Spreading along the coast at the mouth of the Big Sur River, 21 miles south of Carmel, Andrew Molera State Park is a grassy former cattle ranch on the site of one of Big Sur’s oldest homesteads. In the 1850s, immigrant John “Juan Bautista” Roger Cooper bought the land and built a cabin, which still stands along Hwy-1 near the park entrance. Well-blazed trails wind along both banks of the river down to the small beach, horses are available for hire (831/625-5486), and there are quite a few nice places to camp (walk-in only). In winter, the park is also a popular resting spot for migrating Monarch butterflies.
