Page 680 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - USA

678  C ALIFORNIA

u Big Sur

California’s wildest length of coastline was named El Pais
Grande del Sur, “The Big Country to the South,” by Spanish
colonists at Carmel (see p680) in the late 18th century,
and since then, Big Sur has been attracting hyperbole.
The novelist Robert Louis Stevenson called Point Lobos
“the greatest meeting of land and sea in the world,” and the
100 miles (160 km) of breathtaking mountains, cliffs, and
rocky coves still leave visitors groping for adjectives.
The scenic Highway 1 was constructed across this rugged
landscape during the 1930s, but otherwise Big Sur has been Crashing surf and rocky cliffs, typical of the
preserved in its natural state. There are no large towns and Big Sur coastline
very few signs of civilization in the area. Much of the shore
is protected in a series of state parks that offer dense forests,
scenic rivers, and crashing surf, all easily accessible within GARRAPATTA
STATE PARK
a short distance of the road.
Point Lobos
State Reserve
This is the habitat of the
Monterey cypress, the only Little Sur
tree to survive the region’s
mixture of fog and salt Coast Rd
spray. Its branches are
shaped by the strong
sea winds.
Big Sur Big Sur River

Bixby Creek Bridge
This photogenic arched bridge was built
in 1932. For many years it was the world’s
largest single-arch span, at 260 ft
(79 m) tall and 700 ft (213 m) long.
Highway 1 was named the state’s first
scenic highway here in 1966.

KEY
1 Point Sur Lighthouse sits atop
a volcanic cone. It was manned until
1974 but is now automated.
2 Nepenthe is a lovely restaurant
hidden from the road by oak trees.
It has long been frequented by Andrew Molera
Hollywood movie stars. State Park
3 The Esalen Institute was set Opened in 1972,
up in the 1960s to hold New Age this park includes
seminars. Its hot springs were first 10 miles (16 km)
frequented by Native Americans of hiking trails
and still attract visitors. and 2.5 miles
4 San Simeon Point is a natural (4 km) of quiet,
harbor that was used by William sandy beach.
Randolph Hearst to ship in materials
for his estate, Hearst Castle®, located
on the inland hilltop (see pp676–7).

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp710–12 and pp713–15

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