Best remote hikes down Big Sur?

I'm looking to do an extended trip down the coast of Big Sur for my 18th birthday. I want to try and keep away from people as much as possible and see the best sights around (I understand these might conflict a bit.) I'm just beginning but am pretty knowledgeable and very fit. This thread is just a beginning so I can know where too look into or if anyone has done something similar they'd like to share. Anything helps!

Cheers!

-EspressoLennon

Forgot to mention I'd like to do about 150-200mi. Is the PCT my best shot?

Is the PCT my best shot?

Big Sur is on the Pacific coast. The PCT is on the pacific crest, meaning the high mountains, as in the Sierras. They are not within 100 miles of each other.

Are there long distance trails down the coast from say Big Sur to San Francisco?

I have no expertise there, but I do know that ocean frontage land is very frequently in private hands, so that obtaining 150 miles of right-of-way for a trail through the Big Sur seems to me to be highly unlikely.

Nope! But you can take a nice drive down highway 1. People often bicycle down it.

By the way, San Francisco is UP the coast from Big Sur.

I think there was some collaborative effort going on to create a coastal trail, but, that has not gone very far. Right of way through private property interferes a lot. Tons of private land down the coast. Not too many beaches, either.

There is an unofficial "trail" all the way from the Oregon border to the Mexican border. There is an organization called "coastwalk" that sponsors walks on sections and fund raises to gain coastal access. Some of the "trail" is on road shoulders. There are two books out (very detailed guides). I am not sure they are still in print, but I have seen them in many stores. Lorentzen & Nichols: Hiking the California Coastal Trail. Two volumes - 1= Oregon to Monterey 2= Monteray to Mexico. If you want remote coastal hiking the best is the "Lost Coast" of northern CA - this hike is in volume 1 of the two-book series. Coastwalk also has a website.