Big Sur in California

Friday, 9 August 2019 - 11:00 am (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General, Environment, Palaces, Castles, Manors, Parks
Reading Time:  13 minutes

California Highway 1 near Ragged Point © flickr.com - Fred Moore/cc-by-2.0

California Highway 1 near Ragged Point © flickr.com – Fred Moore/cc-by-2.0

Big Sur is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel Highlands and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur has been called the “longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the contiguous United States,” a “national treasure that demands extraordinary procedures to protect it from development” and “one of the most beautiful coastlines anywhere in the world, an isolated stretch of road, mythic in reputation.” The stunning views, redwood forests, hiking, beaches, and other recreational opportunities have made Big Sur a popular destination for about 7 million people who live within a day’s drive and visitors from across the world. The region receives about the same number of visitors as Yosemite National Park, but offers extremely limited bus service, few restrooms, and a narrow two-lane highway with few places to park alongside the road. North-bound traffic during the peak summer season and holiday weekends is often backed up for about 20 miles (32km) from Big Sur Village to Carmel.

The unincorporated region encompassing Big Sur does not have specific boundaries, but is generally considered to include the 71-mile (114 km) segment of California State Route 1 between Malpaso Creek near Carmel Highlands in the north and San Carpóforo Creek near San Simeon in the south, as well as the entire Santa Lucia range between these creeks. The interior region is mostly uninhabited, while the coast remains relatively isolated and sparsely populated, with between 1,800 and 2,000 year-round residents and relatively few visitor accommodations scattered among four small settlements. The region remained one of the most inaccessible areas of California and the entire United States until, after 18 years of construction, the Carmel–San Simeon Highway (now signed as part of State Route 1) was completed in 1937. Along with the ocean views, this winding, narrow road, often cut into the face of towering seaside cliffs, dominates the visitor’s experience of Big Sur. The highway has been closed more than 55 times by landslides, and in May 2017, a 2,000,000-cubic-foot (57,000³) slide blocked the highway at Mud Creek, north of Salmon Creek near the San Luis Obispo County line, to just south of Gorda. The road was reopened on July 18, 2018.

The region is protected by the Big Sur Local Coastal Plan, which preserves it as “open space, a small residential community, and agricultural ranching.” Approved in 1986, the plan is one of the most restrictive local-use programs in the state, and is widely regarded as one of the most restrictive documents of its kind anywhere. The program protects viewsheds from the highway and many vantage points, and severely restricts the density of development. About 60% of the coastal region is owned by governmental or private agencies which do not allow any development. The majority of the interior region is part of the Los Padres National Forest, Ventana Wilderness, Silver Peak Wilderness or Fort Hunter Liggett.

The original Spanish-language name for the mountainous terrain south of Monterey was el país grande del sur, which means “the big country of the south.” The name el Sud (also meaning “the south”) was first used in the Rancho El Sur land grant made in 1834. In 1915, English-speaking settlers formally adopted “Big Sur” as the name for their post office.

looking north towards Bixby Creek Bridge © Calilover near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park © Joseph Plotz/cc-by-sa-3.0 Andrew Molera State Park © parks.ca.gov Bixby Creek Bridge © Diliff/cc-by-sa-3.0 California Highway 1 near Ragged Point © flickr.com - Fred Moore/cc-by-2.0 Esalen Institute © Callaban/cc-by-sa-4.0 Garrapata State Park © panoramio.com - koala5060/cc-by-sa-3.0 Los Padres National Forest © Greekmatthew/cc-by-sa-4.0 McWay Falls and McWay Cove at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park © Brocken Inaglory/cc-by-sa-3.0 McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park © McChizzle Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary - Point Sur Lighthouse © flickr.com - Robert Schwemmer CINMS - NOAA Photo Library Nepenthe restaurant © Missvain/cc-by-4.0 Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park © Arthurrh/cc-by-sa-3.0 Point Sur State Park with Point Sur Light Station © Frank Schulenburg/cc-by-sa-3.0 Portal of the Sun near Pfeiffer Beach © flickr.com - Jason Swearingen/cc-by-2.0 The 'Window' seen from Ventana Doublecone peak in Ventana Wilderness © Jim Bowles/cc-by-sa-3.0 View from Carmel River Beach toward Point Lobos Ranch and Santa Lucia Mountains © WCCasey/cc-by-sa-4.0 Central Californian Coastline © Diliff/cc-by-sa-3.0 Deetjen's Big Sur Inn © flickr.com - Sarah Morris/cc-by-2.0
<
>
Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary - Point Sur Lighthouse © flickr.com - Robert Schwemmer CINMS - NOAA Photo Library
Big Sur is renowned worldwide for its natural features and relatively pristine scenery. The Big Sur coast has been called the “longest and most scenic stretch of undeveloped coastline in the [contiguous] United States.” The region has been described as a “national treasure that demands extraordinary procedures to protect it from development.” The New York Times wrote that it is “one of the most stunning meetings of land and sea in the world.” The Washington Times stated that it is “one of the most beautiful coastlines anywhere in the world, an isolated stretch of road, mythic in reputation.” Condé Nast Traveler named State Route 1 through Big Sur one of the top 10 world-famous streets, comparable to Broadway in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Writers have compared Big Sur to other natural wonders like the Grand Canyon. Novelist Herbert Gold described it as “one of the grand American retreats for those who nourish themselves with wilderness.”

Big Sur is the California that men dreamed of years ago, this is the Pacific that Balboa looked at from the Peak of Darien, this is the face of the earth as the Creator intended it to look.
Henry Miller

The section of Highway 1 running through Big Sur is widely considered one of the most scenic driving routes in the United States, if not the world. The views are one reason that Big Sur was ranked second among all United States destinations in TripAdvisor‘s 2008 Travelers’ Choice Destination Awards. The unblemished natural scenery owes much of its preservation to the highly restrictive development plans enforced in Big Sur; no billboards or advertisements are permitted along the highway and signage for businesses must be modestly scaled and of a rural nature conforming to the Big Sur region. The state of California designated the 72-mile (116 km) section of the highway from Cambria to Carmel Highlands as the first California Scenic Highway in 1965. In 1966, First Lady Lady Bird Johnson led the official scenic road designation ceremony at Bixby Creek Bridge. In 1996, the road became one of the first designated by the federal government as an “All-American Road” under the National Scenic Byways Program. CNN Traveler named McWay Falls as the most beautiful place in California.

The drive along Highway 1 has been described as “one of the best drives on Earth”, and is considered one of the top 10 motorcycle rides in the United States. Highway 1 was named the most popular drive in California in 2014 by the American Automobile Association. Most of the 4 to 5 million tourists who currently visit Big Sur each year never leave Highway 1, because the adjacent Santa Lucia Range is one of the largest roadless coastal areas in the entire United States; Highway 1 offers the only paved access into and out of the region. The beauty of the scenery along the narrow, two-lane road attracts enormous crowds during summer vacation periods and holiday weekends, and traffic is frequently slow. Visitors have reported to the California Highway Patrol hours-long stop-and-go traffic from Rocky Creek Bridge to Rio Road in Carmel during the Memorial Day weekend. The highway winds along the western flank of the mountains mostly within sight of the Pacific Ocean, varying from near sea level up to a 1,000-foot (300 m) sheer drop to the water. Most of the highway is extremely narrow, with tight curves, steep shoulders and blind turns. The route offers few or no passing lanes and, along some stretches, very few pullouts. The sides are occasionally so steep that the shoulders are virtually non-existent.

Despite and because of its popularity, the region is heavily protected to preserve the rural and natural character of the land. The Big Sur Local Coastal Plan, approved by Monterey County Supervisors in 1981, states that the region is meant to be an experience that visitors transit through, not a destination. For that reason, development of all kinds is severely restricted.

Read more on VisitCalifornia.com – Spotlight: Big Sur, Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, Esalen-Institut, Wikivoyage Big Sur and Wikipedia Big Sur (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Johns Hopkins University & Medicine - Coronavirus Resource Center - Global Passport Power Rank - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.






Recommended posts:

Share this post: (Please note data protection regulations before using buttons)

Theme Week Warsaw - The National Stadium

Theme Week Warsaw - The National Stadium

[caption id="attachment_153964" align="aligncenter" width="590"] National Stadium in Warsaw © Pjahr[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The National Stadium (Polish: Stadion Narodowy) is a football stadium located in Warsaw. It is used mostly for football matches and it is the home stadium of Poland national football team. The stadium has a seating capacity of 58,500 which makes it the largest association football arena in Poland. Its construction started in 2008 and finished in November 2011. It is located on the site of the for...

[ read more ]

Scicli on Sicily

Scicli on Sicily

[caption id="attachment_232416" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © trolvag/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Scicli is a town and municipality in the Province of Ragusa in the south east of Sicily, southern Italy. It is 25 kilometres (16 mi) from Ragusa, and 188 kilometres (117 mi) from Palermo, and has a population (2017) of 27,051. Alongside seven other cities in the Val di Noto, it has been listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The municipality borders with Modica and Ragusa. The economy of Scicli is mostly ag...

[ read more ]

University of Toronto

University of Toronto

[caption id="attachment_230170" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Hart House and Soldier's Tower © Taxiarchos228/cc-by-sa-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada. Originally controlled by the Church of England, the university assumed its present name in 1850 upon becom...

[ read more ]

La Boqueria in Barcelona, the second largest market in Europe

La Boqueria in Barcelona, the second largest market in Europe

[caption id="attachment_24606" align="aligncenter" width="590"] La Boqueria © flickr.com - Alain Rouiller/cc-by-sa-2.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Mercat de Sant Josep de la Boqueria, often simply referred to as La Boqueria, is a large public market in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona and one of the city's foremost tourist landmarks, with an entrance from La Rambla, not far from the Liceu, Barcelona's opera house. The market has a very diverse selection of goods. La Boqueria ist the second largest market in Europa, afte...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Moscow - GUM department store on the Red Square

Theme Week Moscow - GUM department store on the Red Square

[caption id="attachment_25416" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Otets/cc-by-sa-3.0-lu[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]GUM (an abbreviation of the Russian Glavnyi Universalnyi Magazin; literally "main universal store") is the name of the main department store in many cities of the former Soviet Union, known as State Department Store during the Soviet times. Similarly named stores were found in some Soviet republics and post-Soviet states. The most famous GUM is the large store in the Kitay-gorod part of Moscow facing Red Square, opp...

[ read more ]

Theme Week Galicia - Monforte de Lemos

Theme Week Galicia - Monforte de Lemos

[caption id="attachment_150872" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Barfly2001[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Monforte de Lemos is a city and municipality in the province of Lugo. It covers an area of 200 km² and lies 62 km from Lugo. It has a population of 19,500. Monforte de Lemos is located in a valley between the rivers Minho and Sil. The river Cabe, a tributary of Sil, runs through the city. It is the core of the region known as Terra de Lemos and capital of the area known as Ribeira Sacra or Terras de Lemos. During the ...

[ read more ]

The Bund in Shanghai

The Bund in Shanghai

[caption id="attachment_200850" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © Bimal Mehta/cc-by-sa-4.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Bund or Waitan is a waterfront area in central Shanghai. The area centers on a section of Zhongshan Road (East No.1 Zhongshan Road) within the former Shanghai International Settlement, which runs along the western bank of the Huangpu River in the eastern part of Huangpu District. The area along the river faces the modern skyscrapers of Lujiazui in the Pudong District. The Bund usually refers to the buildings...

[ read more ]

The trimaran Hydroptère

The trimaran Hydroptère

[caption id="attachment_153869" align="aligncenter" width="590"] © hydroptere.com[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Hydroptère is an experimental sailing hydrofoil designed by French yachtsman Alain Thébault. Her multihull hydrofoil design allows the sail-powered vessel to reach high speeds on water. The design is based on experience from a range of hydrofoil sailcraft that Thébault built in cooperation with Éric Tabarly since the 1990s. On October 5, 2008 she reached a record speed of 52.86 knots (97.90 km/h; 60.83 mph), howev...

[ read more ]

Edifício Copan, with the largest floor area of any residential building in the world

Edifício Copan, with the largest floor area of any residential building in the world

[caption id="attachment_2979" align="aligncenter" width="519" caption="Oscar Niemeyer's Copan Building © Jürgen Partenheimer"][/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]The Edifício Copan (Copan Building) is a 140-metre, 38-story residential building in São Paulo, Brazil. Construction began in 1957 and, following some interruptions, was completed in 1966. It is one of the largest buildings in Brazil and has the largest floor area of any residential building in the world. The building was not named after the ancient Mayan city i...

[ read more ]

The Moshulu

The Moshulu

[caption id="attachment_168195" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Moshulu at Penn's Landing in Philadelphia © Acroterion/cc-by-3.0[/caption][responsivevoice_button voice="UK English Female" buttontext="Listen to this Post"]Moshulu (ex Kurt) is a four-masted steel barque built by William Hamilton and Company on the River Clyde in Scotland in 1904. The largest remaining original windjammer, she is currently a floating restaurant docked in Penn's Landing, Philadelphia, adjacent to the museum ships USS Olympia and USS Becuna. Originally named Kurt after Dr. Kurt Siemers, director general and presi...

[ read more ]

Return to TopReturn to Top
USS George Washington in Norfolk Naval Station © U.S. Navy - Mate 3rd Class Summer M. Anderson
Norfolk in Virginia

Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. In 2017, the population was estimated...

Aleppo Room © flickr.com - Richard Mortel/cc-by-2.0
Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin

The Museum of Islamic Art is located in the Pergamon Museum and is one of the Berlin State Museums. The...

Mizners Administrative Buildings © Dtobias/cc-by-sa-4.0
Boca Raton in Florida

Boca Raton is the southernmost city in Palm Beach County, Florida, first incorporated on August 2, 1924 as "Bocaratone," and...

Schließen