Driving Highway 1 in California – Big Sur Lodge and Pfeiffer Falls

This is part 4 a series about a road trip along California’s famous Highway 1. Please check out my other posts on Highway 1 and don’t forget to subscribe.

After visiting the beautiful lookout at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, we wanted to find somewhere in Big Sur country to stay the night. We had some lodging recommendations from my followers on Twitter but many of them were out of our price range. For example, the Ventana Inn looks amazing but we didn’t want to spend several hundred dollars. We checked out a few places that were listed in guide books or that we passed on the road but value for money seemed to be a problem. One place we looked at seemed to have a serious damp problem in the cabins and was still charging $120 a night.

Big Sur Lodge

Happily we found the Big Sur Lodge. We booked standard queen rooms for $169 each. Since we had saved money by staying in basic motels in Monterey and San Simeon the previous two nights, we were happy to splurge a little. The rooms were in cabins with views of the woods and a little deck, which my parents-in-law made good use of during the cocktail hour. Inside they were bright and airy with an aura of quality.

Pfeiffer Falls hike

My husband and I found time to fit in a short hike up to Pfeiffer Falls on the day we arrived, though it was a rush to get back before dark. The hike is only about a mile from the lodge and it’s a gentle incline – it should be easy for most able-bodied people. We passed ancient redwoods and then as we climbed the hill, the vegetation became lighter. The falls were pretty but not spectacular – it’s just a creek cascading down over rock, though I’m sure it would be more impressive after rain.  Unfortunately I had a slow film in my camera so I could only capture it with a flash.

Big Sur Lodge restaurant

Since we were a captive market, we ate dinner in the Big Sur Lodge restaurant that night. We could have driven somewhere but there was nowhere really on the wishlist and my father-in-law, who was doing the driving in the rental car, wanted a drink. I was happy with the restaurant. I wouldn’t make a special trip for it, but the food was good and it was reasonably priced. It serves up Californian cuisine (a similar concept to modern Australian and modern European) and it has some emphasis on local produce, such as artichokes and Monterey Bay calamari. We also had breakfast there the next day.

Before checking out the next day, my husband and I went on another hike, this time a longer one up to Buzzard’s Roost. I will write about this in the next installment in the series.

Driving Highway 1 series:

Part 1: Pescadero and the Duartes Tavern

Part 2: Santa Cruz and the Lost Boys Railroad Bridge

Part 3: McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

All Highway 1 posts

Other related posts:

Steinbeck country: The Carmel Valley Road

Photo Friday: Monster rocks at Point Lobos

California coast by Twitter