Big Sur, United StatesHalf daySpring
Big Sur
Ideal: Ideal for road trips, nature, photography, coastal scenery, and quiet escapes.
This stretch of Highway 1 was carved into rock from 1919 to 1937, partly with convict labor, and took eighteen years. The 1932 Bixby Creek Bridge is among the world's tallest single-span concrete arch bridges. Landslides close the road regularly; in the 2017 Mud Creek slide hundreds of meters of highway slid into the sea. California condors were reintroduced here from 1997, and the species once near extinction can now be seen above the cliffs. Expect little phone signal along the route.
Why go?
- For unforgettable coastal road views on the Pacific
- To combine ocean, mountain, and wilderness in one drive
- To explore the most iconic stretch of a California road trip
Travel tip
Stops can be far apart — plan fuel, water, and breaks ahead of time.
