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Exploring the beautiful nature of California


California Nature: Jade Cove


Big Sur is a pristine place with abundant water sources, wildlife, botanical and geological wonders. One of these amazing geological anomalies can be found at Jade Cove.

Jade cove is a wonderful place to get away from the busy life of living in a city. Here is a place which shows the wild side of nature unlike anywhere else on the California coast. This area of the coast is known as ‘where the mountains meet the sea.’ It was known to the Essalen, the natives of this land, as the edge of the world. It makes sense that this place was called the edge of the world, being the last place on earth to be explored before meeting the expansive Pacific Ocean. Jade Cove is 70 miles South of Monterey and 70 miles North of San Luis Obispo, between Gorda and Pacific Valley, on Highway 1. It is just south of the entrance to Sand Dollar beach and Plasket Creek Campground.
Jade Cove a great place to find jade in Big Sur California There are a few things to remember when looking for jade at Jade Cove. Jade can be found on virtually any of the beaches for miles around. Jade can be found on the cliff-side and even in the Jade Cove parking lot where every once in a while you will even find a nice quality piece of jade that someone threw out!

Jade Cove is an Adventure in all respects! Plan on making this a full day trek, if not spending the night in the area. After making an incredibly beautiful drive up (or down) the coast, be prepared for a mild version of Gorilla diving. The reward? A souvenir piece of jade to take home to display with your other diving trophies.

There is more than one type of jade. Jade comes in many colors, including green, black, yellow, red, and blue. Black jade has two names, depending on the quality; elephant jade (lesser) and volcano jade (greater; can also be red). Black jade that has swirls of yellow is known as fire jade. Blue jade also has two names, depending on color: dark blue is simply "blue jade" and light blue is aquamarine jade.


While Big Sur's beaches hardly resemble the vast stretches of sun-baked sand that dot Southern California's easily-accessible coastline, they offer the visitor a wide variety of recreational possibilities.

Even during the summer, Big Sur's beaches are subject to generally cool weather. Sunny days are sporadic as a blanket of seasonal fog often hugs the coastline, dropping the temperature in the process. To be prepared, bring a change of warm clothes. Also, bring a pair of sturdy shoes. Big Sur's beaches require at least a short hike.

Private property and Big Sur's steep terrain makes most of its coastline inaccessible to the public. Fortunately for the visitor, however, several State Park and U.S. Forest Service beaches are open to the public all year, including Jade Cove.
Jade Cove is a rocky beach in Bir Sur California Jade Cove is an amazing geologically rich tribute to California's coast! The dark green jade makes up the entire stretch of the coastline there! It is a bit of a hike down from the parking area right off PCH, so it is not accessible for any handicapped people, but it is definitely worth the hike.

Once you get to the edge of the cliff, the short trail gets rough. It’s only 0.25 mile, but it’s almost straight down a rocky, slippery cliff. Don’t try to climb down if you’re not in reasonable physical condition, and even if you are, don’t be afraid to use your hands to steady yourself. At the bottom, you’ll find huge boulders and smaller rocks and very little sand. You may also see a small herd of locals dressed in wetsuits and scuba gear. But most of all, you’ll find the most amazing minerals in the boulders and rocks. But please, do not take a mass amount of the Jade home. More and more people go through this area and rob it of what makes it so special and if it keeps happening, your children may not be able to experience it.
There are a few times of the year when it is especially good to look for jade on the beaches of the Jade Cove area.
  • Low-Tide: During every month there are some especially low tides that occur. These are prime times to be looking for jade on the beach.
  • Early Morning: The earlier the better. Many times you will find that the beach has already been turned up by other hunters who already got the best pickings from the beach.
  • Winter: Storms, Swells and Kelp: Winter is the optimum time to look for jade; however, it is dangerous!  Summer offers better weather and dry hiking conditions for tourists and first timers.  Always where hiking boots or heavy tread sandals. Large waves and wet hiking trails can create a dangerous environment, even for a seasoned alpinist.  During the summer months the beach is covered in a layer of kelp which can hide the best spots to find jade. In the winter you get larger swells, which not only turn the beaches but also take away the summers kelp. After storms present good jade hunting times since all of the rocks on the beach have been turned up, as well as a small amount of erosion that is created where jade will fall out of the cliff face to turn up as Vulcan jade on the beaches
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