Big Sur Beauty & Adventure
August 3rd – 10th 2024 (7 nights)
Searching for a last minute August trip was challenging. Most campgrounds are either too hot in the summer or booked months in advance since school is out and people are on summer vacation. We had a big summer home renovation project and didn’t know when it would end, so we weren’t able to make our trip plans six months in advance per our usual strategy. Regardless, we decided to give last minute trip planning a try since our schedule opened up earlier than expected and we had some free time. The first thing we did was identify locations that are beautiful and temperate. Big Sur rose up immediately to the top of our list: natural beauty, cool summer weather, and accessible (with a caveat). We had wanted to further explore Big Sur for some time and try a couple of campgrounds that are new to us — Plaskett Creek Campground and Kirk Creek Campground. The catch is that these campgrounds are extremely popular (Kirk Creek Campground is reportedly harder to get into than Yosemite).
We decided to use a reservation scanning website since both Plaskett Creek and Kirk Creek campgrounds were completely booked on our desired travel dates. These types of websites scan park campground reservations systems and notify users when there is a last minute cancellation. Many of these services have a fee. However, at least one, Campflare, is a free service that scans select reservations systems every fifteen minutes and notifies users by text and email when a cancellation is detected. Since we had nothing to lose, we signed up. Minimal personal information is required to use the system. Simply identify the campsite you are looking for and the date range you would like to travel and provide your email (and mobile phone number if you want to receive a text).
We received an email and text within a few days of setting up the notifications! We reserved two nights at Plaskett Creek Campground almost immediately after receiving the email /text (which came in shortly after 5 a.m. one weekday morning). Fortunately, I was up early, so I reserved the site right away. It’s a good idea to have your sign in credentials for Recreation.gov ready to go for both your computer and mobile phone (in case you are out when you get notified). I learned this the hard way, as I received a text while taking a walk that a campsite had become available at Kirk Creek Campground. I didn’t have my Recreation.gov credentials saved on my phone, so I ended up running home (about two miles)! Fortunately, the campsite was still available when I got home and I was able to reserve it.
On this trip, we stopped to visit family in both Pacific Palisades and Santa Barbara on our way to Big Sur. Big Sur is about a three hour drive north of Santa Barbara. We took a break for lunch at Zorro’s in Pismo Beach (about half way up to Big Sur) for some great Mexican food. We made sure to fill up our gas tank in Morro Bay before driving up the coastline to Big Sur as gas is hard to find and very expensive there. Plaskett Creek Campground was our first stop in Big Sur. The campground, run by the US Forest Service, sits across the street from the beaches. We had site #43 ($49/night) which is nicely separated from other campsites. There’s also a water spigot close to this site (note, the water here is frequently turned off due to quality issues, so it’s best to check if the spigots are available before arriving, or better yet, bring your own water). We arrived with a full tank of fresh water in our 2020 Scamp 13’ along with three 6 gallon jugs of fresh water just in case none was available. There is almost no mobile phone service here (although we found we could text near the Group campsites and also receive internet walking along the bluffs above Jade Cove). For future visits longer than a few days, I think we would come with the new Starlink Mini to allow for phone and internet connectivity.
There are a bunch of adventures available at Plaskett Creek campground, so there’s plenty to do for a three day visit. Sand Dollar Beach, one of the most beautiful beaches on the Big Sur coast, is a short walk down the road from the campground. It’s a wide sandy beach and great for walking, swimming, surfing, rock hounding, tide pooling, fishing, hiking, picnicking, …. There are about one hundred stairs to get down to the beach from the top of the bluff. We expected to find sand dollars on the beach due to the beach’s name; however, we didn’t see any! Jade Cove is another great adventure within walking distance to the campground. It may be hard to find since there are no trailhead entrance signs (we were told the locals take them down to keep people out). Fortunately, we have Gaia GPS on our phone and the route is clearly visible on the map (and your progress can be tracked as you walk – you are represented by an arrow). Note – make sure to download any maps before you come to Big Sur because there is limited to no internet reception here. Watch out for poison oak on the trail and take care not to brush against bushes as there are also ticks on the bluff trails. Getting down the trail to the beach is a bit treacherous as the trail is very steep at the bottom and ropes are needed to descend onto the beach (the ropes are already secured in place).
Jade Cove is the perfect place to come if you are looking for Big Sur Jade (aka Bubble or Grape Jade), a rare and unique gemstone found only in the Big Sur region of California. Jade Cove contains the only concentrated underwater deposit of quality nephrite jade in the world. Once on the beach, spend time sifting through the rocks and look for emerald green stones. We found a couple small pieces and were told it is extremely hard to find it on the beach (it may be best to look right after storms). The easiest way to find the jade is to go into the water and dive (only advisable for experienced divers when conditions are calm). The jade is also difficult to identify as many rocks look like it. Serpentine, agates, and sandstone can be mistaken for jade. The real jade is extremely hard and won’t crack apart if slammed against other rocks or drilled for making jewelry. Jade is often very smooth and a dark emerald green in color.
Hiking the Salmon Creek Falls Trail is another adventure close to Plaskett Creek Campground. Salmon Creek Falls is a stunning 120 foot natural waterfall. The trail entrance is about a fifteen minute drive south on the coast highway. It’s a short hike (.25 mile round trip from the highway) to the waterfalls and the last section is very rocky. When you reach the trail split, stay left to the reach falls. The trail on the right goes up higher to a secluded camping area. We saw many people swimming in the large pool below the falls. Getting close to the base of the waterfall requires climbing on boulders. Willow Creek is another place to explore (about a fifteen minute drive from Plaskett Creek Campground). It’s a creek that drains into the ocean. The beach is rocky and we were told one might find Big Sur jade here (although we didn’t find any).
After spending a few days at Plaskett Creek Campground, our next stop was Kirk Creek Campground (only about 10 minutes’ drive north). Since check out time was noon at Plaskett Creek Campground and check-in time was 3 p.m. at Kirk Creek Campground, we asked the campground host what we should do. He advised us to stay at our campsite an extra half hour (which we did and ate lunch during that time) and then explore Sand Dollar Beach a bit more (we parked our trailer on the side of the highway for about an hour). The coast highway here is very quiet because it is still closed just north of Kirk Creek Campground due to landslides. We arrived at Kirk Creek Campground around 2 p.m. and found our campsite, #30 ($53/night), to be ready for us. Site #30 has a spectacular ocean view of the stunning Big Sur coastline. We could see white water views down the coast, even inside our Scamp! There are no water spigots here and no mobile phone reception. There are trash cans (which the infamous raccoons open and strew trash everywhere at night) and bathrooms here. We were advised to be very careful with food as gangs of raccoons have been known to boldly walk into peoples’ campers to grab food (even with people inside)! There are a couple of trails at Kirk Creek Campground (a short one goes down to the beach and a very long one, Vicente Flat Trail, which can take over four hours, goes to an old Redwood forest inland of the campground). During our visit, the beach trail was overgrown with poison oak. We ended up just enjoying the views and relaxing at Kirk Creek Campground. The location offers some of the most beautiful coastal scenery in the world. Many people come up to this campground and stay for a week, just sitting in chairs outside their trailers and marveling at the stunning coastline views.
Big Sur is one of our favorite places to visit in the summer. The weather is cool and the scenery can’t be beat. There are plenty of adventures to be had, including treasure hunting for Big Sur jade. We can’t wait to go back for some more exploring and next time will bring a plastic shovel and bucket (and rock ID app). The campsite host at Plaskett Creek Campground told us some kids dug out 14 pieces of jade right at the campground using such tools! We find Big Sur to be beyond Sur-real!
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