Big Sur McWay Falls California Coast One Day from Monterey Carmel
Overview
This is a 6-hour private charter excursion by a local driver guide using a full-size SUV. This is a unique way of visiting one of the most scenic areas in the U.S. The driver guide will stop at places you wish to enjoy in Monterey, Big Sur, Bixby Bridge, River Inn, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park of Coastal Redwoods, Nepenthe and McWay Falls, and many other places. This is not a group tour.
Inclusions
- Bixby Bridge
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- Private transportation
- Parking Fees
- McWay Falls
- Entry/Admission - Bixby Bridge
- Entry/Admission - McWay Falls
What to expect
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Monterey, Monterey, Monterey County, California
Along the Monterey Bay drive through Fort Ord, Marina and Seaside to Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row. Next to Pacific Grove then Highway One south towards The Big Sur.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Big Sur, Big Sur, California
Going south past Point Lobos and Garrapata picture stop at Rocky Point, continue to Bixby Bridge then past Hurricane Point and Point Sur Lighthouse. Past River Inn continue to Nepenthe.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Bixby Bridge, Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920
This iconic single span concrete bridge built in the 19402 appears in many films and TV shows. Stop at north end to take pictures of the bridge and the ocean. About 30 minutes.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, 47225 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920-9542
Walk in spend about an hour in the Redwoods, Nepenthe / Phoenix / Café Kevah refreshment stop, gazing at The Pacific Ocean..
Most people make this the last stop before returning north.
Henry Miller Library is further south, you may enjoy a visit.
McWay Falls – you need good shoes and about an hour. This is the southernmost point for the trip, about 37 miles south of Carmel. Parking fee to be paid direct
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: McWay Falls, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA 93920
Walk to the McWay Falls view point
Duration: 25 minutes
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Monterey, Monterey, Monterey County, California
Along the Monterey Bay drive through Fort Ord, Marina and Seaside to Fisherman's Wharf and Cannery Row. Next to Pacific Grove then Highway One south towards The Big Sur.
Duration: 15 minutes
Stop At: Big Sur, Big Sur, California
Going south past Point Lobos and Garrapata picture stop at Rocky Point, continue to Bixby Bridge then past Hurricane Point and Point Sur Lighthouse. Past River Inn continue to Nepenthe.
Duration: 2 hours
Stop At: Bixby Bridge, Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920
This iconic single span concrete bridge built in the 19402 appears in many films and TV shows. Stop at north end to take pictures of the bridge and the ocean. About 30 minutes.
Duration: 20 minutes
Stop At: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, 47225 Highway 1, Big Sur, CA 93920-9542
Walk in spend about an hour in the Redwoods, Nepenthe / Phoenix / Café Kevah refreshment stop, gazing at The Pacific Ocean..
Most people make this the last stop before returning north.
Henry Miller Library is further south, you may enjoy a visit.
McWay Falls – you need good shoes and about an hour. This is the southernmost point for the trip, about 37 miles south of Carmel. Parking fee to be paid direct
Duration: 3 hours
Stop At: McWay Falls, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA 93920
Walk to the McWay Falls view point
Duration: 25 minutes
Additional information
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Stroller accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- Not wheelchair accessible
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Ticket delivery
You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity.
Cancellation
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start time of the experience.
L K
January 2023
We had an excellent day with Carlos touring the coast from Monterey to Big Sur. Carlos was patient, funny, and knowledgeable. This was a private tour so you can customize it as needed, or leave it to Carlos and everything will be fine. The following is our itinerary but if you want to be surprise...
We had an excellent day with Carlos touring the coast from Monterey to Big Sur. Carlos was patient, funny, and knowledgeable. This was a private tour so you can customize it as needed, or leave it to Carlos and everything will be fine. The following is our itinerary but if you want to be surprised and impressed then please stop reading. Stop #0: Carlos picked us up from our hotel (Hyatt Regency Monterey) at 9am (he can pick you up at whatever time you want). Stop #1: Drive through Carmel. We didn’t stop much in Carmel because most businesses weren’t yet open at 9am. Carlos offered to stop at a coffeeshop if we wanted to but I turned it down since we had just finished coffee at breakfast. Carlos drove through the famous streets of Carmel and pointed out many of the cool looking houses. One of them is the Clinton Walker House designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. There is also the Butterfly House. The only stop we made here was for the Carmel Beach, but due to high tide, all of the staircases were blocked off for safety. Stop #2: Mission House. This is a big part of Carmel history. It costs $13 to go inside which we chose not to do. We are here for nature, with a small amount of history/culture. So outside is all we needed. Stop #3: Carmel Highlands Vista Point. Beautiful road side stop with views from all directions. Stop #4: Garrapata State Park. Here, Carlos parked at the Soberanes Point Trailhead and we hiked up to the Soberanes Point, then hiked back down and further down towards the ocean. The view was so grand that we spent a long time here. Stop #5: Kasler Point. Lovely view of the ocean here! Stop #6: Notley’s Landing Vista Point. Stop #7: Bixby Creek Bridge. This was so majestic and beautiful! Stop #8: Hurricane Point View. Hurricane Point has amazing views. Drive by: Point Sur Lighthouse. We did not stop at Point Sur State Park but Carlos told us about this park briefly. There are lots of hiking trails and a lot of history here as well. Stop #9: Big Sur River Inn General Store. Big Sur River Inn was a nice pit stop with clean bathrooms and a general store that sold some food, beer, and souvenirs. We each bought a can of hard kombucha and enjoyed them in our limo. Stop #10: Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Lots of beautiful redwoods and hiking trails here. We walked around the river and did a little hiking. Stop #11: Post Ranch Inn. Post Ranch Inn is a beautiful boutique hotel with gorgeous views. The rooms here are standalone little villas perched over the cliff side. Rooms start around $2000 a night. We made our lunch reservation here at Sierra Mar, a restaurant that’s breath taking as it sits at the corner with walls of windows of the ocean view. The restaurant is reservation only and they check to make sure your name is on the list before letting you into Post Ranch Inn. The lunch is on a prix fixe menu, with 3 courses, for $75 per person. The food was amazing, and with the view and excellent service, this was a must-do. Stop #12: Nepenthe. Nepenthe is a popular lunch spot. There is a shop and a full service bar as well. Of course, plenty of ocean view too. If you want to have lunch here, you would definitely want to get a reservation too because the wait time is an hour or longer. Since we already had lunch, we were just here for a drink. We decided to purchase a bottle of wine because they allow you to take the rest home and drink later. Stop #13: McWay Falls Road Side Overlook. McWay Falls has been on my bucket list since I was in high school. I don’t know why, but the idea of a waterfall falling from mountaintops directly into the ocean just fascinates me. There are only 2 waterfalls like this in the continental US, the other is near San Francisco, called Alamere Falls. Alamere Falls is a lot grander, but the simplicity of McWay Falls makes it more mysterious to me, and the fact that there is no way to go down to the bottom… (Well, there is a way, but it would require a private boat, and from what I hear, the view from down below isn’t as nice.) Caution: It is illegal to hike down to mcWay Falls. It is extremely dangerous, people have died, and if caught, the fine is serious. Stop #14: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. During our visit, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park was closed for cars but open for foot traffic. We stopped here for a bathroom break and checked out the McWay Falls Trail to see what we could see. We know the trail was only half open due to recent heavy rain and rockslide. Turns out the trail closes right at the McWay Falls viewpoint so we got some nice pictures at the overlook here as well. Stop #15: Vista Point. Stop #16: Henry Miller Memorial Library. An eccentric little library that celebrates the life of Henry Miller. This was our last tour stop before being dropped off at our hotel. We had such a wonderful day. We did so much, yet never felt rushed.Delores_C
October 2023
This was an outstanding excursion into beautiful Northern California. Carlos was extremely kind , competent. knowledgeable, and funny.
This was an outstanding excursion into beautiful Northern California. Carlos was extremely kind , competent. knowledgeable, and funny.Espie_L
September 2023
I highly recommend this Tour and booking with Viator. Ben & Carlos were EXCEPTIONAL! Both were very professional and added that personal touch. Carlos took us to all the spots I've been wanting to see and more. It was nice not having to drive and take in all the beauty. Pfeifer beach and M...
I highly recommend this Tour and booking with Viator. Ben & Carlos were EXCEPTIONAL! Both were very professional and added that personal touch. Carlos took us to all the spots I've been wanting to see and more. It was nice not having to drive and take in all the beauty. Pfeifer beach and Mcway Falls were my favorite. Carlos was Amazing! True Gentleman and very knowledgeable and patient. Thank you Carlos! Will definitely do this again.Y477NJjohnt
July 2023
We stayed in Riverside Campground in Big Sur over 4th of July weekend and had a really nice time. The campground and adjoining Big Sur campground are both really nice with beautiful redwoods and nice campsites plus cabins to stay in. We drove south down Highway 1 and stopped off at several vie...
We stayed in Riverside Campground in Big Sur over 4th of July weekend and had a really nice time. The campground and adjoining Big Sur campground are both really nice with beautiful redwoods and nice campsites plus cabins to stay in. We drove south down Highway 1 and stopped off at several viewpoints that gave us fabulous views of the coastline. We stopped off at McWay Falls which is a short hike. Se also went to Bixby Bridge and pulled off to take pics; it's a very busy spot and parking is limited but we managed to find a place. It is a very beautiful coastline and if we had more time we would have gone to more places such as Point Lobos but we got a lot of sightseeing in over two days.Explorer52969846669
June 2023
My boyfriend and my family went on the one day trip together in April. The schedule was tight but flexible as well. The guide, Carlos, was really easy to talk to and took us to see the mose beautiful scene!
My boyfriend and my family went on the one day trip together in April. The schedule was tight but flexible as well. The guide, Carlos, was really easy to talk to and took us to see the mose beautiful scene!deborahfL1
June 2023
A must do!! Beautiful scenery I had a car but was nice not to have to drive. Driver let you stay as long as you wanted which was also nice. He picked up at hotel which also was a blessing as he lived close to the hotel. If you enjoy shopping he was very accommodating, which we really enjoyed alon...
A must do!! Beautiful scenery I had a car but was nice not to have to drive. Driver let you stay as long as you wanted which was also nice. He picked up at hotel which also was a blessing as he lived close to the hotel. If you enjoy shopping he was very accommodating, which we really enjoyed along with the beautiful views along the coast and the history.