Monterey County(246) ► ADJACENT TO MONTEREY COUNTY Fresno County(118) ► Kings County(8) ► San Benito County(55) ► San Luis Obispo County(103) ► Santa Cruz County(257) ►
Touch name on this list to highlight map location. Touch blue arrow, or on map, to go there.
The Magnificant Condor
The California Condor (Gymnogyps californianus) is an ancient species that once soared from Mexico to Canada. In 1805 Lewis and Clark were the first explorers to record condors for western science. When they . . . — — Map (db m196817) HM
Andrew Molera State Park was once part of a Mexican land grant known as the Rancho El Sur. Though granted in 1834 to Juan Bautista Alvarado, later governor of the province, it was soon acquired by his uncle, J.B.R. Cooper, Cooper was a Monterey sea . . . — — Map (db m144646) HM
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, most settlements in Big Sur had only narrow trails to connect them to Monterey in the north and San Simeon in the south. Bulky items too large to be carried by mules had only one way in or out - by sea. But the . . . — — Map (db m197535) HM
The Esselen, the native people of Big Sur, were one of the smallest tribes in California. Due to their small population and proximity to three Spanish missions they were severely impacted by European contact and domination. For many decades, the . . . — — Map (db m197531) HM
Well into the 20th century, travel by land along California's coast was arduous and time consuming. Steamships and schooners offered a faster and more reliable means of transporting goods and people over long distances. The main landings along the . . . — — Map (db m197532) HM
A luxurious home enjoyed magnificent views from this site.
These walls and terraces are all that remain of a residence built in 1940 for Lathrop and Helen Hooper Brown. The Browns decorated the house with art by Degas, Dufy and Gauguin. . . . — — Map (db m68633) HM
The Draw of Creative Minds
Wild ocean vistas, sculpted rocks, bold mountains, secluded arroyos, verdant creeks, fog-shrouded redwoods, and the rugged solitude of Big Sur have inspired artists for generations. Writers, poets, . . . — — Map (db m197751) HM
Capitol of Monterey County’s Los Burros Mining District.
In the spring of 1887 the Last Chance Mine was discovered by W.D. Cruikshank and later worked by the Krinkle family. Down the hill (from the mine) around this spot, a thriving town of . . . — — Map (db m68653) HM
This rocky point, connected to the mainland by a sand spit, is a geologic formation called a tombolo. Because of its prominence, Point Sur provided an excellent location for a lighthouse and fog signal to warn ships of the hazardous coastline and . . . — — Map (db m200912) HM
In the aftermath of the California Gold Rush, many newcomers decided to put down roots in the West. But would-be farmers and ranchers soon found that rancho grants had claimed much of the best and most accessible agricultural valley and grazing . . . — — Map (db m197536) HM
Spanish explorers and later New England hide and tallow traders found the Big Sur coastline a great hazard. Heavy fogs and extreme winds caused the wreck of many vessels on this coast. The Gold Rush of 1849 dramatically increased coastal shipping. A . . . — — Map (db m68643) HM
Limekiln
In the 1870s and 1880s, locally quarried limestone was kilned (smelted) in four huge wood-fired kilns. The powdered lime was then packed in barrels and cabled from the canyon down to the beach and out to ocean-going schooners . . . — — Map (db m196815) HM
Drawn to this wild, remote coast
Traveling the difficult route along the coast in October of 1869, Michael and Babara Pfeiffer were forced to winter in Big Sur and decided to stay. Their daughter, Julia, was just 11 months old at the time. . . . — — Map (db m68634) HM
