Route 1 - Big Sur Coast Highway
Places to Visit
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Spectacular hiking trails, great fishing locations, and beachcombing await visitors to this state park. Relatively undeveloped, this park is a welcome side trip for visitors wanting to escape the city.
Location: The park is 20 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1. Highway 1 Big Sur, California 93920
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Though recognized as a town on most road maps, Big Sur is really more of an area than a town. It contains a large camping area, while many inns, restaurants, and other small shops are found up and down the corridor.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: Highway 1
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The Bixby Bridge is a marvel of engineering that spans a large canyon along the Big Sur Coastline. Every day it looks different, whether there are clouds resting themselves on it, or sun reflecting off of the gleaming white structural supports.
Location: On Highway 1
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The city of Carmel is situated in a forested area just off Highway One. Carmel is about five miles south of Monterey and 26 miles north of Big Sur.
Location: Just off Highway One.
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Carmel Mission and Basilica (CA)
The second in the chain of California's Historic Missions, Mission San Carlos Boromeo del Carmelo has been a haven for artists and writers for over a century.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: Just north of the recognized byway, travel north along Hwy 1 into Carmel, turn left on Rio Road. The mission is a short distance, and is on the left side of the road.
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Hearst San Simeon State Historical Monument (CA)
Above the ocean at San Simeon lies the creation of two extraordinary people, William Randolph Hearst and Julia Morgan. Their collaboration, which took nearly 30 years to complete, transformed a hilltop campsite into the world-famous Hearst Castle.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: The monument is located on Highway 1, halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco. It is a few miles south of the FHWA recognized byway, but the drive is well worth the time.
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The Henry Miller Library was founded by Emil White in honor of his friend Henry Miller. The library has exhibits showcasing the life and influence of Henry Miller.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: The library is located 35 miles south of Carmel in a beauftiful meadow surrounded by redwood trees.
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Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (CA)
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park stretches from the Big Sur coastline into nearby 3,000-foot ridges. The park features redwood, tan oak, madrone, chaparral, and an 80-foot waterfall that drops from granite cliffs into the ocean from the Overlook Trail.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: The park is 37 miles south of Carmel along Highway 1.
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This 716-acre park features the beauty of the redwoods, the rugged coast and the cultural history of limekilns, which are kilns or furnaces in which limestone and/or shells are burned and reduced to lime.
Distance from byway: On the byway Directions: The park is 56 miles south of Carmel, just off of Highway 1.
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Los Padres National Forest (CA)
Distinctive geologic, geomorphic, and botanic features make this forest one of the most traveled forests in west California.
Location: About two hours north of Los Angeles.
