TRAVEL: Despite road closures, Big Sur Road Trip is Still Awesome

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I recently drove from one end of the California Highway 1 Big Sur to the other, despite the road closures from a nasty mud slide that won’t get fixed until some time in 2025.

In the latest PhotowalksTV episode, I start the trip just south of beautiful Carmel-by-the-sea, where motorists can immediately tell that something is up, per  the boarded up highway sign.

Missing are mentions of sites south of Big Sur, like San Simeon and Cambria, because they can’t be reached from the north on Highway 1, which now sends drivers on a U-turn detour back to where they started near Carmel.

So what are you missing if you only were to do one part of the trip? A lot. And what;’s it like to turn around and finish the journey down south?

I invite you to please click the link below and watch the episode! I have lots of useful info in the show for you. And I really hope it encourages you to make the ride. The people of Big Sur and surrounding areas like Cambria and San Simeon, which are cut off from the north, really need your business and support, especially as the rainy season will be coming up shortly. The road, which already has 6.8 miles of closed off access, will probably only get worse. 

CalTrans says the road won’t be fixed until some time in 2025–it had promised to open up by fall of 2024. 

From Southern California, you can drive north through Cambria, San Simeon, Ragged Point and Gorda. The road stops a few miles up the road. 

Meanwhile, more on Big Sur:

There are major photo spots on the northern part of the trip, before Big Sur’s road stops in Lucia.

Big Sur’s Bixby Bridge by Jefferson Graham for the Photowalks series

 

Bixby Bridge is the most visited of all, a sight that has been seen in countless TV shows and movies and is a joy to look at. I point out various different angles for shooting the bridge in this episode.

The view from Nepenthe restaurant in Big Sur by Jefferson Graham

Nepenthe. The iconic view of the Big Sur itself, made famous by the great photographer Ansel Adams, who used to live near Big Sur, is easily viewed by either sitting on the deck of the Nepenthe restaurant, or getting off the road to any of the multiple pull-offs.

Pfeiffer Keyhole Rock in Big Sur by Jefferson Graham

Pfeiffer Keyhole Rock. This is a very easy to miss photo spot in Big Sur—it’s an unmarked road, and you need to drive two miles down a tiny road to get there. But once there, it’s very worth it. A popular sunset spot, I find in the video that’s even cooler in the morning.

And on the other side of the closed road? Majestic Hearst Castle, beautiful San Simeon, the Elephant Seal rookery nearby, Heart’s zebras on the side of the road and easy access to the magical coastal town of Cambria, which some call “Little Sur.”

Please take a drive and visit—Big Sir is so worth it, and the people really need your business.

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