Big Sur’s redwoods, state parks, and tide pools are once again within easy reach for Bay Area travelers this Fourth of July weekend, now that a section of Highway 1 that had been partially closed has reopened to two-way traffic.
Caltrans announced this week that crews had fully stabilized a segment of the Pacific Coast Highway approximately 17 miles south of Monterey that partially collapsed in March 2024 after heavy rains. As drone footage revealed, a chunk of the southbound lanes near Rocky Creek Bridge washed out and slid toward the ocean, necessitating one-way traffic controls for the last 15 months.
Now, motorists can more easily appreciate Big Sur’s treasures, including its trio of protected public lands: Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Point Sur Historic State Park, and California’s “mini-Yosemite,” Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Camping sites for the three-day weekend were reserved long ago, but day-trippers can still visit the beaches and hike the rugged terrain.
PCH’s reconstruction also improves access to Rocky Creek Bridge, which, like the better-known Bixby Bridge less than a mile south, is an engineering marvel completed in 1932. For almost a century, tourists have flocked to the scenic overlook to marvel at the high concrete arches, more than 250 feet above the ravines.
But be warned: Highway 1, which has been plagued by closures in the Big Sur area for a few years, is not open along its entire route. South of the town of Lucia, a massive movement of soggy earth called Paul’s Slide buried two miles of road from January 2023 to June 2024.
Paul’s Slide has since been repaired. But in April 2024, a separate closure known as Regent’s Slide shut down a 6.8-mile section of highway south of the Esalen Institute and north of Lucia. That segment remains closed, and drivers hoping to get to Hearst Castle or Los Angeles must double back to Monterey and make a three-hour, 150-mile detour inland.
But anyone wanting to take a leisurely, scenic drive down the coast to the unbeatable tide pools at Pfeiffer Beach this holiday weekend is in luck. Both the highway and the weather will be clear.