Hearst Castle was the home of William Randolph Hearst and is now a California State park. Hearst Castle is located near the unincorporated community of San Simeon, California in the Central Coast of California. Despite being relatively far from majors cities (San Francisco or Los Angeles are both 250 miles away), it attracts about one million visitors a year. So don’t expect to be alone when visiting the “Ranch”.
We spent a couple days in Paso Robles, so one day we drove to Hearst Castle. On the way, we saw wild zebras. Zebras were imported by Mr. Hearst for his private zoo and released in the wild (at least on this large property) in 1958.
The wild zebras released many years ago from Hearst private zoo.
For me, the most striking feature of the place was the two swimming pools: The Neptune pool (outside) and the Poseidon pool (indoor). Both are really incredible, as shown below:
The Neptune pool of Hearst Castle.
Detail of the Neptune pool. That’s the outdoor one.
The Poseidon (indoor) pool at Hearst Castle.
Detail of the Poseidon (indoor) pool at Hearst Castle.
The Poseidon (indoor) pool at Hearst Castle.
Detail of the Poseidon (indoor) pool at Hearst Castle.
The rest of the house is also pretty amazing to see but you have to take a tour and it’s hard to get good shots with 40+ people in the room with you. After the first room, I gave up trying to take any pictures and simply enjoyed the visit. Which means you have to go visit it by yourself to see it. There is multiple options for the mansion visit (cottages and kitchen, upstairs suites or grand rooms).
After the visit, we drove South to Morro Rock for the sunset. It’s a fairly known spot with a lot of great images done there. We had an ok sunset but without clouds it’s a simpler image.
Morro Rock at sunset
Don’t forget to stop at Firestone Walker brewery for tasting their beers (my favorite is the 805). They are located in the South part of Paso Robles.
It’s a fantastic short trip (2 to 3 days) from San Francisco. Paso Robles has a lot to offer all year round. So pack your camera and go explore the area for yourself.