Steps from Moonstone Beach in Cambria, California, to Jefferson Graham’s PhotowalksTV series
For the past few weeks, we’ve been telling you about our road trip in central California beach towns on Highway 1. We started at Pismo Beach and continued to San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, and Cayucos. Today’s stop: Cambria, which is about 10 miles north of Cayucos and 9 miles south of Hearst Castle and San Simeon.
This week we are going to the charming seaside town of Cambria, which is about a 4 hour drive from the South Bay. If you take 101 to get there, you’ll need to take Highway 1 from San Luis Obispo, then head north. It’s about a half hour, twenty miles south of Ragged Point, the unofficial entry point for Big Sur for those of us from the South.
Highlights: Really nice paved walkways to stroll by and overlook the sea, dramatic Big Sur as the coast, a fun two-part historic downtown (west and east) and a great home base for exploring the southern section of Big Sur.
The castle is about 9 miles down the road, and along the way you can check out elephant seals and some rare zebra sightings. Go a little further and you’ll notice some truly amazing rocky coastline at Piedras Blancas Lighthouse.
Then there are those pancakes! (More on it in a minute.)
The video above tells you all about Cambria, the best photography places in town and how to get professional results on your smartphone camera.
Here is more!
The highlight of any Cambria visit is Moonstone Beach, a mile-long paved boardwalk set alongside some landscaped ocean views. They call this area “Little Sur,” because of the dramatic coastline. It’s like Big Sur without the wind engines! Another great walk in Cambria is Fiscalini Ranch, another paved trail overlooking the ocean.
Get down to the sand, enjoy the view, and be sure to come back at sunset for great photos. My favorite place in town is Leffingwell Landing, at the end of Moonstone Beach.
Saint Simeon’s zebras graze in the grass near Hearst Castle. Written by Jefferson Graham for PhotowalksTV Series
An elephant seal near Cambria by Jefferson Graham for the PhotowalksTV series
The Elephant Seal Rookery is just south of Hearst Castle, and you’ll see many, many big seals in the sand. In winter they mate here, and you will see their young too. A little further north, and there’s more: zebras grazing on the side of the road. They were brought to San Simeon by William Randolph Hearst when he built his castle in 1919, and generations of them have remained ever since.
Pies from Linn’s of Cambria, by Jefferson Graham for the PhotowalksTV series
Cambria has a population of just 6000, but there are four shops to satiate their hunger for pies. My wife, Ruth, told Lynn’s story better than I could. Read her article and better yet, subscribe to it Rothtalksphod the news.
Finally, in the episode, I recommend that everyone spend less time with Yelp and Trip Advisor and more time checking out the people who know best when they come to town: the local tourist office.
I met a really smart and knowledgeable woman in Cambria that I would like to introduce to you: her name is Lorraine Schwink, she runs the local chamber and can help you with everything related to Cambria. [email protected]
Lorien Schwenk, Executive Director of the Cambria Chamber of Commerce, by Jefferson Graham for PhotowalksTV series
Previous Highway 1 stations:
Cayucos
Moro . Bay
San Luis Obispo
Pismo Beach
