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    Big Sur & Highway 1

    United States

    Big Sur & Highway 1

    Point of Interest

    Big Sur is the approximately 115-kilometer stretch of California coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop directly into the Pacific.

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    9. Big Sur & Highway 1
    Big Sur is the approximately 115-kilometer stretch of California coastline between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains drop directly into the Pacific. You come here for Highway 1, which winds in curves over steep cliffs, concrete arch bridges, and redwood canyons, counting among the most famous coastal roads in the world.There are no cities. The area has only around 2,000 year-round residents and a few small clusters of lodges, restaurants, gas stations, and campgrounds, one of which is Big Sur Village in the Big Sur River Valley, a good 40 kilometers south of Carmel. This is precisely its charm: no supermarkets, no chains, but instead viewpoints, hiking trails through redwoods, and beaches where the fog hangs among the rocks in the morning.Don't plan Big Sur as a two-hour drive-through. If you want to see Bixby Creek Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach, and McWay Falls in one day and hike between them, you'll need time, and an overnight stay in the valley makes the journey significantly more relaxed.

    Sights in Big Sur & Highway 1

    Discover the most important sights and attractions

    Point Sur State Historic Park
    Park

    1Point Sur State Historic Park

    The 1889 lighthouse stands on a volcanic rock approximately 110 meters above the Pacific and remains operational to this day. You can only visit it on guided tours; the meeting point is the gate on Highway 1.
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    McWay Falls
    Attraction

    2McWay Falls

    The approximately 24-meter-high waterfall in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park plunges from granite cliffs onto a beach and into the sea. You can only view it from the overlook above the cove, as the beach and cliffs are closed.
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    Henry Miller Memorial Library
    Attraction

    3Henry Miller Memorial Library

    Emil White, a friend of Henry Miller, founded it in 1981 as a memorial. Today it's a bookstore, art center, and concert/reading venue.
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    Bixby Creek Bridge

    4Bixby Creek Bridge

    The 1932 concrete arch bridge spans 218 meters across a gorge, approximately 79 meters above the creek. Upon its completion, it had the longest concrete arch in California's highway network. Caution: Parking has been prohibited around the bridge since August 2026.
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    Pfeiffer Beach

    5Pfeiffer Beach

    The beach of the Los Padres National Forest is known for Keyhole Rock, a rock with an opening through which the surf crashes. You reach it via the narrow, hard-to-find Sycamore Canyon Road; the parking lot fills up quickly on summer weekends, and swimming is dangerous due to currents and rocks.
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    Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

    6Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

    The park is named after a pioneer of the Big Sur coast. Besides McWay Falls, Partington Cove is worthwhile, a former tanbark loading port reached through a tunnel blasted into the rock. The hiking trails east of the Highway are closed until further notice.
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    Restaurants in Big Sur & Highway 1

    1

    Nepenthe

    The restaurant, on a cliff around 240 meters above the coast, opened in 1949 on land that previously belonged to Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth. Order the Ambrosia Burger and take a seat on the terrace; the Café Kevah below serves breakfast and lunch during the day.
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    History and Culture

    Long before the first settlers, the Esselen lived here, their traces reaching back to around 3500 BC. From the 1860s onwards, homesteaders arrived, receiving 160-acre plots via the Homestead Act. Families like the Pfeiffers and Posts gave their names to many places, including Pfeiffer Beach and the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.Until the 1930s, the coast was almost only accessible by horse or wagon. Construction of the road between Carmel and San Simeon began in 1919 and lasted 18 years; the road opened in 1937 and became part of Highway 1 in 1939. The Bixby Creek Bridge from 1932 was one of the key points of this project.Its remoteness attracted writers and artists. Henry Miller lived here for almost two decades from 1944, Jack Kerouac processed a stay in Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in his novel Big Sur, and in the early 1960s, the Esalen Institute was founded at the hot springs.

    Getting There & About

    AirportThe nearest major airports are San José and San Francisco to the north. From there, drive via Monterey and Carmel onto Highway 1 south. Big Sur Village is located a good 40 kilometers south of Carmel.Car and Road ConditionsA car is practically essential here. Highway 1 is two-lane, winding, and often without shoulders. The coast is one of the most landslide-prone areas in the Western US, so closures are commonplace. After nearly three years of interruptions due to Paul's Slide and Regent's Slide, the route has been fully passable again since January 2026. In late summer 2026, the Timber Fire and Plaskett Fire wildfires temporarily closed longer sections; the highway was reopened in both directions mid-September 2026. As of October 2026, there are several construction sites with single-lane traffic lights and some nightly full closures. Before driving, check the current status with Caltrans (QuickMap) and plan for short-term closures after winter rains.Fuel and ParkingThere are only a few gas stations along the route, and they are closed outside of business hours. Therefore, fill up your tank in Carmel or Monterey. Parking is scarce at many viewpoints. A parking ban has been in effect at Bixby Creek Bridge since August 2026 for twelve months, also on the Old Coast Road. State Parks and Pfeiffer Beach charge daily fees per vehicle.On-siteTake your time on the route and only stop at designated pull-outs.

    Accommodations in Big Sur & Highway 1

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    Campgrounds in Big Sur & Highway 1

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    Nearby

    San Francisco

    San Francisco

    San Francisco lies in Northern California at the northern tip of a peninsula between the Pacific and San Francisco Bay. The city, founded in 1776 with around 874,000 residents, is known for its steep hills, the Cable Cars, and the Golden Gate Bridge.Opened in 1937, the 2.7-kilometer-long Golden Gate Bridge connects the city with Marin County. The Cable Cars, a National Historic Landmark since 1964, operate on three lines, the two Powell lines running from Market Street to Fisherman's Wharf. Chinatown is considered North America's oldest Chinatown. Ferries to the former prison island Alcatraz depart from Pier 33; day tickets for adults cost 47.95 dollars and can be booked up to 90 days in advance.BART, Caltrain, light rail, and buses serve the city and region. Expect fog and cool winds from the Golden Gate: In summer, San Francisco is one of the coolest major cities in the USA; a jacket is advisable even in July.
    California

    California

    California stretches along the Pacific coast between Oregon and Mexico, and with around 39.4 million inhabitants, it is the most populous state in the USA. You come here for its approximately 1,350 kilometers of coastline, for metropolises like Los Angeles, San Francisco, and San Diego, and for high mountains, deserts, and redwood forests that lie close to each other.In the east, the Sierra Nevada stretches through the state. Its highest peak is Mount Whitney at 4,421 meters, the highest mountain in the USA outside Alaska. Just over 100 kilometers away lies Death Valley: Badwater Basin is located around 85 meters below sea level, and in 1913, 56.7 °C was measured here. On the coast, Highway 1 in Big Sur follows the steep cliffs above the Pacific for 114 kilometers.California has nine National Parks. In Sequoia National Park stands the General Sherman Tree; Redwood National Park in the north protects almost half of the remaining coast redwoods; and Joshua Tree is located at the transition of the Mojave and Colorado Deserts. Approximately 90 percent of US wine comes from California.
    Yosemite National Park

    Yosemite National Park

    The Yosemite National Park is located in the Sierra Nevada in California, about 300 km east of San Francisco. You go there for the Yosemite Valley with its steep rock faces, high waterfalls, and the giant sequoias in the south of the park.Above the valley, El Capitan rises about 914 m, and the Yosemite Falls plunge 739 m in total over three tiers. Near the south entrance, the Mariposa Grove hosts over 500 mature giant sequoias; a shuttle connects the parking lot and the grove. The park has existed since 1890 and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1984.Admission costs 35 US dollars per car for 7 days. Visitors not residing in the USA pay an additional 100 US dollars per person from age 16, unless they have the America the Beautiful annual pass (250 US dollars). An entry reservation is not required in 2026. Tioga Road and Glacier Point Road are usually closed from November until the end of May or early June.
    Lake Tahoe

    Lake Tahoe

    Lake Tahoe is North America's largest alpine lake, situated at 1,897 meters in the Sierra Nevada, on the border between California and Nevada, about a two-hour drive east of Sacramento. You come for the deep blue, clear waters, the granite coves, and a shoreline that combines hiking, swimming, and paddling in summer with skiing in winter.At up to 501 meters deep, it's the second-deeperest lake in the USA, after Crater Lake. Approximately two-thirds of the lake and its shore belong to California, one-third to Nevada. The Californian highlight is Emerald Bay with Vikingsholm Castle; on the south shore, the Heavenly Gondola takes you high above the lake.Plan at least two days, and set aside a full day for a scenic drive around the lake. In peak summer, parking at popular coves is often full by morning.
    Malibu

    Malibu

    Malibu is not a city with a central core, but rather a 34-kilometer-long stretch of coastline along the Pacific Coast Highway, nestled between the Santa Monica Mountains and the Pacific Ocean. Officially, Malibu lies outside the city of Los Angeles, only establishing itself as its own municipality in 1991. It is known for its surf beaches, rocky coves, and rugged cliffs.The fires of December 2024 and January 2025 hit Malibu hard; the Palisades Fire destroyed a large portion of the beach houses in the eastern part of the area. The Pacific Coast Highway has been open to all traffic again since May 2025, reconstruction is ongoing, and many restaurants have only gradually reopened.On the eastern edge of the coastline lies the Getty Villa, a recreation of the Roman Villa dei Papiri from Herculaneum, housing around 44,000 Greek, Roman, and Etruscan antiquities. Further west, Point Dume juts into the sea, a headland at the northern end of Santa Monica Bay. From February into spring, you can often spot gray whales and humpback whales on their migration from here. Approximately 16 kilometers west of the center, paths and stairs lead down to El Matador State Beach, a small cove nestled beneath the cliffs.For Malibu, you'll need a full day and preferably a car. The beaches are emptier in the mornings, and a sunset at El Matador or on Point Dume makes for a perfect end to the day.