Big Sur (Highway 1)
Carmel to San Simeon · near Carmel / Big Sur · Central Coast
Road Cycling
At a glance
- Distance
- century
- Best season
- Spring & fall; open end-to-end in 2026 (check Caltrans for active work zones)
What is here
- Scenery
- coast
- Amenities
- Iconic Bixby Bridge & sea cliffs · World-famous Pacific coastline · Big Sur lodges & cafés · Bucket-list coastal ride
- Best for
- A world-class coastal odyssey
- Features
- One of earth's great coastal roads · Bixby Bridge & sheer sea cliffs · Rolling clifftop drama · Bucket-list Pacific riding
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Reopened end-to-end Jan 2026 (Regent's Slide repaired) — but landslide-prone; always check Caltrans QuickMap · Active one-way traffic controls in 2026 (e.g. Rocky Creek Bridge) — expect delays · Busy road, narrow shoulders, RVs & tourists — heavier post-reopening · Coastal fog, wind & sun; rolling climbs & blind curves — ride visibly
- Beginner friendly
- No
Road Cycling detail
- Ride types
- coastal
- Road
- busy
- Climbing
- 3
- Ride notes
- One of the most beautiful coastal roads on earth — Highway 1 threads the Big Sur coast past Bixby Bridge, sheer cliffs, and the crashing Pacific, a bucket-list ride of rolling climbs and jaw-dropping ocean drama
- Stats note
- ~90 mi Carmel–San Simeon; rolling coastal climbs; reopened fully Jan 2026
- Seasonal
- No
- Intl tip
- One of the most beautiful roads on earth — Hwy 1 clings to the Big Sur coast between Carmel and San Simeon (~90 mi), past Bixby Bridge, sheer sea cliffs, hidden coves, and the crashing Pacific, on rolling clifftop climbs. Good news: after ~3 years closed at Regent's Slide, Hwy 1 fully reopened end-to-end on Jan 14, 2026 — connected again for the first full season in years, though busier than ever with some one-way work zones (e.g. Rocky Creek Bridge). A bucket-list ride, but busy with cars, RVs, and tourists, with narrow shoulders and coastal fog, wind, and sun. Ride visibly, take blind curves with care, carry water and layers. This coast stays landslide-prone — always check current Caltrans QuickMap first.
The guide
Highway 1 along the Big Sur coast is, quite simply, one of the most beautiful roads on the planet — a rolling ribbon of pavemen…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Big Sur (Highway 1) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.27, -121.81