California's Highway 1 runs for over 650 miles along the Pacific coastline. While we haven't driven the entire length of this highway, we have been on different sections of it through the years. Some parts are more scenic than others, but most people agree that the most scenic is the Big Sur section from Carmel (just a few miles south of Pacific Grove) to San Luis Obispo. This stretch of the highway has earned the designation as one of America's 184 National Scenic Byways.
We left our Airbnb around 8:00 heading southward towards Hearst Castle, which is located in San Simeon. Although it's only a 96-mile drive, timewise Google Maps was showing it as a two-and-a-half-hour drive. This is due to the fact that most of the drive is on a two lane, curvy highway that is hugging the cliffs along the rugged California coast. With frequent stops along the way to take in the incredible views, and to snap a few pictures, we managed to stretch it out to a relaxing and enjoyable journey that took close to four hours.
It's well documented that California has more than its fair share of natural disasters. Earthquakes, rock slides, mud slides, floods and fires often cause sections along this stretch of highway to be closed for maintenance and repair. We had driven a short section of the highway a few years back, but were unable to go far because part of the road had been destroyed. This time there were a few places where crews were working on the road but it was completely open and surprisingly there was very little traffic (it was a weekday).
As we got close to the Hearst Castle Visitors Center we noticed a sign that there was an Elephant Seal Viewing area coming up soon. Not wanting to miss an opportunity to possibly see a few of these huge creatures, that can weigh up to 5,000 pounds, we pulled in. We've seen elephant seals before but our jaws dropped when we stepped out of the car, saw (and smelled) a protected stretch of beach with what looked like at least 1000 slumbering elephant seals. As it turns out, we had stumbled upon the Piedras Blancas Elephant Seal Rookery. As fate would have it, we also came upon it during one of the peak seasons when the adult females and their offspring make their way to the rookery to soak up a little sun and molt (shed their old hair and outer layer of skin).
After gawking at the Elephant Seals for a while we drove the final few miles to the Hearst Castle Visitors Center. We knew the castle was open for visitors but we didn't realize until later that it had only reopened less than two weeks earlier. It had been closed for over two years due to a combination of Covid, and repairs to the road leading from the visitors center to the castle, which sits on a hilltop some 1,600 feet above sea level.
In 1919 media mogul Willam Randolph Hearst started to build a little place on the top of a hill where he had camped with his family as a child. He engaged the services of architect Julia Morgan, the first female architect to study at France's top architectural school and later became California's first female architect.
With money being no object, and a patient architect, the project began to grow in both size and opulence. When completed in the late 40's, the project had grown to include not only the castle, but three guest houses. The main castle is listed to have 115 rooms including 42 bedrooms, 61 bathrooms, 19 sitting rooms, a movie theater, two pools and two tennis courts on the 127 acre garden estate.
There were nice views all the way around the top of the Enchanted Hill!
Hearst, who lost and then regained his fortune, passed away in 1951. In 1958 the Hearst family gave the castle to the state of California, while maintaining the majority of the 82,000 acre estate surrounding it. Shortly thereafter it was open to the public for tours, which initially cost two dollars for adults and one dollar for children.
Today there are several tour options, the most popular (and the one we picked) is the Grand Rooms Tour. This one-hour tour includes numerous stops around the gardens, as well as the main sitting room, dining room and game room. Also included in any of the tour options is a very good forty minute movie in the visitors center that gives an insight into the history of the castle. It also shares a bit of history on the Hearst Family and Mr. Hearst's very patient architect, Julia Morgan. The movie is currently playing on the hour and you can watch it before or after touring the castle. Beth and I agree that if possible it should be seen before touring, but either way, it shouldn't be missed.
After spending about three and a half hours at the Castle we headed a few miles south to the small town of Cambria for a late lunch and a little touring around. Beth took the wheel for the drive back. We didn't stop, but we took our time and enjoyed the views along this very scenic stretch of Highway 1.
