Want to Visit Big Sur From the Bay Area? Here's How to Work Around the Highway 1 Closure

Another year, another summer of the same closure on Highway 1 near Big Sur, meaning you still can’t drive all the way from San Francisco to Los Angeles along this iconic stretch of California coast.

While Big Sur’s mountainous nature means the area is no stranger to slipouts and landslides that frequently close the highway, the “Regent’s Slide,” a 6-mile stretch of road just north of Lucia, remains closed indefinitely, although California officials say there’ll be an update about the timeline in mid-August. 

But there’s good news: Here in the Bay Area, we’re lucky to be on the north side of the closure, where ample state parks, camping spots and historic places in Big Sur are still accessible via Highway 1.

“On the north side, there’s still tons of stuff to do,” State Parks Monterey District Chief Ranger Mike Dippel said. And despite the closure, the coast north of the Regent’s Slide closure has still been busy, Dippel said, as visitors from the north make their out-and-back trips.

So if you’re hoping to visit Big Sur this summer and want to work around the Highway 1 closure, read on for how to make the most of a Big Sur road trip from the Bay Area this year.

Jump straight to:

• What to see in Big Sur during the Highway 1 closure
• Where to  stay north of the closure in Big Sur
• Pro tips from the experts for a great Big Sur visit

Where can’t I get to in Big Sur from the Bay Area during the highway closure?

When driving south on Highway 1 from the Bay Area, you’ll be able to get as far as the Esalen Institute, but then you’ll have to turn around. The Regent’s Slide closure here extends all the way from Esalen to Lucia Lodge, meaning that there is no direct Highway 1 access from the Bay Area to destinations like:

• Cambria
• San Simeon and Hearst Castle
• Limekiln State Park
• Treebones Resort
• Ragged Point
• The elephant seal lookout at Piedras Blancas

To get to the above locations directly from the Bay, you’ll have to go the long way around, by taking Highway 101 to Paso Robles, then Highway 46 west to Cambria, picking up Highway 1 north. Adventurous drivers could also consider taking 101 to Pine Canyon, then using Jolon Road and Nacimiento-Fergusson Road to travel west over the Santa Lucia mountains and rejoin Highway 1 south of Regent’s Slide at Kirk Creek, but be warned that these are winding mountain roads that could become treacherous in adverse weather.

And if you’re determined to visit these locations south of Regent’s Slide while still experiencing some of that iconic Highway 1 drive south through Big Sur? You can totally do that, but remember that you’ll have to double back at least as far as Monterey to rejoin Highway 101 south, adding many extra hours to your journey.

Where can I stay in Big Sur north of the highway closure?

The most popular place to camp is in the Big Sur Valley, either at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, which tends to get booked out well in advance, or at one of the around a dozen other private campgrounds and cabin stays in the area. In the valley, Big Sur Campgrounds & Cabins, Fernwood Resort & Campground, Riverside Campgrounds & Cabins and Ventana Campground offer a full range of options for pitching your tent or parking an RV.

Even if you don’t score a campsite within the state park itself, you can still always enter the state parks with a day-use pass if you’re staying nearby. Looking for a reservationless dispersed camping spot or alternatives outside of the valley? Read more about where to camp in Big Sur, from Andrew Molera and Julie Pfeiffer Burns state parks to dispersed camping options.

Big Sur Valley “can get very crowded with lots of people, but it’s absolutely beautiful out there,” Dippel said, noting that the weather is typically much sunnier in the valley than directly on the coast. “You can almost guarantee that it’s going to be sunny when you get into Big Sur.”

The Big Sur River runs through the valley and offers lots of opportunities for floating, tubing and swimming, particularly at the Big Sur River Gorge.

And don’t worry about finding something to eat, most lodges have their own dining options, plus iconic waterfront restaurants like Nepenthe are open all year round. Just watch for kitchen closing times on the earlier side.

What places in Big Sur can I still visit while the highway’s closed?

Even with the Highway 1 closure in place at Esalen, there are still a massive number of hiking trails, vista points and iconic landmarks that are accessible from the north. That includes:

• Point Lobos
• Garrapata State Park
• Bixby Bridge
• Point Sur Lightstation
• Andrew Molera State Park
• Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
• Pfeiffer Beach
• Hawthorne Gallery
• Henry Miller Library
• Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
• McWay Falls.

With so many iconic spots to stop along Highway 1’s steep, winding two-lane roads, Dippel warned visitors to stay aware at the most popular spots like Bixby Bridge and Point Lobos, where traffic and parking can get congested. For a more serene trip, you can consider coming during off times like weekdays or less busy seasons, he advised.

“When you do come, just make sure you have awareness and are looking out for pedestrian traffic and vehicles suddenly stopping and trying to pull over,” Dippel said.

Further down the coast is Pfeiffer Beach with its famous rocky archway, which gets packed on popular weekend days, especially at sunset. The overlook of McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is also a particularly crowded spot, although be warned that the trail down to the falls is currently closed. Dippel also recommended checking out Partington Cove, a short hike from the highway into a redwood valley, through a tunnel and to an overlook of the cove.

Are there any spots in Big Sur where I can avoid crowds?

While nowhere on the coast is truly immune to peak season weekend crowds, Dippel suggested checking out Garrapata State Park and Andrew Molera State Park for some more space to spread out.

“Andrew Molera is just the iconic coastal California state park that encompasses everything: from the beach to the redwoods, to beautiful trails for beginners to advanced trails that want to go up a really big vertical incline or travel distance,” Dippel said.

He recommends doing part or all of the 8-mile bluff loop trail or for a more relaxed hike, check out Molera Beach at the mouth of the Big Sur River.

What else can I do in Big Sur aside from sightseeing and hiking?

In addition to the vistas, camping and hiking, there are also a few stops along the way to give you more insight into the area’s culture and history.

Tours of the historic Point Sur State Historic Park lighthouse, run by volunteer docents, take you from Highway 1 over private ranch land to the iconic light station out on a rock formation overlooking the ocean.

This lighthouse, built in 1889, “was a pretty remote station back before Highway 1 was put in,” said Carol O’Neil, volunteer historian at Point Sur, and it’s easy to imagine this isolation when you visit.

In three hours, you’ll learn about the history of the light station, plus tour the barn, blacksmith shop, keepers’ quarters and the lighthouse itself. Volunteer docents also lead another tour of the adjacent “top secret” Cold War-era naval facility on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. There are no reservations; all tours are first-come, first-served, so come around 30 minutes early to secure a spot, O’Neil said. They also offer moonlight tours of the light station during full moons in the summer.

Another can’t-miss spot along the coast is the Henry Miller Library, “where nothing happens,” joked Magnus Toren, the library’s director since 1993. Honoring the American writer, who lived in Big Sur from 1944 to 1963, the library houses works by Miller and his contemporaries.

In the spirit of Miller, the collection of books is curated to highlight local cultural and natural history and to maximize expression — without shying away from controversy, Toren said.

“We bring in books that irritate people all across the board,” Toren said. “Books and words can cause a lot of emotion, which I think is an important thing to maybe put into people’s faces sometimes.”

And while the library is a place to relax and enjoy sitting in the grass, on the deck or browsing books, it’s also the unassuming site of many iconic musical artists who have performed there, including Patti Smith, Fleet Foxes, Arcade Fire, Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Shins. But Toren said their real priority is to be a space for local performers up and down the coast.

“It’s still a very unassuming, in some ways, place that welcomes people of all stripes,” Toren said.

Pro tips from the experts for a great Big Sur visit

Most of all, when visiting Big Sur, always have a backup plan in case of crowded parking lots or unexpected traffic, Dippel said. To avoid the worst of the crowds, he advised that you consider spacing out your key stops across your arrival and return journeys.

The majority of the drive will not have good cell service, so make sure you have a way to navigate in a signal-dead zone, for example, by downloading Offline Maps from Google Maps. If you’re visiting the region with friends in multiple cars, make sure you know where you’ll meet up without being able to call or text.

There are few gas stations in the Big Sur area, and for diesel trucks and cars, the last place to fill up is in Carmel, Dippel stressed.

Dippel also advises that visitors bring and drink more water than they think they might need, as the Big Sur coast tends to be much warmer than more northern coastal areas. There is also an abundance of poison oak and ticks in the area, in addition to some larger wildlife like mountain lions and rattlesnakes.

“We end up on a lot of rescues with folks that haven’t been drinking water, haven’t taken electrolytes or didn’t have enough food,” he said. “They thought it was going to be foggy or cold … and they’re just not prepared for the heat.”

This story includes reporting by KQED’s Carly Severn and Kelly O’Mara.