“Go ten miles south. You will know you are there when you see the white marks on the road from where the rocks on the cliff face sometimes fall,” said the proprieter as he described how to get to Pardington Cove from the convenience store in Big Sur. It was Christmas vacation on the California coast and we were exploring.
We did as instructed and sure enough, coming around an inside bend on Hwy 1, almost exactly ten miles south, we noticed the marks on the road and a slightly larger shoulder where it was safe to pull off. It doesn’t look like much from your car but if you chance to stop and get out, you will be greeted by a California experience you will never forget.
From your car, you really have two worthwhile adventures awaiting, either of which could consume a day or more. The traditional start has you heading down to the bay. A long, switchbacking, dirt road leads down towards the water, with every step revealing more of this locations enchanting sights. At the bottom, the ocean greets you with its sprightly and thunderous voices as waves break endlessly on the rocky shore and crash through chutes, sending them skyward, by the cliff face.
Keep heading down the trail another 50 feet and you find a surprising tunnel boring straight through the wall of the cove. Cross through and you find another wonderland too good to be missed. When you come out of the tunnel, you are on a narrow trail several feet, straight down, above the clear Pacific waters. The cliff face around this sister cove is sheer for at least 40 feet. Walk up the path a few feet and you are standing directly above a pool teaming with life. I have seen sharks swimming and the random octopus in addition to the colorful anemone.
Follow the trail as it takes you out onto the peninsula of land between the two coves. The adventurous will find a secret cave supposedly used by smugglers during prohibition and tide pools galore. The most adventurous will find you sit directly above the largest chute we saw in the first part of the cove and watch as the spray from the largest waves wets your appetite for excitement.
Another adventure entirely awaits you if you decide to go up from your car instead of down. You follow the creek into a valley with all the lush, verdant forest northern California is famous for. Eventually, the trail disappears and you find yourself scrambling along the creek bed, not minding the wet feet for the joy in your soul. As far back as I have been, every turn brought a new site as wonderful as the last and I find it difficult to turn back.
All told, Pardington Cove will leave an indelible mark on your soul and your life will be richer for it.
