Hikes & views between Santa Barbara, Monterey, Big Sur

Definitely get to this one early because the parking lot is super small and it gets full quickly. Don't park on the street. They will tow your car. I recommend trying to do this one during the week & super early in the morning before sunrise to secure your parking spot and enjoy it with less crowds. This is definitely a go-to hike. It's not too far from LA and it's super pretty and blue.

This is a really cool spot. You'll park on the street. It's not really a hike, but the 1000 Steps down to the beach could be considered one. It's a really nice place for sunet & it's dog-friendly. If the tide is high, it might come all the way up to the stairs, but at lower tide you can hang out on the beach.

This is another famous spot in Big Sur. You can pretty much just drive up and park on the side of the road to see the falls from the top. There is a trail that will take you to a viewing point that's a little bit closer, but sometimes the trail is closed. This is a really good sunset spot, and also during the day. The water is super blue here as well.

This is a really cool spot in Big Sur. There is a fee to get in. Once you pay & enter, just follow the road to the end. The road was a little rough, but not too bad. You can definitely do it in a regular car. There's a short walk from the parking lot to the beach. A lot of photographers like to take photos here. It's great for sunset. At a certain time in the year, the sun will set directly through the hole in the rock.

This is a very famous place. You can park in front of the bridge, or park where the back view of the bridge is. It gets really busy here, especially on the weekends and on holidays. The views are really cool and the water is super blue.

This viewpoint is located on the 17-Mile Drive in Monterey, which you have to pay to do, but I recommend it. There are a lot of flowers and ice plants here.

This isn't a hike, but it's worth visiting. The tree has been there for a really long time and is super protected. The stop is located on the 17-Mile Drive in Monterey, which you have to pay to do. This is one of my favorite spots, it's so scenic. There's a viewing platform thati s great for taking photos.

This is a really popular spot. We went during sunset and it was really crowded because a lot of photographers like taking photos here. The better views are from the top.

This is a pretty straightforward spot to find. From the parking lot, you'll walk on the beach to the hole. For some reason I like rocks with holes in them by the beach, it always looks cool. I wouldn't necessarily call this a hike, maybe more like a beach walk & photo-op.

For parking, I'd recommend having a higher-clearance vehicle because there's a bit of a drop which might bottom out your car. There is a decent amount of parking. You can see the view of the shark fin & the beach from the top. You can hike down to the beach from there. The top is dog-friendly but the beach is not. It's a really beautiful place for sunset. At the bottom of the trail, to the left there's a little cave that goes straight to the ocean.