That might be a trick question as it is a great place to visit all year long.  A longtime favorite of Californians visiting Hearst Castle and the coast south of it, Cambria temps average 60-70 with 300 sunny days a year.  The mild Mediterranean climate and the extraordinary natural wonders make this road trip perfect for anyone looking for some time off the grid. Cambria is halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco, and only a 4 hour drive! It is a cute little town, filled with nice shops and restaurants, art galleries and boutiques that make for great strolling and finding that perfect gift or treasure. It’s a romantic place that’s also tailor-made for relaxing escapes.  Moonstone Beach has it all: crashing waves, surfers, tide pools and driftwood-strewn sand. It’s easily accessible by almost anyone, with a level boardwalk just above the beach and a smooth route down to the sand’s edge.  large_4d4737e5c5b1941f46da87add1c0471e

Visitors wanting a more physically-challenging experience will find plenty to do from adventurous mountain hikes on the Fiscalini Ranch Preserve to extreme cycling on Santa Rosa Creek Road – where you can ride the same route as the Tour of California cycling race!  Those riders got re-routed due to a landslide, but you can test your skill on this steep climb.   Hiking, cycling, surfing, kayaking, or standup paddling…everything is on the Central Coast.

Summer at the coast brings mild temps and during June and July, the marine layer keeps the town of Cambria nice and cool, but the town is just far enough from the coast to be sunny even when the beach is not.  If you are craving that intense summer heat, a day trip into wine country is just a short drive away, and coming back to the coast is a welcome relief.

Fall brings some of the warmest temps of the years and September and October combine great weather and fewer crowds.  In October, the annual Cambria Scarecrow Festival takes over the town with well over 450 of the cutest, most creative scarecrows you can imagine, positioned all over town. Some are lifelike and you might find yourself talking to one before you realize it is a scarecrow. October is also time for the Harvest Weekend Farm Tour of Cambria’s most interesting farms, ranches and vineyards.

Winters are mild and the village of Cambria twinkles with holiday lights and Hearst Castle is fully decorated for the season. In town, shoppers are thrilled to find really special and unique gifts created by local artisans.   The elephant seal rookery, right on Highway One north of Hearst Castle is at its busiest with breeding and babies from December through February when almost 4,000 pups are born in just a few weeks.  This colony has grown and there are almost always several elephant seals to view.   Cooksey-panoramic-wildfl#BB

Spring is picture postcard perfect as the hills glow in their signature green, dotted with pops of purples, yellow, and orange wildflowers.  The sunsets take on an even more spectacular form as the scattered clouds paint the twilight skies.  The entire landscape is alive with nesting birds, frolicking marine life, and we start to see the first baby deer. A fairytale wonderland awaits you in Spring.

 

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