Ran up to Big Sur with Alex visiting from Texas. We drove up the coast the whole way, stopping first at REI Santa Barbara. We met an employee whose favorite spot was Big Sur; when we asked for his highlights and recs, he pulled up his phone to show us a place, accidentally pulled up porn, and then — after sorting that situation out — sent us the name of a… nude resort. We didn’t have the time. We stayed up at Plaskett Ridge Road with no issues (on later trips, the gate being open has become a real challenge). We did several hikes down to the ocean and got out to look at the bridge. A note for later: service is limited to none in the area. We came down, made burgers, and watched the sunset on the beach back at Pismo, then made our way home to LA.
If you go
Big Sur is the stretch of Highway 1 between San Simeon and Carmel, and the single most important thing to check before you go is whether the road’s even open — slides close sections of it for months at a time, sometimes longer. Check Caltrans before you commit to driving through.
Plaskett Ridge Road is a dirt forest road climbing off Highway 1 in the Los Padres National Forest. The dispersed camping up there is free and the views are the payoff, but access depends on the gate and conditions, and it’s not for low-clearance cars. And take the cell-service warning seriously — there’s no signal for long stretches, so download maps and tell someone your plan.
