AmorielliLuxury stays & rental news Subscribe
Amorielli Vol. 1 · No. 10 · October 2025 Portfolio p. 26
Portfolio · Vol. 1 · No. 10 · October 2025

Big Sur in pictures

9 photographs from the cover story, Where to Stay in Big Sur, printed large. Photographs by Robin Férand, King of Hearts, Terry Lucas, Michal Cierniak, Burkhard Mücke, John Murphy, Stacey Swinehart, Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, from Wikimedia Commons under the licences credited on each image.

Bixby Creek Bridge, completed in 1932, about thirteen miles south of Carmel; the pullout at its north end is one of the most photographed spots on the coast.
01 / 09
McWay Falls dropping onto the sand of a small cove framed by cliffs at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

McWay Falls Big Sur May 2011 005 · King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped

McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park drops about eighty feet onto the beach of a cove; a short overlook trail is as close as visitors can get.
02 / 09
Highway 1 curving along the cliffs of the Big Sur coast above the Pacific

Pacific Coast Highway (123394187) · Terry Lucas · CC BY 3.0 · cropped

Highway 1 threads the whole coast on two narrow lanes; the drive between the sights is much of the experience.
03 / 09
The purple-tinted sand and offshore rock arch at Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur

Pfeiffer Beach, Big Sur - panoramio · Michal Cierniak · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped

Pfeiffer Beach, reached by a narrow side road, is known for its purple-tinted sand and the offshore arch of Keyhole Rock.
04 / 09
A stone-lined pond with a fountain in a park, surrounded by grass and trees, with a path leading into the background.

Carmel-by-the-Sea 18 · Burkhard Mücke · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped

Readers are looking at a park scene in Carmel-by-the-Sea, featuring a pond and various trees.
05 / 09
Readers are looking at the general store in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, visible at night with its lights on.
06 / 09
A curving sandy beach meets ocean waves along a rocky coastline with hills in the background, partially obscured by fog, under a cloudy sky.

Andrew molera overlook · Stacey Swinehart · CC BY 2.0 · cropped

The reader is looking at a view of the coast, including a beach, ocean waves, and distant hills, from Andrew molera overlook.
07 / 09
A view of a rocky coastline with turquoise ocean, waves, sea stacks, a narrow pebble beach, and steep, vegetated cliffs under a clear sky.

Big Sur Julia Pfeiffer Burns. 07 · Miguel Hermoso Cuesta · CC BY-SA 4.0 · cropped

This photograph shows the coastline at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park in Big Sur, with waves breaking on a rocky shore and cliffs rising from the Pacific Ocean.
08 / 09
A concrete arch bridge crosses a deep coastal canyon, with green hills in the background and steep cliffs meeting the Pacific Ocean on the right.

Bixby Creek Bridge May 2011 001 · King of Hearts · CC BY-SA 3.0 · cropped

Readers are looking at Bixby Creek Bridge, Big Sur, California, a concrete arch bridge spanning a coastal canyon with cliffs and the ocean.
09 / 09
The Amorielli newsletter

Never miss an issue.

One considered letter when a new issue lands: the cover story, the columns, the Portfolio and the month's news.

Unsubscribe anytime. We never share your email.