The draw of Big Sur is simple natural beauty. There is no major attraction, no big city, just the road and its surrounding hikes.
California Highway 1 is a dramatic ride filled with hairpin turns along plunging bluffs and crashing waves down below.
The drive is a full experience in its own right, a true American treasure. The journey is the destination, oblige the pull-offs that grab your eye.
As you are driving down the coast you’ll cross Bixby Bridge, connecting cliffs over a 260-foot canyon – imagine just what it took to build this iconic piece of infrastructure in 1932.
This is one of the most dazzling spots on the 90-mile-long stretch of this pristine setting. Keep your eyes peeled for the Point Sur Lighthouse, no doubt another essential addition to scene to help sailors find their way through the dense fog that blankets the coast.
Don’t miss sunset, surely amongst the most spectacular anywhere in the world. From silver,
to gold,
and even rose gold,
settling into a pink-purple post-sunset fog.
I’ve never seen one quite like this, the best things in life are free.