Old Coast Road (Big Sur)
Big Sur · near Big Sur · Central Coast
Gravel & Bikepacking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Late spring–fall (impassable/muddy when wet)
What is here
- Terrain
- coastal
- Amenities
- Historic pre-Highway 1 route · Bixby Bridge views · Redwood canyons & coastal bluffs · Big Sur state-park camping
- Best for
- A wild, historic dirt bypass of Highway 1
- Features
- The original Big Sur road · Bixby Bridge & ocean bluffs · Rough redwood-canyon dirt · Wild Highway 1 alternative
Worth knowing
- Hazards
- Rough, steep dirt · Impassable/muddy when wet · No services on the road · Fog & coastal wind
- Good for a first timer
- No
Gravel & Bikepacking detail
- Ride types
- day-gravel · adventure
- Surface
- rough
- Remoteness
- 3
- Riding
- The original Big Sur wagon road — a rough dirt bypass of famous Bixby Bridge that dips through redwood canyons and climbs to raw ocean bluffs, a wild alternative to Highway 1
- Terrain note
- Sea level to ~1,000 ft; rough dirt; redwood canyons to coastal bluffs
- Camping
- Yes
- Intl tip
- The original pre-Highway 1 Big Sur wagon road — a rough dirt route leaving Hwy 1 near the famous Bixby Bridge, dipping through redwood canyons and climbing to raw ocean bluffs before rejoining the highway. A wild, crowd-free alternative with the same staggering scenery. Rough and steep; impassable/muddy when wet (dry season only); no services; fog and wind. Big Sur state-park camping nearby. A short but unforgettable coastal adventure.
- Trip lengths
- day
The guide
The Old Coast Road is a rugged relic of pre-Highway 1 Big Sur — the original dirt wagon road that once carried travelers along …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Old Coast Road (Big Sur) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.37, -121.86