The Big Sur is a stretch of coastline running from the Carmel Valley in the north to the San Antonio Valley in the south. We mention these viticultural areas because we recommend that if you are ever on a wine tasting trip in these AVAs, or nearby as far as Paso Robles or Monterey, you should take some time to see this natural wonder.
Photo courtesy of See Monterey.
Of course, you wouldn’t be able to see if it weren’t for the man-made road, California Highway 1. That stretch offers some of the most stunning coastal vistas in the United States. The view of the Pacific with mountains on one side of the road and sheer cliffs on the other is overwhelming. At each turn of the highway, and there are many, there are vistas that no photograph can do justice to, much less words.
But Power Tasting is about wine tasting, with a monthly recommendation of Places to Visit while on a tasting trip. Big Sur is certainly one of them, but not after visiting any wineries. Highway 1 along the Big Sur has hardly any guardrails, due to the cliffside erosion. Drivers must keep their eyes on the road and not do more than glance at the scenery. Passengers get the most enjoyment, except in looking down those cliffs as they drive by.
Another problem with driving the Big Sur is that there have been some pretty bad landslides. We don’t think there’s too much risk of getting caught in one; the highway authorities take care of preventing cars from entering dangerous zones. But often – most recently in 2024 – landslides have closed large sections of the road to vehicular traffic. So at the present you can go south as far as Esalen and north as far as Lucia, but not in between.
Hearst Castle in San Simeon. Courtesy of California Beaches.
There are a few attractions on or near the Big Sur besides the vistas. The best known of them is Hearst Castle in San Simeon, near the southern extreme. It is the mighty pleasure dome erected by the newspaper publisher William Randoph Hearst. He inspired fear and derision in his time, which ended in 1951. He is best remembered now as the inspiration for the movie Citizen Kane. His mansion is a relic of a lost age of California wealth and folly, preceding the Silicon Valley excesses of our own time. Still, tourists flock to see it.
There is also the village of Big Sur, about 24 miles south of Carmel. In itself, it’s undistinguished. But it’s a place where people can park their cars and enjoy the view without having to drive. There’s access to hiking trails and to beaches. The latter are not really for bathing, being much to rocky. But we understand surfers like to do their thing near there. We once went to a dinner show in nearby Ventana and recommend it if you like amateur theatricals.
The Esalen Institute is along the Big Sur, if you want to have your spirits enlightened. And you can visit a museum dedicated to Henry Miller, if Lady Chatterley is to your taste. But really, the reason to go to the Big Sur is to take in the magnificent views. If you visit California for wine tasting, take a little time off to see Big Sur.