10 BIG Mistakes to Avoid Before Traveling to the Big Sur!

These are hands down the 10  biggest mistakes everyone makes when traveling to Big Sur! I have been to Big Sur many times now and can personally attest to many of these first-timer mistakes, ha. 🙂

This entire travel blog is built on the idea that you can never plan too much or be too prepared for a trip.. so it’s only fitting to create a 10 BIG mistakes to avoid before traveling to the Big Sur guide!

Before you dive into these common mistakes, be sure to check out all of these related guides:

• Big Sur Road Trip Itinerary
• Quick Guide to Visiting Monterey Bay
• California Road Trip Itinerary 7 Days
• Unique Things you can only do in San Francisco
• Wine Tasting in Paso Robles, California

There is a chance my free guides contain affiliate links. This means that if you purchase something through these links, I might make a small commission (at no extra cost to you) that goes towards little Rosie’s dog treats!

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1. Only budgeting a few hours

The Big Sur is not only a BIG stretch of coastline, but there are so many beaches, hiking trails, cute lunch spots, and viewpoints that you will want to check out! On my first trip to the Big Sur, I spent about 4-5 hours exploring the viewpoints and hanging out at a beach. On my second trip to Big Sur, I spent two full days and it still didn’t feel like enough!

I would recommend researching the Big Sur and deciding what your must-sees are. If you want to relax on the beaches or go hiking at the state parks, you will need to dedicate yourself at least a full day. If you just want to enjoy the drive and occasionally stop at the viewpoints, then you will need at least 4 hours.  Click here to view all the Big Sur Viewpoints with photos!

If you are doing a California Road Trip (like my 7 Day California Road Trip), be sure to dedicate one full day to the Big Sur, don’t cram it into other excursions! And ESPECIALLY don’t drive from San Francisco and do the Big Sur in one day!

2. Not saving all of the must-sees to a Google map

Like I mentioned before, you should plan all your must-see spots in advance! Once you get past Monterey / Carmel area, you will have absolutely ZERO service! You should have an idea on where all the famous viewpoints are so you don’t miss them.

In my Big Sur Road Trip guide, I go over ALL the best viewpoints (in order from North to South) and a FREE Google Map for you to download for your trip. Click here to check that out! If you just want to skip right to the Google Map, just fill out your info below so I can email it to you.

3. Not bringing a car charger for your phone

This one sort of goes with #2, but once you start the coastal drive, you will have no service. This means, if you are playing music or trying to use your maps, your phone will die extremely quick.

I would definitely bring a car charger, or if you are traveling with a group of friends, this car charger has multiple USB ports! That way you don’t have to fight over whose phone gets to charge.. not talking from personal experience or anything.. 🙂

4. Only stopping at the famous spots

Ahh, probably the biggest mistake of them all!! There will be SO many viewpoints along the Big Sur, and only half of them are actually named with a parking lot.

If you ever see a big dirt pull out on the side of the road… STOP! Some of my favorite viewpoints along the Big Sur were the ones that were unnamed and had no people at.

For example, Bixby Creek Bridge is one of the most famous viewpoints along the Big Sur. While it is a beautiful sight to see, if you don’t get there early in the morning, you might have to wait 20+ minutes to get a parking spot! You are also sharing that view with hundreds of people!

5. Not going to all of the state parks in the same day

I’ll let you in on a little secret.. If you buy ONE California state park pass, you get access to all of the state parks for the entire day! If you plan on spending a few days in the Big Sur area, I would do all of the state parks on the same day so you only have to pay the $10 park fee once. If you want to learn about all of the California state parks, click here!

The main state parks along the Big Sur are:

• Point Lobos State Park
• Garrapata State Park
• Andrew Molera State Park
• Point Sur State Park
• Pfeiffer Beach State Park
• Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
• Limekiln State Park

**You might have to pay for parking at some of these state parks, especially on weekends.

6. Driving North through the Big Sur

I wholeheartedly believe that you should drive the coastal drive of the Big Sur from NORTH to SOUTH.

If you drive south down the Big Sur, you will be on the coastal side of the road, making the views 100x better! ALSO, you will be making right turns in / out of the viewpoints. Making right turns will save you a ton of time and stress because imagine having to make a left turn on a narrow, winding road where everyone is distracted by the beautiful views! No thank you!

I would recommend starting in Monterey / Carmel and then driving south towards Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. You can either stay in a town south of Big Sur, or you can drive back up to Monterey / Carmel area to stay the night (what I did). Monterey is an adorable sea-side town with tons of wine bars – click here to read a quick guide to visiting Monterey!

Hey, like wine?! Be sure to check out my Paso Robles, Temecula, & Napa Valley wine tasting guides!

7. Not filling up your gas tank before starting the Big Sur Itinerary

I would highly recommend filling up your gas tank before starting your Big Sur Road Trip. Like I said in #2 & #3, you will have no service along the Big Sur! If you run out of gas, you will be SOL trying to find a tow truck.

On top of having no service, there is only one gas station along the Big Sur and it is PRICEY. If you fill up your gas tank in Monterey / Carmel area, you will have plenty of gas to get you through the Big Sur and back to town.

Incase of an emergency, the only gas station along the Big Sur is located in Big Sur town, where all the restaurants are located. Which leads me to my next point…

Click here to edit photos like me!

8. Not having lunch at the Big Sur River Inn

The Big Sur River Inn is located about half way through the Big Sur viewpoints and a great spot to stop for lunch! In this quaint town, you will find a gas station, a few small hotels, convenience stores, bathrooms, and restaurants.

At the Big Sur River Inn, you can grab your food to go and head down to the river to eat! They have large chairs in the river, so you can have your feet in the water while you eat. These do fill up pretty quick, so you might have to wait for a chair. Otherwise, there is big picnic grounds along the river or you are welcome to eat at the actual restaurant!

9. Thinking you can go on the beach at the famous McWay Falls

This was so heartbreaking to find out on my first trip to Big Sur! The famous Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park has a picturesque trail that leads to a viewpoint showing a gorgeous cove with a waterfall flowing down onto the beach. If you look online or at the signs when you park, you will see two trails: Viewpoint & waterfall.

I assumed that the waterfall trail lead to the beautiful waterfall on the beach, but it leads to a small waterfall INLAND (into the forest). Hiking down to the beach is not only illegal and bad for the environment, but extremely dangerous!

10. Only using an I-Phone and Instagram filters for all of your photos!

Do you ever look back at old photos taken on your I-Phone and just cringe by how blurry they were?! Don’t make that mistake with all of the memorable and beautiful photos you will take on your Big Sur Road trip!

Investing in a high-quality camera that you can take with you on your travels will ensure that you have high-quality photos to look back on for years to come! If you are wondering what camera gear I use for my travel photos, click here to check it out!

Not only is the camera you use important, but editing the photos is equally as important. Have you ever taken a great photo to show your family / friends only to say, “The photos just don’t do it justice?” Well, that is because your eyes capture color better than a camera ever will. Sometimes you need to add a little magic to your photos to match what you saw in person.

Click here for one-click photo filters that were built by an actual photographer! Oh, and they’re on SALE too! 🙂

This photo was edited in ONE CLICK using these presets!

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Okay, that’s a wrap! Now you will be overly-prepared for your trip to the Big Sur and are guaranteed to have the best time! This little stretch of coast line is a place that I come back to time and time again because there is so much to see.

I hope you have the BEST time, but before you go, be sure to check out these related guides:

• Big Sur Road Trip Itinerary
• Quick Guide to Visiting Monterey Bay
• California Road Trip Itinerary 7 Days
• Unique Things you can only do in San Francisco
• Wine Tasting in Paso Robles, California

Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂

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