TRAVEL: San Simeon Bay near Hearst Castle @HearstCastle #PhotoGallery

Last month we took a road trip up along the coast of California to Cambria. Have you been? This area was highly recommended by our friends and family. We have heard many wonderful things and wanted to get out of town for a few days to explore an area we have never been. It's close enough to get out of town for a couple of days and back to work on Monday if you plan it right.

About a four hour scenic drive from Orange County with stops like Santa Barbara, you'll get there in no time. One thing I would like to note, be mindful what time of year you go. Because you'll lose daylight very quickly in the winter, you'll want to leave early to enjoy the scenes, grab lunch, make stops along the way, and make it there to explore your area before the sun sets.

Not far from Cambria (where we stayed) and on our way to Hearst Castle (more on that coming up), there is an area called San Simeon with a pier. You can't miss it. It's right before the turn off to Hearst Castle. There you will find this...

The south side of the pier. 

The water is much bluer than pictured. We walked onto the pier unaware that we were walking across a historic bay. We enjoyed the calmness of the waters, and how beautiful the views were. If we didn't have reservations for Hearst Castle, we would have loved to spend more time here.

The north side of the pier. 

We can spot the castle from here.

We were told that a large population of elephant seals hang out here on the beaches but that afternoon we only spotted a few otters which swam on their backs clapping. The kids loved it!

Some interesting facts about San Simeon Bay: "In the 1900s, the bay received shipments from all over the world to build and decorate William Randolph Hearst's hilltop estate, now called Hearst Castle."

Later that evening, we pulled over to watch the sunset.


I think that San Simeon is an area we will continue to visit every few years as a family.

Coming Soon! Touring the Hearst Castle.