![]() Northeast of the bridge, there is a dirt road that turns inland. While driving along Highway 1, it’s impossible to miss the grandeur of the Bixby Bridge or all of the cars parked along both sides of the highway and the people taking photos. The bridge has been used in numerous car commercials, television shows, and marketing materials for the Big Sur region, and many Big Sur events. Today the Bixby Creek Bridge is one of the most famous and most photographed features on the entire west coast of the United States. It substantially shortened and straightened the highway and provided year-round access for travelers. The Bixby Creek Bridge opened in 1932, connecting Big Sur with Montrey and Carmel. Before the Bixby Bridge was built, the only way to reach Big Sur was using a dirt road that turned inland for miles, and in the winter, was impassable. When the State of California first began construction on the Highway in 1919, several bridges were needed, with the largest one spanning Bixby Creek. It is located on the Pacific Coast Highway, 120 miles south of San Francisco and 13 miles south of Carmel, in Monterey County. One of the tallest single-span concrete bridges in the world, Bixby Creek Bridge, also known as Bixby Bridge, is a 714 foot long, 279 foot tall, reinforced concrete, open-spandrel arch bridge that spans Bixby Creek. It has just under 3,000 acres of panoramic rocky shoreline, colorful wildflowers, jagged rock formations, steep chaparral-covered hills, deep redwood canyons, challenging hiking trails, and a breathtaking stretch of sandy beach. Garrapata State Park is located on the northern end of the Big Sur coast, three miles south of Point Lobos State Natural Reserve. Because there is only one small sign, no staff on-site, basically no facilities, and the trailheads are unmarked, many people simply drive right through the park and never even realize it. ![]() Nestled at the based of the Santa Lucia Mountain Range, Garrapata State Park is an unknown Big Sur treasure hiding in plain sight. Below you’ll find our itinerary, with all of the awesome places we visited and explored, as well as a few notable bridges and key photo opportunities that I highly recommend you make time to check out. We began our Big Sur family vacation on the north end of the region at Garrapata State Park and worked our way south along the coast to the Elephant Seal Rookery. This is easily one of the most beautiful stretches of road in the entire United States and you’re going to want to stop at all of the vista points and pull-outs for photos. If you’re taking a Highway 1 Road Trip along the Pacific Coast through Big Sur, be prepared for a slow and leisurely drive with A LOT of stops. It is flanked by the Santa Lucia Mountains on one side and the rugged Pacific coast on the other. Highway 1, California’s first scenic highway and a designated American National Scenic Byway, winds along the Big Sur coast and through redwood forests in the Big Sur River Valley. Big Sur encompasses the 90 mile stretch of coastline between Carmel and San Luis Obispo. Today Big Sur is not a city, but a region. The name Big Sur comes from original references to the unexplored coastal wilderness area south of Monterey as el pais grande del sur or the big south country. Scattered up and down this gorgeous coastal road are state parks, beaches, picnic grounds, waterfalls, hiking trails, redwood groves, and campgrounds, as well as a few restaurants and hotels. Just as one single stretch of road in Oregon, the Columbia River Highway, leads you past one incredible waterfall after another, California’s Highway 1 leads you past vista point after vista point with stunning views of the majestic, rocky Pacific coastline and beautiful Santa Lucia Mountains. To top it all off, we had the absolute most perfect weather we could have hoped for, which made driving Highway 1 through Big Sur an amazing experience.We enjoyed delicious picnics, climbed high peaks, traversed rivers and creeks, and hiked to spectacular waterfalls like Limekiln Falls, Salmon Creek Falls, McWay Falls, Doud Creek Falls, and Pfeiffer Falls.We explored picnic grounds, vista points, and beaches like Sand Dollar Beach and Willow Creek Picnic Ground.We visited several California State Parks like Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and Limekiln State Park. ![]() The finale of our road trip and outdoor adventure was three unbelievable days in Big Sur. We then took a day trip to Monterey, visiting Cannery Row and Old Fisherman’s Wharf. Our vacation began in Hollister with two days hiking in Pinnacles National Park, exploring Balconies Cave and Bear Gulch Cave - which got our whole family completely hooked on caving. Our family vacation and road trip through California’s Big Sur region remains one of my all time favorite family adventures.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |