The time is now for a Highway 1 road trip: 'It's so rare to experience Big Sur like this'

2 weeks ago 9

Sometimes, the champion spot you tin spell is simply a dormant end. Especially erstwhile that dormant extremity is surrounded by crashing surf connected bare beaches, melodramatic cliffs and lonely trails done forests heavy with redwoods.

That’s the concern on Big Sur’s South Coast close now.

A chunk of the cliff-clinging road has been closed for a bid of landslide repairs since January 2023, making the classic, coast-hugging, 98-mile San Simeon-Big Sur-Carmel thrust impossible. Caltrans has said it aims to reopen the way by the extremity of March 2026, if upwind permits.

That means the 44-mile agelong from San Simeon to Lucia volition apt beryllium lonely for astatine slightest six much months. Travelers from the adjacent northbound (Carmel, for instance) volition request to detour inland connected U.S. 101. Meanwhile, galore Canadian travelers (usually anxious explorers of California) are boycotting the U.S. altogether implicit President Trump’s tariff policies and quips astir taking implicit their country.

And so, for those of america successful Southern California, the coming months are a accidental to drive, hike oregon rhythm successful adjacent solitude among gangly trees, steep slopes and oversea stacks. The upwind is cooler and wetter. But implicit the 3 October days I spent up there, the road was quieter than I’ve seen successful 40-plus years of driving the coast.

Moreover, those who marque the travel volition beryllium supporting embattled section businesses, which stay open, immoderate with reduced prices. Fall rates astatine the Ragged Point Inn, 15 miles northbound of Hearst Castle, for example, commencement astatine astir $149 nightly — $100 little than erstwhile the roadworthy was open.

“It’s benignant of perfect,” said Claudia Tyler of Santa Barbara, connected her mode from Salmon Creek Falls to 2 nights of camping astatine Plaskett Creek successful Los Padres National Forest.

“I americium atrocious for the businesses...,” Tyler said, “but it’s bully for the traveler.”

Further north, David Sirgany, 64, of Morro Bay, was getting acceptable to surf astatine Sand Dollar Beach, reasoning astir coastal erosion, clime alteration and this infinitesimal successful history.

“To me,” helium said, “it feels similar the extremity of a clip that volition ne'er beryllium again.”

The Ragged Point Inn stands astatine the confederate extremity of Big Sur.

The closed area, known arsenic Regent’s Slide, begins astir 26 miles northbound of Ragged Point, toward the southbound extremity of Big Sur, and covers 6.8 miles. Thus, you’d request to detour inland via U.S. 101 to scope astir of Big Sur’s best-known attractions, including the Bixby Creek Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach, Nepenthe restaurant, Deetjen’s Big Sur Inn, McWay Falls and Esalen Institute.

But there’s plentifulness to research connected the agelong from San Simeon northbound to the roadblock astatine Lucia (milepost 25.3). Just beryllium cautious of the $8.79-per-gallon state astatine the Gorda Springs Resort. (At $6.99, the Ragged Point state presumption isn’t rather truthful high.)

San Simeon Bay Pier astatine William Randolph Hearst Memorial Beach.

Here, from southbound to north, are respective spots to research from San Simeon to Lucia. Be definite to double-check the upwind and road presumption earlier you caput out.

See Hearst’s castle. Or conscionable 1 of his zebras.

I’ve been hoping to spot immoderate of the Hearst zebras successful the hills of San Simeon for years, and this clip I yet did — a azygous zebra, surrounded by cows successful a pasture beneath distant Hearst Castle.

That was capable to marque my little halt astatine the castle visitant halfway (which has a restaurant, humanities displays and shop) good worthy it. Other travelers, however, mightiness privation to really instrumentality a circuit ($35 per big and up) of the 165-room Hearst compound (which is officially known arsenic Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument).

The authorities parkland system’s visitant tallies from June done August amusement that 2025 was somewhat slower than 2024, which was somewhat slower than 2023.

Perhaps with that successful mind, the castle past autumn added “Art Under the Moonlight” tours, which proceed this autumn connected prime Friday and Saturday nights done Nov. 16. The castle besides decorates for the holidays.

If you’re spending the night, the Cavalier Oceanfront Resort has 90 rooms (for arsenic small arsenic $169) and firepits overlooking the sea.

A zebra, portion of the Hearst Castle carnal collection, is seen from the visitant halfway disconnected Highway 1 successful San Simeon.

San Simeon Bay Pier oregon hike San Simeon Point Trail

My southernmost hike was astatine the San Simeon Bay Pier. From the parking batch there, locomotion northbound connected the formation and travel a way up into a eucalyptus grove. That puts you connected the 2.5-mile round-trip San Simeon Point Trail (owned by Hearst Corp. but unfastened to the public.)

At first, the way is uneventful and surrounded by imported eucalyptus (now being thinned) and pines. But there’s a payoff waiting astatine the point, wherever tides thigh connected a small soil beach, waves clang connected melodramatic achromatic rocks and pelicans perch connected oversea stacks. Look backmost and you spot the beach, the pier and the hills of the cardinal seashore sprawling beyond them.

Then, if you’re arsenic bare arsenic I was, you rapidly retrace steps and caput to the Seaside Foods deli antagonistic successful Sebastian’s General Store, a artifact from the pier. (I urge the Coastal Cowboy tri-tip sandwich, $21. But you could besides instrumentality your repast crossed the thoroughfare to the Hearst Ranch Winery tasting room.)

Find the Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewing area, past spell beyond it

California’s seashore is simply a catalog of uncertainties, from rising tides and crumbling cliffs to backstage landowners discouraging nationalist access. But we tin number connected the elephant seals of Piedras Blancas.

Elephant seals stitchery astatine Piedras Blancas, northbound of San Simeon.

Once you propulsion disconnected Highway 1 into the reflection country parking lot, nary substance the clip of year, you’re apt to spot astatine slightest a fewer hulking oversea creatures flopped connected the soil and skirmishing for position.

Because it’s a large spectacle and it’s free, determination are usually dozens of spectators on the shore. But astir of those spectactors don’t fuss to travel the boardwalk northbound and proceed connected the Boucher Trail, a 1.9-mile way on the bluff tops and crossed a meadow, starring to striking views of oversea stacks and Piedras Blancas Light Station.

Along Boucher Trail, conscionable northbound of the elephant seal viewing country astatine Piedras Blancas.

(BTW: Visitors request an beforehand preservation to circuit the Piedras Blancas Light Station. At property time, each tours were canceled due to the fact that of the national authorities shutdown.)

At Ragged Point, that Big Sur vibe kicks in

About 10 miles beyond the elephant seals, the raw, horizontal coastal scenery morphs into a much vertical country and the road begins to ascent and twist.

Right astir here, conscionable aft San Carpoforo Creek, is wherever you find the Ragged Point Inn, a useful spot to halt for an hr oregon an evening. It has 39 rooms, level abstraction for kids to tally around, cliff-top views, a restaurant, acquisition shop, state presumption and a snack barroom that’s been closed since the road has been blocked.

Right now, this agelong of the road “is a large spot to cycle,” said Diane Ramey, whose household owns the inn. “I wouldn’t bash it astatine a mean time. But present the roads are uncrowded enough.”

To retrieve from the “frightening” driblet successful concern erstwhile the roadworthy archetypal closed, the inn has enactment much accent connected Sunday brunch, the acquisition store and unrecorded euphony connected summertime weekends, Ramey said.

At Salmon Creek Falls, roaring h2o meets tumbled rocks

At the Salmon Falls trailhead, 3.6 miles northbound of Ragged Point, there’s country for astir 10 cars successful the parking country connected the enarthrosis of the highway.

When the road is open, those spots are often each full. Not now. And it’s lone astir 0.3 of a mile to the basal of the 120-foot falls, wherever there’s plentifulness of shadiness for the weary and boulder-scrambling for those who are bold. In the hr I spent scrambling and resting, I encountered conscionable 2 couples and 1 family, each enjoying the uncrowded scene.

If you privation a longer, much challenging hike, the falls trailhead besides leads to the Salmon Creek Trail, a 6.6-mile out-and-back travel done pines, oaks and laurels that includes — gulp — 1,896 feet of elevation gain.

The yurts and quirks of Treebones Resort

Treebones, astir 14 miles northbound of Ragged Point and 2 miles northbound of the rustic, sleepy Gorda Springs Resort, is an workout successful benignant and sustainability, producing its ain powerfulness and drafting h2o from its ain aquifer.

Treebones Resort, conscionable disconnected Highway 1 successful the South Coast country of Big Sur.

Born arsenic a household concern successful 2004, Treebones has 19 off-the-grid units, mostly yurts, whose rounded interiors are amazingly spacious. Its Lodge edifice offers chef’s-choice four-course dinners ($95 each) and a sushi bar.

If you publication a yurt (they statesman astatine $385), you’ll find your headboard is simply a felted wood rug from Kyrgyzstan (where yurts spell backmost astatine slightest 2,500 years). The edifice besides has 5 campsites ($135 nightly, beforehand preservation required) that travel with breakfast, blistery showers and excavation access.

“For the past 20 years, we were fundamentally 100% occupied from April done October,” adjunct wide manager Megan Handy said, starring maine connected a tour. Since the closure, “we’ve stayed booked connected the weekends, but we’ve seen astatine slightest a 40% diminution midweek.”

Once you’re northbound of Treebones, formation and way possibilities look to multiply.

Stand by the borderline (but not excessively close) connected the Pacific Valley Bluff Trail

Several radical told maine I shouldn’t miss the Pacific Valley Bluff Trail, a level way that begins conscionable northbound of Sand Dollar Beach. It runs astir 1.6 miles betwixt the roadside and the bluffs implicit the Pacific. Here you’ll spot oversea stacks successful each shape, on with a dramatic, solitary histrion to the north. In astir 45 minutes of walking amid a land’s extremity panorama, I ne'er saw different soul. Plenty of cattle patties, though, and a fewer patches of poison oak, which turns up often adjacent Big Sur trails.

A small farther north, I did tally into 4 radical walking the formation astatine Mill Creek Picnic Area. I recovered adjacent much astatine Kirk Creek Campground, which was booked coagulated due to the fact that it has immoderate of the champion ocean-view campsites successful the country and it’s connected the water broadside of the highway.

Big trees and a meandering creek astatine Limekiln State Park

Limekiln State Park is 1 California’s youngest authorities parks, having been acceptable speech successful the 1990s. But its occupants, particularly the redwoods, person been astir overmuch longer.

And now, aft parkland closures implicit tempest harm and infrastructure issues and a reopening aboriginal this year, we person a accidental to bask the spot again. Or astatine slightest portion of it. The park’s campground, Hare Creek Trail and Falls Trail stay closed.

But there’s inactive plentifulness of accidental to cheque retired the uncommon overlap of taxon from bluish and confederate California. As the Save the Redwoods League notes, “You can’t find some yucca and seashore redwoods successful precise galore parks.”

The parkland is astir 4.4 miles southbound of the Highway 1 closure. Entrance is $10 per vehicle. I savored the 1.5-mile out-and-back Limekiln Trail, which is 1 of the champion ways to spot redwoods successful the area. And erstwhile again, nary chap hikers.

Highway inactive excessively engaged for you? How astir an isolated lodge oregon a soundless monastery?

Just southbound of the road closure, the rustic, isolated Lucia Lodge and the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a Benedictine monastery, stay unfastened for overnight guests.

But not everyone knows this. Unless idiosyncratic astatine Google HQ has conscionable made a fix, Google Maps volition archer you incorrectly that the hermitage and lodge are beyond the roadworthy closure. Nope. They’re some connected the southbound broadside of the roadworthy closure, accessible to northbound traffic. And they’re some truly quiet.

“People travel present for silent, self-guided retreats,” said Katee Armstrong, impermanent ministry specializer astatine New Camaldoli Hermitage. Its accommodations, precocious connected the slopes supra the highway, see 9 single-occupancy rooms and 5 cottages with kitchenettes ($145 nightly and up).

Meanwhile, connected the water broadside of the highway, the Lucia Lodge’s 10 precise basal units are disposable from the road. Four of them are cabins that spell backmost to the 1930s, erstwhile Highway 1 was new.

Some nights, determination are lone 1 oregon 2 guests, and those guests typically spot nary edifice employees, due to the fact that there’s nary lobby and the unit is down to a skeleton crew. (The lodge’s edifice and lobby burned down successful 2021.) The nearest edifice is astatine Treebones, astir 10 miles south.

“We person to person a speech with each impermanent who books with us,” said Jessie McKnight, the lodge reservationist. Many “end up canceling erstwhile they recognize the situation,” she said. “You’re benignant of connected your own.”

Ad yet, she added, “it’s truthful uncommon to acquisition Big Sur similar this. Once the roadworthy opens, I deliberation it’s going to beryllium close backmost to being a zoo.”