Updated June 7, 2011, 9:00 AM
Highway 1 at Alder Creek (Post Mile 7.5), 40 miles south of Big Sur, will re-open by Friday, June 10, Caltrans officials announced today. Read the full press release here on
The Big Sur Blog.
On the afternoon of March 16 about 13 miles south of Carmel Highway 1 began slipping and within an hour a 40 foot section had dropped into the ocean, effectively closing the highway to vehicle traffic. This section of Highway 1 is now open 24/7.
On April 14 we had another slide at Alder Creek, (Post Mile Marker 7) a few miles north of the town of Gorda in southern Big Sur. (See map) This is a fairly large slide and we do not have an estimate as to when this will be cleared outside of sometime near mid-June.
If you are coming from the south you can access Highway 1 via Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. Access points are illustrated in the map provided below. If you choose to take Nacimiento-Fergusson Road please take your time. It is a twisty country road with hairpin turns with more traffic than normal using it.
If you are coming from the south to the Big Sur valley area of Big Sur, where Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is located for instance, you may prefer to take Highway 101 north to the Highway 68 turnoff in Salinas. This will take you out to Highway 1 in Monterey. At this point you can drive south down the coast through Carmel. We recommend this for campers and trailers and if you prefer not to drive a twisty mountain road (Nacimiento-Fergusson). Realistically, taking Hwy 101 to Hwy 68 and then to Hwy 1 and back down the coast is probably the fastest route from the south if you are staying in the Big Sur valley area.
The Big Sur Blog maintains updated Highway 1 information and the latest Caltrans press releases.
View Alternative Route to Big Sur via Nacimiento-Fergusson Road in a larger map
Helpful blogs and links:
The Big Sur Chamber of Commerce blog maintains updated HWY 1 information
Big Sur CERT
Big Sur Kate, LIfe in the wilds blog is an ambitious blog with consistent updates
County Road Closures (information about Nacimiento-Fergusson Road)
California Highway Patrol Incident Information
Monterey County slide information page
California Department of Transportation
Photos and Video:
Monterey Herald Slide Show March 16-17, 2011
Monterey Herald Slide Show March 18
Video of the road crews working on the highway.
Download our local Big Sur Visitors Guide, in Adobe PDF. (1.5Mb)
