145-590: Big Sur Coast Highway is a section of California State Route 1 through the Big Sur region of California that is widely considered to be one of the most scenic driving routes in the United States, if not the world. It is both a National Scenic Highway and a California Scenic Highway, and was described by Australian painter Francis McComas as the "greatest meeting of land and water in the world". Condé Nast Traveler named State Route 1 through Big Sur one of
290-478: A 13 miles (21 km) stretch between Anderson Canyon and Big Sur in September 1922. The region was so remote and access so poor that the company brought most of its supplies and equipment in by barge at a sheltered cove near the middle of the project. Machines were hoisted to the road level using steam-powered donkey engines . Construction required extensive excavation utilizing steam shovels and explosives on
435-793: A 320-foot (98 m) span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge, the Rocky Creek Bridge , and the Big Creek Bridge . After crossing the Carmel River, SR 1 turns inland and runs along the eastern boundary of Carmel and the western boundary of Carmel Valley before becoming a freeway in Monterey . After bypassing the immediate coastline of Pebble Beach and the rest of the Monterey Peninsula ,
580-787: A 50 miles (80 km) and hour-and-a-half drive to U.S. Route 101 (US 101). The remaining segment of the unpaved Old Coast Road intersects with the Coast Highway at Bixby Creek Bridge and climbs steeply inland up Cerro Hill, traversing the El Sur Ranch . It crosses the Little Sur River near the junction of the North and South forks, formerly the location of the Idlewild Hotel from about 1900 to 1921. The road then descends and rejoins Highway 1 across from
725-428: A California state highway", calling for 12 miles (19 km) of steel guard rail and 3,649 guide posts along 46.6 miles (75.0 km) of the road. In 1941, 160 inches (410 cm) of rain fell on Big Sur, and the state considered abandoning the route. Slides were so common that gates were used to close the road to visitors at the northern and southern ends during the winter. During World War II, nighttime blackouts along
870-473: A day, where he remained the night. The next day he rode horseback over the South Coast Road with Thomas B. Slate. They reached Slates Hot Springs at about 5pm. The single-lane road was closed in winter when it became impassable. Due to the steep and narrow road, even during the summer Coast residents would receive supplies via boat from Monterey or San Francisco. Due to the limited access, settlement
1015-408: A female householder with no husband present 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, 6.1% were unmarried opposite-sex partnerships , and 2.5% were same-sex married couples or partnerships ; 34.0% of the households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34. About 61.4% of all households were families ;
1160-640: A four lane road as the Cabrillo Highway. It rejoins the coast in Morro Bay , running through that city as a freeway, where it crosses Morro Creek at the site of a prehistoric Chumash settlement dating to the Millingstone Horizon . From there, SR 1 proceeds north to Cayucos until it again becomes a winding, two lane road with occasional passing lanes. It then continues along the coast through Cambria and San Simeon , and past
1305-487: A freeway from its southern terminus all the way to Oxnard, including building an offshore causeway from the Santa Monica Pier to Topanga Canyon Boulevard south of Malibu, were ultimately killed by 1971 due to local opposition. In 1980, another section was added northwest of Ventura near Emma Wood State Beach , when several miles of the old two-lane alignment of U.S. Route 101 were posted as SR 1 where
1450-539: A gate. The remainder of the two-lane road south to San Copofaro Creek was opened on June 17, 1937, after 18 years of construction, aided by labor provided by the New Deal . On June 27, 1937, Governor Frank Merriam led a caravan from the Cambria Pines Lodge to San Simeon, where dedication ceremonies began. The wife of the late Senator Elmer Rigdon, who had promoted the bridge and obtained funding, dedicated
1595-405: A large 963 feet (294 m) high landslide slide near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and McWay Falls that buried Highway 1 with 4,000,000 cubic yards (3,100,000 m) of rocks and dirt. Twenty-six bulldozers worked for 22 weeks to clear the highway. The repair crews pushed the slide into the ocean which ended up creating a beach inside McWay Cove that did not exist before. It was up to that date
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#17327804534371740-627: A law in 1915 that allowed the state to use convict labor under the control of the State Board of Prison Directors and prison guards. In 1918, state highway engineer Lester Gibson led a mule pack train along the Big Sur coast to complete an initial survey to locate the future Coast Highway. When the convict labor law was revised in 1921, it gave control of the convicts and camps to the Division of Highways, although control and discipline remained with
1885-497: A lumber wagon pulled by four horses could make the same trip in 13 hours. The rough road ended in present-day Posts and could be impassible in winter. No road existed beyond Posts, only a horseback trail connecting the homesteads to the south. The highway was first proposed by Dr. John L. D. Roberts, a physician who was summoned on April 21, 1894, to treat survivors of the wreck of the 493 tons (447 t) S.S. Los Angeles (originally USRC Wayanda ), which had run aground near
2030-633: A narrow, winding, steep road known as Pedro Mountain Road connected Montara with Pacifica. That highway was completed in 1914 and provided competition to the Ocean Shore Railroad , which operated between San Francisco and Tunitas Creek from 1907 to 1920. SR 1 also used to run along the coast between Pacifica and Daly City, but this segment was damaged and rendered unusable after a 5.3 magnitude earthquake on March 22, 1957. A small stub remains near Thornton Beach . Route 56 along Big Sur
2175-583: A physician and land speculator who had founded Seaside , California and resided on the Monterey Peninsula, was summoned to assist treating survivors of the wreck of the 493 tons (447 t) S.S. Los Angeles (originally USRC Wayanda ), which had run aground near the Point Sur Light Station about 25 miles (40 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. The ride on his two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart took him 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours,
2320-473: A picture of the construction, he said, "Then they would have started up here at the top of the hill and made nice slopes all the way down and benched it down and you wouldn't have had all this..." Road construction necessitated construction of 29 bridges, the most difficult of which was the bridge over Bixby Creek, about 13 miles (21 km) south of Carmel. Upon completion, the Bixby Creek Bridge
2465-786: A popular route for tourists. The route annually helps bring several billion dollars to the state's tourism industry. Segments of SR 1 range from urban freeway to simple rural two-lane road. Under the California Coastal Act , those segments of the highway that run through the rural areas of the protected California Coastal Zone may not be widened beyond a scenic two-lane road. At its southernmost end in Orange County , SR 1 terminates at I-5 in Capistrano Beach in Dana Point . It then travels west into
2610-461: A population of 462. The population density was 579.9 inhabitants per square mile (223.9/km ). The racial makeup of San Simeon was 58.4% White, 0.9% African American, 1.1% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.4% Pacific Islander, 34.6% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 55.8%. Of the 197 households, 26.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 47.7% were married couples living together, 7.1% had
2755-579: A scenic route to numerous attractions along the coast, the route also serves as a major thoroughfare in the Greater Los Angeles Area , the San Francisco Bay Area , and several other coastal urban areas. SR 1 was built piecemeal in various stages, with the first section opening in the Big Sur region in the 1930s. However, portions of the route had several names and numbers over the years as more segments opened. It
2900-484: A second segment from the Big Sur Village south to Anderson Creek. When these sections were completed, the contractor had used up all of the available funds and work was halted. California Governor Friend William Richardson felt the state could not afford to complete the 30 miles (48 km) remaining, including the most difficult section remaining between Salmon Creek and Anderson Canyon. In March 1928, work
3045-561: A silver fir to her husband's memory. The Elmer Rigdon Memorial Drinking Fountain, 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Lucia, in a turnout between Vicente Creek Bridge and Big Creek Bridge , was dedicated in Elmer Rigdon's memory. The Native Sons of the Golden West dedicated two redwood trees. The caravan then drove north to Pfeiffer Redwoods State Park, where a larger dedication ceremony was held. The initial $ 1.5 million bond measure
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#17327804534373190-518: A trail from Monterey to Palo Colorado Canyon used by Native Americans when he filed a map of his purchase in 1853. When the region was first settled by European immigrants in 1853, it was the United States' "last frontier". After California gained statehood , the trail from Carmel to Mill Creek (present-day Bixby Canyon) was declared a public road by the county in 1855. But the California coast south of Carmel and north of San Simeon remained one of
3335-424: A very fast trip for the day. In 1897, he walked the entire stretch of rocky coast from Monterey to San Luis Obispo in five days and mapped out a course of the future road. He photographed the land and became the first surveyor of the route. He became convinced of the need for a road along the coast to San Simeon, which he believed could be built for $ 50,000 (equivalent to $ 1,089,750 in 2023). In 1915, he presented
3480-555: A very large rock formation at the tip of the point that is called the Mugu Rock. At that point, PCH leaves the coast and heads north, and then northwest as a freeway along the northeastern boundary of Naval Base Ventura County Point Mugu for several miles to an interchange at Rice Avenue, Pleasant Valley Road, and Oxnard Boulevard in Oxnard . The reconstructed interchange at Rice Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road channels traffic north on
3625-652: A winding, two lane road as it passes over the Marin Hills to rejoin the coast at Muir Beach . After passing Stinson Beach and the Bolinas Lagoon , SR 1 avoids the immediate coastline of Point Reyes National Seashore and the rest of the Point Reyes Peninsula , and instead heads towards, and then along, the eastern shore of Tomales Bay . Leaving Tomales Bay, SR 1 heads further inland to intersect with Valley Ford Road just north of
3770-530: Is a major north–south state highway that runs along most of the Pacific coastline of the U.S. state of California . At 656 miles (1,056 km), it is the longest state route in California, and the second-longest in the US after Montana Highway 200 . SR 1 has several portions designated as either Pacific Coast Highway ( PCH ), Cabrillo Highway , Shoreline Highway , or Coast Highway . Its southern terminus
3915-544: Is about 15 mi (24 km) past San Simeon, the party turned inland across the Santa Lucia Range . San Simeon was founded as an asistencia ("sub-mission") to Mission San Miguel Arcángel , founded in 1797 and located to the east across the Santa Lucia Range. The Bay of San Simeon is mentioned in the records of San Miguel Mission for 1830. San Simeon was named for Rancho San Simeon , although
4060-508: Is an official National Scenic Byway . SR 1 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System ; however, only a few stretches between Los Angeles and San Francisco have officially been designated as a scenic highway, meaning that there are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with
4205-627: Is at Interstate 5 (I-5) near Dana Point in Orange County and its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 101 (US 101) near Leggett in Mendocino County . SR 1 also at times runs concurrently with US 101, most notably through a 54-mile (87 km) stretch in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties, and across the Golden Gate Bridge . The highway is designated as an All-American Road . In addition to providing
4350-475: Is locally known as The Fishhook due to its tight loop ramps that resemble a fishhook when viewed from above). After a short expressway section, it skirts downtown Santa Cruz as four-lane Mission Street, regaining the Cabrillo Highway designation (local/historic name is "Coast Road") after it leaves the city and continues north-west as a two-lane road (with occasional four-lane sections) up the coast through Davenport . Entering San Mateo County , SR 1 follows
4495-741: Is nonexistent) from the Mobil Pier Undercrossing runs for 54 miles (87 km), passing through the City of Santa Barbara and its neighboring communities along the coast of Santa Barbara County. The route then turns away from the Gaviota Coast at Gaviota State Beach , avoiding Point Conception , and heads due north through Gaviota State Park and the Gaviota Tunnel . In Las Cruces , SR 1, now named Cabrillo Highway, splits again from US 101 and heads northwest to
Big Sur Coast Highway - Misplaced Pages Continue
4640-731: The Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve . PCH then continues along the coast into Seal Beach , the final city on its journey in Orange County. PCH enters Los Angeles County and the city of Long Beach after crossing the San Gabriel River . SR 1 then continues northwest through the city to its junction with Lakewood Boulevard (State Route 19) and Los Coyotes Diagonal at the Los Alamitos Circle , more than 2 miles (3.2 km) from
4785-830: The California Western Railroad . North of Fort Bragg as a two-lane highway again, SR 1 passes MacKerricher State Park and the towns of Cleone and Inglenook before crossing Ten Mile River . After passing Westport-Union Landing State Beach , the road goes through a series of redwood-forested switchbacks before reaching Rockport . North of Rockport, the highway turns away from the Lost Coast to avoid steep and unstable highlands created by Mendocino triple junction uplift. The highway follows Cottaneva Creek inland through redwood-forested mountainous terrain before terminating at US 101 just outside Leggett . SR 1 has become famous worldwide, but
4930-541: The Cape Verde Islands , around 1864. In 1869, Captain Clark built a wharf near the point for his whaling station. A small community grew near the 1869 wharf, but the waves near the wharf were too high, and the wharf was abandoned. In 1878, Hearst built a new wharf, and the small community moved near the new wharf. A general store (later Sebastian's Store ) was built near the Clark wharf, and then relocated near
5075-646: The Federal Highway Administration ordered Caltrans in 1995 to re-evaluate the proposed tunnel. Then on November 5, 1996, San Mateo County voters approved Measure T to change the county's official preference from the bypass to the tunnel. Ground eventually broke in 2005, and the Tom Lantos Tunnels opened in April 2013. In 2014, two-way traffic was restored along the original PCH segment from Copper Lantern to Blue Lantern streets in
5220-616: The Great Depression , the paved two-lane road was completed and opened on June 17, 1937. The road was initially called the Carmel-San Simeon Highway (Route 56), but was better known as the Roosevelt Highway, honoring the current President Franklin D. Roosevelt . A 1921 law extended Route 56 south over the county road to Cambria . Route 60, from Oxnard via the coast to San Juan Capistrano ,
5365-527: The King Range National Conservation Area . The roadway along Devil's Slide , south of Pacifica , became the site of frequent deadly crashes and roadway-closing landslides . Beginning in 1958, Caltrans supported a plan to construct an inland bypass over Montara Mountain as an alternate route, but was eventually opposed by community and environmental groups who supported a tunnel instead. After decades of legal disputes,
5510-604: The Old Coast Road south to Post's ranch near Sycamore Canyon. At Bixby Creek Canyon, the road was necessarily built 11 miles (18 km) inland to circumvent the deep canyon. The road from Bixby Canyon climbed steep Cerro Hill and crossed the Little Sur River where its two forks diverted. The road entered the Cooper Ranch (formerly Rancho El Sur ) and continued south about 7 miles (11 km) south to
5655-483: The Point Sur Light Station about 25 miles (40 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea. It took him 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 hours on his two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart, a very fast trip for the day. The initial survey for the highway was completed in 1918, and its construction began in 1921. The project ceased for two years in 1926 when funding ran out, and after 18 years of construction, the Carmel–San Simeon Highway
5800-752: The Sonoma County border. It then rejoins the coast in Bodega Bay , where its name changes to Coast Highway past the Sonoma Coast State Beaches . After bridging the Russian River at Jenner , SR 1 continues to wind along the rugged coast to Fort Ross , Salt Point State Parks , and the planned community of Sea Ranch . SR 1 then crosses the Gualala River and enters Mendocino County . The highway enters
5945-543: The Ventura River and Carpinteria had been an unimproved route along small alluvial fan beaches that skirted coastal bluff rock outcroppings at low tide. Construction of the Southern Pacific Coast Line railroad had created a road flanked by riprap along this area. In order to make this part of the first coastal route for motorists driving from San Francisco to Los Angeles , they paved
Big Sur Coast Highway - Misplaced Pages Continue
6090-635: The historic beach route along the Rincon coast that was originally opened up by the construction of the Railroad Coastal Route from Emma Wood State Beach to the Mobil Pier Undercrossing near Sea Cliff , where it rejoins US 101 about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the Santa Barbara County line near La Conchita . The US 101/SR 1 concurrency (although actual signage mentioning SR 1 through this segment
6235-643: The 1878 wharf. Shore whaling continued on the point until the mid-1890s. It ceased for a short time, started up again in 1897, and continued until about 1908 when it ceased for good. In 1953, the Hearst Corporation donated the William Randolph Hearst Memorial Beach , including the Hearst Pier, to San Luis Obispo County . It is currently part of Hearst San Simeon State Park . The present-day San Simeon pier
6380-514: The 1920s, only two homes in the entire region had electricity, locally generated by water wheels and windmills. Most of the population lived without power until connections to the California electric grid were established in the early 1950s. The region has always been relatively difficult to access and only the sturdiest and most self-sufficient settlers stayed. In July 1937, the California Highways and Public Works department described
6525-543: The Cabrillo Highway in 1959, after the explorer Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo who sailed along the coast line. The legislature also designated the route as the Shoreline Highway in 1957 between the Manzanita Junction near Marin City and Leggett . Smaller segments of the highway have been assigned several other names by the state and municipal governments. For the most part, SR 1 runs parallel to
6670-642: The Cabrillo Highway turns northwest back towards the coast to Guadalupe . It enters San Luis Obispo County , avoiding the immediate coastline of the protected Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes , before passing through Grover Beach and subsequently joining US 101 for the third time at Pismo Beach . The US 101/SR 1 concurrency then avoids the immediate coastline of Avila Beach and Diablo Canyon Power Plant , and instead heads straight inland to San Luis Obispo . SR 1 splits from US 101 at Santa Rosa Street in San Luis Obispo and then resumes as
6815-576: The California Department of Transportation has had to make many repairs to the road. Highway 1 has been closed on more than 55 occasions due to damage from landslides , mudslides, erosion, and fire. Aside from Highway 1, the only access to Big Sur is via the winding, narrow, 24.5 miles (39.4 km) long Nacimiento-Fergusson Road , which from Highway 1 south of Lucia passes east through Fort Hunter Liggett to Mission Road in Jolon . It's about
6960-658: The Carmel ;– San Simeon Highway, to connect Big Sur to the rest of California. A $ 1.5 million bond issue was approved by voters, but construction was delayed by World War I. Federal funds were appropriated and in 1921 voters approved additional state funds. Additional funds were made available from the National Industrial Recovery Act in June 1933. California received $ 15 million for state highway work. The California state legislature passed
7105-558: The City and County of San Francisco , SR 1 splits from Interstate 280, where the road becomes Junipero Serra Boulevard . Shortly thereafter, the highway makes a slight left, becoming the six-lane wide 19th Avenue ; the San Francisco Municipal Railway 's M Ocean View streetcar line runs in the median from this point until a junction to a rail only right-of-way near Rossmoor Drive. SR 1 then turns into Park Presidio Boulevard after it passes through
7250-578: The City of Oxnard received $ 15 million in state funding to build an overpass. The project is estimated to be completed by the fall of 2027. San Simeon, California San Simeon ( Spanish : San Simeón , meaning "St. Simon") is an unincorporated community on the Pacific coast of San Luis Obispo County, California , United States. Its position along State Route 1 is about halfway between Los Angeles and San Francisco , each of those cities being roughly 230 miles (370 km) away. A key feature of
7395-638: The Cooper Ranch was still shipped by boat to Monterey. The Idlewild competed with the Pfeiffer Resort for guests through about 1920, when the Idlewild was forced out of business by Martha Cooper, who acquired the land. In 1904, residents extended the unpaved road from the Pfeiffer Resort to the Post Ranch, and then it was extended another 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south to Castro Canyon, near the present-day location of Deetjen's Big Sur Inn. As late as
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#17327804534377540-450: The Dana Point city center after 25 years of one-way operation. During that period, only northbound traffic had flowed along this section of PCH while southbound traffic had been diverted onto the parallel Del Prado Avenue. SR 1 has never been planned to extend south into San Diego , or north into Crescent City , where I-5 (which replaced the US 101 designation and signage between Los Angeles and San Diego) and US 101 serve as
7685-416: The Hearst Castle area has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate ( Köppen csb ) that is moderated by its relative proximity to the Pacific coastline. NOW Data has readings from the San Simeon weather station since December 1999. For statistical purposes, the United States Census Bureau has defined San Simeon as a census-designated place (CDP). The 2010 United States Census reported that San Simeon had
7830-407: The Idlewild Hotel in about 1900 on the Old Coast Road where it crossed the Little Sur River. The Pfeiffer family's hospitality was enjoyed by friends and strangers alike for years. They finally began charging guests in 1910, naming it Pfeiffer's Ranch Resort. It and the Idlewild Hotel were the earliest places to stay. In 1909, an advertisement for the Idlewild Hotel on the Little Sur River stated that
7975-754: The Legislature by state law named SR 1 "Pacific Coast Highway" in Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, "Cabrillo Highway" from Santa Barbara north to San Francisco, and "Shoreline Highway" from Marin County to its northern terminus. Many cities, however, did not change the name of city streets that are part of SR 1, such as Lincoln and Sepulveda boulevards in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and El Segundo; and Junipero Serra and Park Presidio boulevards in San Francisco. Several other cities and communities like Newport Beach and Bodega Bay merely named their respective city streets as "Coast Highway". The freeway portion of SR 1 from Highway 68 in Monterey to Munras Avenue opened in 1956–1960. The segment from Munras Avenue to
8120-541: The Los Angeles metro area, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco metro area is part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration . The California State Legislature has also relinquished state control of segments within Dana Point , Newport Beach , Santa Monica , and Oxnard ; those segments are now maintained by those respective municipalities. The Big Sur section from San Luis Obispo to Carmel
8265-403: The Pacific Coast Highway (commonly referred to as "PCH", without the definite article "the", unlike other freeway numbers in the Los Angeles area ). Between US 101 at the Las Cruces junction (8 miles [13 km] south of Buellton ) and US 101 in Pismo Beach , and between US 101 in San Luis Obispo and Interstate 280 in San Francisco, the legislature also designated SR 1 as
8410-430: The Pfeiffer Ranch. In 1920, the 26 mi (42 km) trip from Carmel in a light spring wagon pulled by two horses could be completed in about 11 hours. A lumber wagon pulled by four horses could make the trip in 13 hours. Bixby obtained a patent on April 10, 1889, for 160 acres (65 ha) south of Mill Creek. In 1891, visitor C. A. Canfield wrote about how a trip on the mail wagon from Monterey to Posts took most of
8555-561: The Pfeiffer family built the Big Sur River Inn in 1934. Land values rose. Some residents regretted the access provided by the highway. Jaime de Angulo, who first arrived in Big Sur in 1915, wrote: But my coast is gone, you see. It will be an altogether different affair. I don't know what to think of it, on the whole. My first reaction of course was one of intense sorrow and horror. My Coast had been defiled and raped. The spirits would depart. And as I travelled with Mr. Farmer (the stage man) past Castro's place, past Grimes' cañon, and contemplated
8700-421: The Santa Lucia range, from which two trails split to the coast or to the Los Burros Mining District . The horse trail across the mountains was widened and improved into a road beginning in 1931, and completed in 1937. The road was constructed by crews composed of men from the Civilian Conservation Corp , U.S. Forest Service, and state and county relief agencies. On April 21, 1894, Dr. John L. D. Roberts,
8845-464: The State Board of Prison Directors and guards. The law helped the contractors who had a difficult time attracting labor to work in remote regions of the state. The first contract was awarded in 1921. The contractor Blake and Heaney built a prison labor camp for 120 prisoners and 20 paid laborers at Piedras Blancas Light Station . They began work on 12 miles (19 km) of road between Piedras Blancas Light Station near San Simeon and Salmon Creek. Most of
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#17327804534378990-402: The Ventana Inn. It passes through private land and connects with the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. It follows the crest of the coastal ridge south about 34 miles (55 km) to within a couple of miles of Cone Peak. Both the Old Coast Road and the Coast Ridge Road are often unusable during and after winter storms. The southern region of Monterey County coast was isolated from the few settlements in
9135-411: The Victorian community of Mendocino . Continuing north, SR 1 crosses Russian Gulch State Park on the Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge , and passes through the town of Caspar . It passes through a roundabout just south of the intersection with the western terminus of SR 20 , where it widens to two lanes, then bridges the Noyo River at Noyo , becomes Main Street of Fort Bragg , and crosses
9280-411: The area is Hearst Castle , a hilltop mansion built for William Randolph Hearst in the early 20th century that is now a tourist attraction. The area is also home to a large northern elephant seal rookery , known as the Piedras Blancas rookery, located 7 miles (11 km) north of San Simeon on Highway 1. Humans first settled the local area at least 11,000 years ago. Prehistorically, the local area
9425-407: The area, with no connection to the other side of the Santa Lucia Mountains except for Nacimiento-Fergusson Road . The road briefly leaves the coast for a few miles, passing through a redwood forest in the Big Sur River valley. The Big Sur segment of the highway, built between 1919 and 1937, also crosses a number of historic bridges, including the scenic Bixby Bridge , a reinforced concrete arch with
9570-513: The average family size was 3.00. The population was distributed as 22.9% under the age of 18, 6.7% aged 18 to 24, 24.2% aged 25 to 44, 28.1% aged 45 to 64, and 18.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40.7 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.3 males. The 301 housing units averaged 377.8 per square mile (145.9/km ), of which 44.2% were owner-occupied, and 55.8% were occupied by renters. The homeowner vacancy rate
9715-491: The bulldozer he was operating fell down the slide into the ocean. His body was never recovered. In 1998, about 40 different locations on the road were damaged by El Niño storms, including a major slide 2 miles (3.2 km) south of Gorda that closed the road for almost three months. The Associated Press described the damage as "the most extensive destruction in the 60-year history of the world famous scenic route". California State Route 1 State Route 1 ( SR 1 )
9860-428: The camp would be accessible by auto as soon as the "Cerro Grade", the stretch of road from the coast to the Little Sur River near Cerro Hill, was completed. In 1910, the Monterey Daily Cypress reported that Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Cooper "motored down to Mrs. Martha M. Cooper ranch at Sur, leaving Monterey at 12 midnight and arriving there at 2 a.m." But the road was still very rough, and most goods including cheese produced on
10005-418: The city center. After leaving Dana Point, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) becomes simply "Coast Highway" while at the same time continuing northwest along the coast through Laguna Beach (where it meets the southern terminus of SR 133 ) and Crystal Cove State Park . SR 1 then enters Newport Beach and passes through several affluent neighborhoods, including Newport Coast and Corona Del Mar , spans
10150-430: The city of Lompoc . It is briefly joined with SR 246 along Lompoc's east-west Ocean Avenue, before turning north as H Street to Harris Grade Road, where it then regains the Cabrillo Highway name. After reaching the main entrance to Vandenberg Space Force Base , SR 1 turns northeast, away from the immediate coastline of the base, to join SR 135 . Route 135 then splits from Route 1 south of Orcutt , and
10295-553: The city of Point Arena , in which it becomes Main Street, before following School Street to the northwest and then becoming Shoreline Highway once again. It bridges the Garcia River and then, near Elk , the Navarro River , where it meets SR 128 . At the town of Albion , the Albion River is spanned by the Albion River Bridge , the only remaining wooden trestle bridge on the highway. SR 1 then passes through Little River and Van Damme State Park , crosses Big River and passes through Mendocino Headlands State Park and
10440-597: The city's Golden Gate Park . Then after entering the Presidio of San Francisco , it goes through the MacArthur Tunnel before joining US 101 for a fourth time on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge known as Doyle Drive. After crossing the bridge and entering Marin County , SR 1 then splits from US 101 again near Marin City , where it leaves the city and, as the Shoreline Highway, returns to
10585-493: The coast have caused portions of SR 1 to either be closed for long periods of time, or be re-routed entirely. Some of these include: In 2014, Caltrans relinquished the portion of SR 1 in Oxnard along Oxnard Boulevard. The plan is then for PCH between Pleasant Valley Road and US 101 to be re-routed from Oxnard Boulevard onto Rice Avenue. That segment of Rice Avenue includes a railroad grade crossing at 5th Avenue that
10730-482: The coast were ordered as a precaution against Japanese attack. The opening of Highway 1 in 1937 dramatically altered the local economy. Before the highway was completed, a developer who wanted to build a subdivision offered to buy the Pfeiffer Ranch from John and Florence Pfeiffer for $ 210,000 ($ 3.83 million in 2023). John was the son of Big Sur pioneers Michael Pfeiffer and Barbara Laquet. Pfeiffer wanted
10875-469: The coast, separated from Downtown Santa Monica by the palisades north of Santa Monica Pier ; this portion is also known locally as Palisades Beach Road and formerly as Roosevelt Highway. Upon leaving Santa Monica, PCH continues to follow the coast, curving west through the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles before becoming the main thoroughfare of the city of Malibu while traversing
11020-530: The coast. From the traffic circle, it continues inland west through Long Beach, including approximately one mile adjacent to the southern boundary of Signal Hill . PCH is marked as such in Long Beach, but originally bore the name of Hathaway Avenue east of the traffic circle and State Street west of there. PCH then passes through the Los Angeles districts of Wilmington and Harbor City . While bypassing
11165-715: The coastal highways in those areas, respectively. For the 1932 Summer Olympics , the segment of the SR ;1 between Oxnard and Santa Monica (then known as the Theodore Roosevelt Highway) hosted part of the road cycling events . Portions of SR 1 have also hosted stages of the Tour of California . California's coastline is constantly changing and continually presents us with challenges. Through hard work and determination, we continue to keep this scenic highway open. Frequent landslides and erosion along
11310-491: The coastal mountains and south along the coast past the mouth of the Big Sur River to Cooper's Point. It was largely a cattle operation. There was a brief industrial boom in the late 19th century, but the early decades of the twentieth century passed with few changes, and Big Sur remained a nearly inaccessible wilderness. In 1886, Bixby partnered with William W. Post and they improved and realigned what became known as
11455-400: The coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for highway builders to establish routes through the area. In 1984, SR 1 was then re-routed to replace State Highway 208, connecting Rockport and Leggett, while the segment between Ferndale and Fernbridge was renumbered as State Highway 211 . Most of the coastline in the area is now part of Sinkyone Wilderness State Park and
11600-418: The coastline, or close to it, but does turn several miles inland at various locations to avoid several federally controlled or protected areas such as Vandenberg Space Force Base , Diablo Canyon Power Plant and Point Reyes National Seashore . In addition to connecting the coastal cities and communities along its path, the route provides access to beaches, parks, and other attractions along the coast, making it
11745-579: The community. The entire route is designated as a Blue Star Memorial Highway to recognize those in the United States armed forces; this designation is sponsored by the California Garden Clubs, but the organization has not erected such markers along SR 1 yet. In 1959, the legislature officially designated the segment in Southern California between Interstate 5 (I-5) in Dana Point and US 101 near Oxnard as
11890-644: The elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas Light Station . SR 1 provides access to Hearst Castle in San Simeon in Northern San Luis Obispo County. SR 1 then enters the Big Sur region, crossing San Carpóforo Creek just south of the Monterey County line. For about 72 miles (116 km) from San Carpóforo Creek to Malpaso Creek , the road winds and hugs the cliffs of Big Sur, passing various coastal parks in
12035-649: The entire 21 miles (34 km) of that city. SR 1 crosses the county line and continues through the Ventura County portion of the Malibu coast through Leo Carrillo State Park and Point Mugu State Park . After passing through a notch in the promontory that marks Point Mugu , the western end of the Santa Monica Mountains , and the beginning of the Oxnard Plain . The road cut left
12180-794: The entire highway was not completed for another five years. All of the concrete arch bridges were listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. They were also included in the California Register of Historic Resources in 1992. The contractor built a large bridge of Redwood with a span of 514 feet (157 m) at Dolan Creek because of the considerable distance required to haul concrete. They also built wood bridges at Lime Creek, Prewitt Creek, Wild Cattle Creek and Torre Canyon. Steel bridges were built at Burns Creek, San Simeon Creek, Pico Creek, Castro Canyon, Mill Creek and Little Pico Creek. The timber and steel bridges, with
12325-658: The entrance to the Upper Newport Bay , which marks the boundary between East Coast Highway and West Coast Highway, and crosses California State Route 55 near its southern terminus. Upon crossing the Santa Ana River mouth and entering Huntington Beach , SR 1 regains the Pacific Coast Highway designation. It passes Huntington State Beach and the southern terminus of California State Route 39 before reaching Bolsa Chica State Beach and
12470-598: The exception of Castro Canyon and Mill Creek, were all replaced with concrete bridges later on. To provide water to thirsty travelers, the Civilian Conservation Corps built between 1933 and 1937 six hand-crafted stone drinking fountains. The crews built masonry stone walls around local springs at each location. Five are still known to exist, indicated by their distance from the Monterey/San Luis Obispo County line: One of
12615-508: The extremely steep slopes. The work was dangerous, and accidents and earth slides were common. One or more accidents were reported nearly every week. Equipment was frequently damaged and lost. In one incident, a steam shovel fell more than 500 feet (150 m) into the ocean and was destroyed. Overcoming all the difficulties, the crews completed two portions of the highway in October 1924, the southern section from San Simeon to Salmon Creek and
12760-453: The fearful gashes cut into the mountain, and the dirt sliding down, right down into the water in avalanches, my heart bled. Many members of the original families were extremely upset by the destruction caused by the construction. The contractors employed primitive construction methods. Laborers used tons of dynamite to blast large amounts of earth. When the workers cut into hillsides, they left naked scars void of brush. Machinery blasted through
12905-512: The fountains is believed to have been lost due to one of the many landslides. Some of them are still operational. In December 1932 during the Great Depression , the state opened a wider, oiled, macadam 37 miles (60 km) section of the two-lane highway from Carmel River in 8 miles (13 km) north to Pfeiffer's Resort on the Big Sur River. Beyond Pfeiffer's Resort, a gravel road extended 13 miles (21 km) south where it ended at
13050-458: The freeway had bypassed it in about 1960. Then in 1988, the segment from Purisima Road in Lompoc to SR 135 was re-routed from Harris Grade Road to the former County Route S20 so it could directly serve Vandenberg Air Force Base . Construction to bridge the gap in the Lost Coast region between Rockport and Ferndale was eventually abandoned. The steepness and related geotechnical challenges of
13195-602: The freeway heads north along the coast of Monterey Bay through Sand City , Seaside , and Marina . At the interchange with SR 156 near Castroville , SR 1 continues north as a two-lane rural road to Moss Landing . SR 1 becomes a freeway once again just before entering into Santa Cruz County . This four-lane freeway continues up the Monterey Bay coast through Watsonville to its interchange with SR 17 in Santa Cruz . (This trumpet interchange
13340-452: The gaps in Route 56 north of San Francisco, these additions completed the coastal highway, with other sections formed by Routes 1, 2, and 71 . The section of SR 1 from Santa Monica to Oxnard, via Malibu, went out to contract in 1925 as "Coast Boulevard", but was designated "Theodore Roosevelt Highway" when it was dedicated in 1929. Before the completion of its present alignment in 1937,
13485-592: The goods to steamers anchored offshore. Bixby tried to persuade the county to build a road to Bixby Creek, but they refused, replying that "no one would want to live there". In 1870, Bixby and his father hired men to improve the track and constructed the first wagon road including 23 bridges from the Carmel Mission to Bixby Creek. Further south, the Rancho El Sur grant extended from the mouth of Little Sur River inland about 2.5 miles (4.0 km) over
13630-501: The great cliffs, scarring granite promontories, defiling canyons and filling waterfalls with debris. They pushed "millions and millions and billions of yards of earth" and rock debris over the edge of the road, down the slopes, and into the oceans. Deetjen's Big Sur Inn was opened in 1936. The region's economy and population growth was strongly influenced by the construction of permanent and summer homes. Many visitor facilities were constructed. The agricultural and minor industrial economy
13775-534: The highway was signed as several other routes prior to 1964. When the road was first envisioned in the World War I era, California highways were referred to by either a highway name or a route number. The route numbers were used by state highway planners and the Legislature from 1915 until 1964, but were never posted on highways, referred to by the auto clubs or public, nor used on maps. The SR 1 designation
13920-405: The immediate coastline of Palos Verdes , SR 1 continues to head west into the cities of Lomita and Torrance along the route of the former Redondo-Wilmington Boulevard. PCH then turns north through Redondo Beach and Hermosa Beach . Upon entering Manhattan Beach , it becomes Sepulveda Boulevard and turns back into PCH designation through El Segundo . At Imperial Highway, it regains
14065-585: The interchange with SR 156 and the short, 2-lane Castroville Bypass opened in 1976. Originally SR 1 followed the SR 156 alignment to the SR ;183 intersection in Castroville, then turned northwest, following the present-day SR 183 through Castroville before rejoining its existing alignment at the northern terminus of the Castroville Bypass. Plans to upgrade SR 1 to
14210-483: The journey, "There was a narrow, winding, steep road from Carmel south ... approximately 35 miles to the Big Sur River. From that point south to San Simeon, it could only be traveled by horseback or on foot." The southern portion, which was for many years merely a foot and horse trail, became known as the "Coast Ridge Road". It used to begin near the Old Post Ranch. It is currently only accessible on foot from near
14355-531: The land preserved and he sold 680 acres (2.8 km) to the state of California in 1933. This became the foundation of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The Civilian Conservation Corps built campgrounds, buildings, fences, a footbridge, and trails in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. They used redwood lumber and river rocks as building materials to create a wood and stone "park rustic" style. They also fought fires and removed poison oak. A relative of
14500-524: The largest earth-moving project ever undertaken by Caltrans. Caltrans routinely pushed slide debris into the ocean shore until the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary was created in 1992, which made dumping material into the ocean illegal. Highway 1 was closed for 14 months. One individual was killed while repairing the road. In 1983, Skinner Pierce died while clearing the slide near Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park when
14645-430: The main entrance of Andrea Molera State Park. It can be impassable in wet weather and is suitable for high-clearance vehicles. The Coast Ridge Road south of Posts is closed to vehicles. From Posts, it climbs to the coastal summit, and follows the westernmost ridge of the Santa Lucia Range from Big Sur to Cone Peak. From Cone Peak the road extended south, crossing Nacimiento Summit and continuing south past Chalk Peak to where
14790-418: The most remote regions in the state, rivaling at the time nearly any other region in the United States for its difficult access. It remained largely an untouched wilderness until early in the twentieth century. Yankee businessman Charles Henry Bixby bought several hundred acres south of Mill Creek and harvested lumber, tanbark, and lime. Without a road, he resorted to using a landing chute and hoist to transfer
14935-624: The name Sepulveda Boulevard as it descends and passes under two runways of Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) via the Sepulveda Boulevard Tunnel . After leaving LAX, SR 1 splits from Sepulveda and turns northwest, becoming Lincoln Boulevard and passing through the Los Angeles neighborhoods of Westchester , Playa Vista , and Venice , as well as the unincorporated community of Marina Del Rey . This portion of SR 1 suffers heavy congestion at most times due to
15080-422: The north by the steep terrain. The southern homesteaders were more closely tied to the people in the interior San Antonio Valley including the Jolon and Lockwood areas than to coastal communities to the north. Those who lived in the vicinity of the Big Sur River were connected with Monterey to the north. A horse trail connected Jolon through present-day Fort Hunter Liggett to Wagon Caves , and from there over
15225-487: The north, Route 56 was continued along the coast from Carmel through Santa Cruz to San Francisco . Several discontinuous pieces were added north of San Francisco, one from Route 1 (US 101) north of the Golden Gate to the county line near Valley Ford , another from the Russian River near Jenner (where the new Route 104 ended) to Westport , and a third from Ferndale to Route 1 near Fernbridge . Except for
15370-526: The north. When they completed this portion in 1932, the contractor moved the work camp south to Anderson Creek . From this camp, they built the road south 7 miles (11 km) south to Big Creek. When this task was finished, the workers almost completely reconstructed and realigned the portion of the road from Anderson Creek to Big Sur that had been completed in 1924. Two and three shifts of convicts and free men worked every day, using four large steam shovels. Locals, including writer John Steinbeck , also worked on
15515-487: The northern border of Sand City and Seaside opened in 1968, and bypasses the original highway alignment of Munras Avenue and Fremont Street in Monterey, and Fremont Boulevard through Seaside. North of Seaside, the freeway was built over the original SR 1 alignment through Fort Ord in 1973. North of Fort Ord, SR 1 now veers to the left of the original alignment and bypasses Marina to the west. This segment including
15660-596: The northern coast were finally filled in by the Legislature in 1951, though the State Department of Public Works was not required to maintain the newly added portions immediately. A connection from near Rockport to Legislative Route 1 (signed US 101) at Leggett was also added to the Legislative Route 56 definition, as the existing county road north from Rockport to Ferndale had not yet been paved . The state Legislature in 1963 tossed out
15805-443: The old conflicting Legislative Route Numbers ( 1964 renumbering ), got rid of some famous old U.S. routes, and renumbered many state highways. It abolished US 101A in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties and renumbered it as SR 1. The Rockport to Leggett connection then became State Route 208. The cover of "California Highways" magazine in fall 1964 shows state engineers posting the new shield at Point Mugu. The same year,
15950-518: The rapid expansion of the state's road network. State Senator Elmer S. Rigdon from Cambria , at the southern end of the Big Sur region, embraced the necessity of building the road. He was a member of the California Senate Committee on Roads and Highways and promoted the military necessity of defending California's coast which persuaded the legislature to approve the project. In 1919, the legislature approved building Route 56, or
16095-415: The results of his survey and photographic work to a joint session of the California legislature. Roberts initially promoted the coastal highway to allow access to a region of spectacular beauty, but failed to obtain funding. California was booming during the 1920s, driven by rapidly expanding aviation, oil, and agricultural business. The number of state residents doubled between 1910 and 1930. This stimulated
16240-683: The road and built wooden causeways where the route flooded from the ocean waves. Local funding ran out, but the newly formed State Highway Commission took over and completed the road in 1913. One of the most difficult routes to build was along the Big Sur coast. The state first approved building Route 56, or the Carmel-San Simeon Highway, to connect Big Sur to the rest of California in 1919. Federal funds were appropriated and in 1921 voters approved additional state funds. San Quentin State Prison set up three temporary prison camps to provide unskilled convict labor to help with road construction. One
16385-582: The road is now named Plaskett Ridge Road. From there it began a westerly descent to a point along the South Coast near Sand Dollar Beach and Plaskett . Segments of the Old Coast Ridge Road have been given new names, and some sections of the road are closed. Portions of it are now a Forest Service trail. On January 15, 1952, the highway was closed 7 miles (11 km) north of San Simeon to Big Sur due to "numerous heavy slides". December 1955
16530-481: The road lay within San Luis Obispo County. As they progressed, the work camp was moved 9 miles (14 km) north to Willow Creek and then another 10 miles (16 km) north to Kirk Creek. When the section to Salmon Creek was completed, the crew began work on the road north toward Big Creek. Contractor George Pollock Company of Sacramento started construction next on one of the most remote segments,
16675-412: The road. Walt Trotter, a long-time resident of the coast who had many years of experience in construction, observed in 1978 that the road could have been better built. "Had this been a modern constructed way", he said, "it would have been all infilled, tailgated, the brush would have been cleared off all the cuts, they would have taken the dozers and gone down and compacted all the fill." Still, looking at
16820-616: The shortage of alternate north-south arterial roads west of Interstate 405 . It then enters the city of Santa Monica , where SR 1 turns southwest, merging onto the westernmost segment of the Santa Monica Freeway . Passing through the McClure Tunnel (which also serves as the national western terminus of Interstate 10 ), SR 1 emerges along the beachfront in Santa Monica as PCH again and continues along
16965-517: The south. Prior to its completion, the California coast south of Carmel and north of San Simeon was one of the most remote regions in the state, rivaling at the time nearly any other region in the United States for its difficult access. In 1920, the 26 mi (42 km) trip from Carmel to the Pfeiffer Ranch in the Big Sur valley on the Old Coast Road in a light spring wagon pulled by two horses could be completed in about 11 hours, while
17110-588: The southern terminus of SR 1 at Interstate 5 in Orange County). Route 56 was extended further south from Cambria to connect to present-day US 101 in San Luis Obispo in 1931. The route from San Simeon to Carmel (connecting with existing county highways at each end) was one of two sections designated as SR 1. It and Route 60 were intended as links in a continuous coastal roadway from Oregon to Mexico , A large expansion of
17255-531: The state highway system in 1933 resulted in Route 56 being extended in both directions. To the south, a second section was added, beginning at Pismo Beach on US 101 (Route 2) and heading south through Guadalupe and Lompoc to rejoin US ;101 at a junction called Los Cruces (sic), just north of Gaviota Pass. (A short piece near Orcutt and Los Alamos had been part of Route 2, which originally followed present SR 135 from Los Alamos to Santa Maria.) To
17400-610: The surface street, Rice Avenue, towards the interchange with US 101. The historic route along Oxnard Boulevard was relinquished in 2014. Truck traffic to and from the Port of Hueneme also uses this designated route at the Rice Avenue/Hueneme Road connector to connect with Route 101 at the Rice Avenue Interchange. After traveling through Ventura , SR 1 separates from US 101 to travel
17545-593: The top ten world-famous streets, comparable to Broadway in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The road itself is a destination for visitors. The Big Sur portion of Highway 1 is generally considered to include the 71-mile (114 km) segment adjoining the unincorporated region of Big Sur between Malpaso Creek near Carmel Highlands in the north and San Carpóforo Creek near San Simeon in
17690-474: The town-site is actually north of that rancho, on the former Rancho Piedra Blanca , a Mexican land grant given in 1840 to José de Jesús Pico. In 1865, Pico sold part of the rancho to George Hearst , the father of William Randolph Hearst. The first Europeans to settle in the immediate area near the bay of San Simeon were Portuguese shore whalers under the command of Captain Joseph Clark (born Machado) from
17835-731: The west coast of the San Francisco Peninsula , passing by the marine mammal colonies at Año Nuevo State Park , and the historic Pigeon Point Lighthouse , before reaching Half Moon Bay . Between Half Moon Bay and Pacifica , the highway bypasses a treacherous stretch known as Devil's Slide via the Tom Lantos Tunnels . SR 1 then becomes a freeway once again at Sharp Park in Pacifica before turning inland to join Interstate 280 in Daly City . Just short of reaching
17980-538: The year. The primary transportation objective of the Big Sur Coastal Land Use plan is to maintain Highway 1 as a scenic two-lane road and to reserve most remaining capacity for the priority uses of the act. The steep topography, active faults, diverse geology, and seasonal storms combine to make the rugged Big Sur area one of the most landslide-prone stretches of the California coast. As a result,
18125-518: Was 714 feet (218 m) long, 24 feet (7.3 m) wide, 260 feet (79 m) above the creek bed below, and had a main span of 360 feet (110 m). The bridge was designed to support more than six times its intended load. When it was completed on October 15, 1932, Bixby Creek Bridge was the largest arched highway structure in the Western states. Five more reinforced concrete bridges were built at Rocky, Granite, Garapata, Malpaso, and Wildcat Creeks. But
18270-486: Was built in 1957. The name San Simeon also refers to some geologic structures of the area, particularly elements of the coastal Jurassic -age landforms and ophiolite rock formations. According to the United States Census Bureau , the census-designated place covers an area of 0.8 square miles (2.1 km ), all of it land. The original townsite of San Simeon is at San Simeon Bay, and
18415-506: Was built in March 1928 near Salmon Creek for 120 prisoners and 20 free men. They worked north toward Big Creek, about 46 miles (74 km) south of Carmel. In July 1928, a second camp was built near the mouth of the Little Sur River on the El Sur Ranch about 18 miles (29 km) south of Carmel. They worked on an 8 miles (13 km) section of the highway from 9 miles (14 km) to the south, to Rocky Creek, about 4 miles (6.4 km) to
18560-535: Was closed repeatedly during the storms of 2022-23 . On January 8, 2023, the highway was closed at Paul's Slide 22 miles (35 km) north of the San Luis Obispo/Monterey county border and as of August 2024 remains closed. The Nacimiento-Fergusson Road also remains closed. Governor Juan Alvarado granted Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito , including the land from Carmel to near Palo Colorado Canyon , to José Castro in about 1848. Castro documented
18705-499: Was completed in 1937. The route was incorporated into the state highway system and re-designated as Highway 1 in 1939. The winding, narrow road, often cut into the face of towering seaside cliffs, is a "symbolic image" of Big Sur. In May 2017, a 5,000,000-cubic-foot (140,000 m) slide blocked the highway at Mud Creek, north of Salmon Creek near the San Luis Obispo County line, to just south of Gorda . The road
18850-500: Was extended from Oxnard to El Rio (midway to Ventura, now the site of the Oxnard Boulevard interchange with US 101 ), in 1925. At Point Mugu , a path for the highway was cut through the mountains using surplus World War I explosives, thus creating Mugu Rock. The 1921 legislation, in theory, made Route 60 a continuous coastal loop, with both ends at what became US 101 in Oxnard and at Capistrano Beach (since 1964
18995-512: Was first assigned in 1939. Various portions of SR 1 have been posted and referred to by various names and numbers over the years. State construction of what became SR 1 started after the state's third highway bond issue passed before 1910. Eager for a direct coastal route between Ventura and Santa Barbara , civic boosters used locally raised funds to begin building the Rincon Sea Level Road in 1911. The route between
19140-741: Was incorporated into the state highway system and re-designated as SR 1 in 1939. The section of road along the Big Sur Coast was declared the first State Scenic Highway in 1965, and in 1966 the first lady, Lady Bird Johnson , led the official designation ceremony at Bixby Bridge . The route was designated as an All American Road by the US Government. SR 1 signs first went up after California decided to number its highways, in 1934. The section for Humboldt , Mendocino , Sonoma , Marin , San Francisco , San Mateo , Santa Cruz , Monterey , San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties
19285-624: Was inhabited by the Chumash people , including a large village south of San Simeon at Morro Creek . In 1542 the coastal exploration of Juan Cabrillo discovered the bay and named it the Bay of Sardines. The first European land exploration of Alta California , the Spanish Portolà expedition , traveled northwest along the coast in September 1769. On September 11–12 , the party passed the future location of San Simeon. At Ragged Point , which
19430-446: Was initially called the Carmel-San Simeon Highway, but was better known as the Roosevelt Highway, honoring then-current President Franklin D. Roosevelt . The road was frequently closed for extended periods during the winter, making it a seasonal route. The new route was incorporated into the state highway system and re-designated as Highway 1 in 1939. In 1940, the state contracted for "the largest installation of guard rail ever placed on
19575-479: Was not enough. The final cost when the road was completed 18 years later was $ 19 million (equivalent to $ 445.08 million in 2023). About 70,000 pounds (32,000 kg) of dynamite was used to help blast more than 10,000,000 cubic yards (7,600,000 m) of granite, marble and sandstone. Bixby Bridge alone required 300,000 board feet of Douglas fir, 6,600 cubic yards (5,000 m) of concrete, and 600,000 pounds (270,000 kg) of reinforcing steel . The road
19720-470: Was not until the 1964 state highway renumbering that the entire route was officially designated as SR 1. Although SR 1 is a popular route for its scenery, frequent landslides and erosion along the coast have caused several segments to be either closed for lengthy periods for repairs, or re-routed inland. SR 1 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System , and through
19865-500: Was posted as SR 1, that section of the road known Route 56 (Las Cruces to Fernbridge). For Ventura , Los Angeles and Orange counties, Route 60 (San Juan Capistrano to the Oxnard area) became SR 3, and a few SR 3 signs were actually posted. The SR 3 signs were replaced by US 101 Alt. shields by 1936, as the road was built out; this change also allowed the extension of US 66 to end at another U.S. Route, in Santa Monica. The gaps of non-state highway along
20010-405: Was primarily concentrated near the Big Sur River and present-day Lucia, and individual settlements along a 25 miles (40 km) stretch of coast between the two. The northern and southern regions of the coast were isolated from one another. In 1900, the country improved the road south to the forks of the Little Sur River. Charles Howland, who drove the mail stage between Monterey and Big Sur, built
20155-437: Was quickly supplanted by a tourism-oriented economy. Highway 1 has been at capacity for many years. The state legislature permanently limited the road along the Big Sur coast to two lanes, halting any proposals to upgrade the route to a freeway. In 1977, the U.S. Forest Service noted in its environmental impact statement, "Highway 1 has reached its design capacity during peak-use periods." It is currently at or near capacity much of
20300-557: Was renewed. Convicts were paid $ 2.10 per day but the cost of clothing, food, medical attention, toilet articles, transportation to the camp, construction tools, and even their guards was deducted from their pay. Actual wages were just under $ 0.34 per day. If a convict escaped, the law provided for a reward of $ 200 for their capture and return. The reward was also automatically deducted from the convict's pay. San Quentin State Prison set up three temporary prison camps to provide unskilled convict labor to help with road construction. The first
20445-408: Was reopened on July 18, 2018, but is subject to closure during heavy storms. On January 29, 2021, the land under the road collapsed into the sea due to heavy storms near Rat Creek 15 miles (24 km) south of Big Sur Village . After 30 days of debris removal and only 56 days of construction, the highway was reopened on April 23, 2021. The highway has been closed more than 55 times by landslides . It
20590-500: Was set up by Little Sur River , one at Kirk Creek and a third was later established in the south at Anderson Creek . Inmates were paid 35 cents per day and had their prison sentences reduced in return. The route necessitated construction of 33 bridges, the largest of which was the Bixby Bridge . Six more concrete arch bridges were built between Point Sur and Carmel. After 18 years of construction, aided by New Deal funds during
20735-480: Was the fifth wettest since 1872. At the Big Sur Maintenance Station, 8.45 inches of rain was recorded in one 24-hour period on December 23. Torrential rains caused flood conditions throughout Monterey County and Highway 1 in Big Sur was closed in numerous locations due to slides. A series of storms in the winter of 1983 caused four major road-closing slides between January and April, including
20880-420: Was the important 19th-century shipping point with the successive wharves that were built. San Simeon Acres, about 4 mi south of the original townsite at the mouth of Pico Creek, and so about halfway between old San Simeon and Cambria , was established in the 1950s. Most of the development at San Simeon Acres was in the 1960s to the 1980s. Many motels and cafes serve visitors to Hearst Castle. San Simeon and
21025-633: Was the site of the February 2015 Oxnard train derailment , which eventually led to one death and 29 injuries. This was the twelfth accident at the crossing in ten years. An overpass has been planned at that site for almost two decades, but funding has not been available in Ventura County for the estimated $ 35 million grade separation project. On July 12, 2023, the Ventura County Transportation Commission and
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