heads up

  • Book ASAP — Big Sur in June fills 3-6 months in advance
  • If full: Big Sur River Inn is the best fallback (~10 min away, also family-friendly)
  • Cell signal is spotty — wifi at the lodge is okay
  • State park entrance fee included with stay
← Previous Day 2 · Sun Jun 7 — Nipomo Swap Meet → Cambria