Big Sur is one of the world’s truly amazing places. There aren’t that many of us—715 according to a 2014 count—lucky enough to actually live here and call this spectacular stretch of California coastline our own backyard.

Why we ❤ it

Remote. Our section of the coast rivals any other region in the United States for its rugged beauty and remote access. Before cars and Highway 1, a 30-mile trip to Monterey could take three days by wagon, over a rough and dangerous track. Most folks lived here without electric power until the early 1950s—some of us still don’t have it. Some of our redwood forests are so inaccessible they’ve never been logged. Big Sur was spared the worst excesses of development, due largely to our residents who fought to preserve the land.

Protected. We love that 240 thousand acres of our backyard lies within the Los Padres National Forest. The Santa Lucia mountain range here is one of the largest roadless areas near a coast, which is why most of our 3 million yearly visitors never leave Highway 1. They don’t know what they’re missing—237 miles of trails with access to 55 designated trail camps in the pristine Ventana wilderness.

Links to our original inhabitants. Native American tribes lived in Big Sur for thousands of years. They followed local food sources seasonally, living near the coast in winter to harvest mussels, abalone and other sea life and moved inland to harvest acorns. If you hike the Turner Creek Camp trail, you can see mortar holes they carved into large exposed rocks to grind acorns.

Highway 1. The first push to build a highway down our treacherous stretch of coast came from a Monterey Bay area physician whose 25-mile “emergency response” journey in 1894 to help shipwreck victims at Point Sur took 3-1/2 hours by horseback. It took 27 years to get the project approved. After another 18 years, New Deal funding, and three camps of San Quentin prison inmates working for 35 cents an hour and reduced sentences, the 2-lane road with its 33 bridges was opened. The majestic bridge over Bixby Creek is the tallest single-span concrete bridge in the world.

The Point Sur Light Station. Numerous shipwrecks and 11 years of petitioning by mariners finally lead to the 1889 opening of the lighthouse atop a dramatic volcanic rock at Point Sur. With a modern aero-beacon, the lighthouse guides ships along the treacherous central California coast to this day.

McWay Falls. This spectacular waterfall in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, flows 80 feet down, straight off a cliff and onto the beach year-round. Some of us take the short hike just off the highway to reconnect with this awe-inspiring natural wonder.

California Condor Recovery Program. With a wingspan of 9.5 feet and weighing up to 25 pounds, the California condor is the largest land bird in North America. In 1982, only 23 survived worldwide. Since 1992, when the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began reintroducing captive-bred condors to the wild, the population has grown to more than 400 birds that now can be frequently seen along the Big Sur coast.

Nepenthe. Orson Welles and his wife Rita Hayworth bought a Big Sur cabin in 1944 on impulse during a trip down the coast. They never spent a single night on the property. Fortunately for us, it’s now a restaurant and bar offering arguably the world’s best view while devouring a great burger. It’s also adjoined by the Phoenix, a totally irresistible retail shop featuring works of current local artists.

More resources:

Big Sur Chamber of Commerce
California’s Redwood Hikes (Big Sur)
Henry Miller Memorial Library
Hiking in Big Sur
The Pelican Network
Trees of Big Sur
Ventana Wild

Eco-guide to living lighter

Big Sur: The world’s most beautiful coastline

Big Sur: The world’s most beautiful coastline

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