The 110 miles of California coastline that make up the unincorporated area of Big Sur has a storied, almost mystical allure thanks to its stunning beauty. Home to redwood forests, stunning Pacific Ocean views, winding rivers, and natural hot springs, this region has attracted celebrities, artists, and millions of tourists for decades. In fact, the number of visitors is so high that Kirk Gaffir, president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, recently estimated that 90 percent of the local economy relies on tourism.
But getting there, and living there, is becoming increasingly difficult.
Big Sur’s main thoroughfare is Highway 1, a scenic two-lane road built from 1919 to 1937 as part of a statewide effort to make California’s coastline a driveable tourist attraction. Over the past two years, the region has been hit by fires, severe winter storms and landslides that have cut off communities, sometimes for months at a time. In March, part of the road collapsed into the sea, restricting residents’ car access for just two months. Another debilitating landslide occurred in February, and the southern part of the coast continues to be cut off. Last month, work to remove debris from roads in the area was halted indefinitely. That section of the road won’t reopen until 2025 at the earliest, according to the California Department of Transportation, also known as Caltrans.
“This is probably one of the toughest places on the coast south of I-48 to keep roads open,” said Jonathan Warrick, a Santa Cruz-based research geologist with the U.S. Geological Survey.
There is no getting away from the fact that the coast is collapsing into the sea. While these issues are not new to the region, Big Sur’s geological makeup has made landslides inevitable since Highway 1 cut into the Santa Lucia Mountains, but their frequency and road closures have increased. It’s been a tough few years depending on the severity of the situation. Like other popular tourist destinations around the world, from Venice to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, that are grappling with the effects of climate change, Big Sur is struggling to maintain the tourism industry that local communities rely on economically. We face the challenge of limiting the effects of climate change. Millions of visitors visit the region’s fragile environment.
There is an urgent need for both locals and visitors to do something to preserve what is here and find a way to coexist with this awe-inspiring landscape. This is especially difficult due to the region’s unique geography, lack of a single governing body, and a growing housing crisis that threatens to further reduce Big Sur’s full-time population.
A much-loved region?
“People come from all over the world to drive Highway 1, from San Francisco to Los Angeles, or from Los Angeles to San Francisco,” said Rob O’Keefe, president and CEO of Sea Monterey Tourism. “Big Sur is like our Eiffel Tower.”
This interest was linked to the problem of overtourism even before climate change led to an increase in extreme weather events and fires in the region. The exact number of visitors to Big Sur each year is difficult to calculate. Unlike national parks, there are no monitored entrances. But according to Sea Monterey, Monterey County receives 4 to 5 million visitors a year, many of whom visit Big Sur in particular. By contrast, the number of permanent residents is closer to 1,500, according to the most recent U.S. Census.
This phenomenon often occurs at the Bixby Creek Bridge, a graceful concrete arch spanning 80 meters. The bridge is a popular tourist spot, famous for its beauty and appearances in pop culture favorites such as the HBO series “Big Little Lies,” but it is often flooded with tourists. There are heavy traffic jams, illegal parking, and people taking selfies. It was a frustrating situation for visitors and residents alike. Crowds also quickly overwhelm the roads and landscape at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and Soberanes Point in Garrapata State Park.
This has proven to be frustrating for residents who rely on Highway 1 to commute to work, take their children to and from school, and simply live in the area.
“By and large, Highway 1 is the only playground in town,” said Kevin Drabinski, a spokesman for Caltrans District 5, which serves the Big Sur area.
These frustrations are compounded by the sheer difficulty of living in Big Sur these days. Many residents have been priced out, and renting a 300-square-foot studio can cost $6,700 a month, forcing many local workers to commute 30 to 45 miles away. Of course, road closures and traffic jams make the drive even more complicated.
Kate Daniels, the incoming supervisor of Monterey County District 5, which includes Big Sur, Carmel-by-the-Sea and Monterey, has suggested that more housing for people working in Big Sur would help alleviate transportation problems. If the number of people decreases, there will also be fewer cars) on the expressway). It is also essential for maintaining the character of a place.
“Our economy relies on tourism and visitation,” Daniels said. “If the people who support the tourism industry can no longer afford to live here, the tourism industry will no longer be viable.”
Uneven tourism recovery
Tourism in the county has yet to fully recover from the pandemic, according to Sea Monterey data. Monterey County tourist spending was $3 billion in 2023, compared to $3.2 billion in 2019. Part of that has to do with the region’s slow recovery in tourism. international tourists (about half of pre-pandemic numbers); Driving along Highway 1 is a big attraction. This is continually exacerbated by road closures.
Visitor numbers this summer were about 10 percent lower than in 2023, said Gafil, president of the Chamber of Commerce and one of the owners of the clifftop restaurant Nepenthe, which opened in 1949.
Uncertainty in road conditions also led to cancellations.
John Handy is the owner of Treebones Resort, a glamping property with accommodations such as yurts, cabins and man caves. It is also located in the southern part of Big Sur and was cut off from the community by another landslide in January 2023. At the height of the summer season, Treebones was about 60% full.
“That sounds pretty good, but normally we would be 100% full this time of year,” Handy said in late July. “It adds up.”
While landslides and road closures are nothing new, the frequency of the problems in recent years, starting with the devastating wildfires of 2016, feels unprecedented, Ghafir said.
Additionally, landslides could become more frequent as a product of climate change, with increased risk of wildfires in dry years and more intense and concentrated rainfall in wet years, Warwick said. said.
“These beautiful landscapes are also very active landscapes,” he said. “They’re dynamic. And that means they can pose a danger.”
Efforts to preserve the region’s wild beauty are a key part of the Big Sur Land Use Plan, enacted in 1986, which is as close to a governing document as any unincorporated area. In addition to placing strict limits on development, the plan aims to protect what are considered “viewpoints” in the area. Simply put, if it’s visible from the road, you can’t build it. The LUP is currently being updated for the first time since 1986 to take into account new tourism developments such as glamping, as well as pressures on the community such as housing shortages, wildfire issues and lack of traffic on Highway 1. The revised LUP is expected to be submitted to the Monterey County Planning Commission this fall or winter.
“It’s very important that we preserve and protect this landscape, otherwise we won’t have economic sustainability,” Daniels said.
This challenge is especially acute because of the unique patchwork of organizations that make up Big Sur. This land is under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service, California State Parks, and private landowners. Highway 1 itself is overseen by Caltrans.
Some of these organizations have begun their own attempts to manage visitation issues, or at least publicize their proposals. Big Sur’s Sustainable Destination Management Plan was led by the nonprofit Big Sur Community Association, developed in collaboration with sustainable travel consulting firm Beyond Green Travel and a steering committee of community members, and completed in 2020. I did. A coastal zone visitor use management strategy led by the U.S. Forest Service was completed earlier this year.
Local authorities have taken other measures in response to community complaints. An ordinance passed by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors in September went into effect prohibiting parking on Old Coast Road, which branches off at the Bixby Bridge.
But Highway 1 presents particularly unique management challenges. There is no real way to control the flow of traffic through the area.
“There seems to be a cycle from time to time where people propose turning Highway 1 into a toll road,” Daniels said. “That’s not going to happen. That’s not compatible with state law.”
What could happen, she said, is the reinstatement of the area’s now-defunct public transportation, which was abolished in 2020, or the establishment of a shuttle service. But ultimately, there is no way to strictly limit the number of visitors to a coastline.
“It’s like Henry Miller said, ‘Everyone wants to be the last invader,'” says Magnus, director of the Henry Miller Memorial Library, a bookstore and event space tucked away in the redwoods. Toren said, citing a passage from Miller’s book, “Big.” Orange by Soule and Hieronymus Bosch. ” “When we get to the other side of the drawbridge, we all want to pull it up.”
The proposed changes return to the issue of enforcement. On Highway 1, only one California Highway Patrol trooper typically patrols 110 miles of coastline at a time. In addition to responding to landslides, Caltrans is constantly working on highway maintenance. And no matter what happens in the future, and it’s more or less a given that the land here keeps moving, the priority is to keep the highways open.
“My hope is that everyone involved here is proud to be a part of this special place,” Toren said. “And that pride is expressed by embracing the idea that this place is worthy of strength, protection, and restoration.”
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