Road Spotlight: Big Sur's First Autumn With Highway 1 Open End to End

For most of the last three years, Highway 1 through Big Sur could not be driven from end to end. This autumn it can. The summer crowds have thinned, and the winter storms that usually bring the slides have not yet set in, which makes the next few weeks a good window for the full run from Carmel to Cambria.

Open again since January

Two landslides kept the road apart. Paul’s Slide closed the highway from January 2023 to June 2024, and Regent’s Slide, six miles to the north, came down on 9 February 2024. According to Caltrans, Highway 1 reopened at Regent’s Slide at noon on 14 January 2026, about ten weeks ahead of the March target. Crews drilled and grouted more than 4,600 steel dowels, some up to 60 feet long, into the slope to hold it in place.

That reopening restored uninterrupted travel between Carmel and Cambria for the first time in almost three years.

Why November

The road is busiest from spring to early autumn, and the northern third, from Carmel to Big Sur village, can be slow behind hire cars and motorhomes. By November traffic is lighter, especially midweek, and the morning fog that hangs over the coast in summer is less persistent.

The trade-off is daylight. The clocks went back in the United States on 1 November, and the sun now sets around five o’clock. The full route takes about three hours without stops, so start from Carmel in the morning, and plan to be off the southern section, where it is tightest and most exposed, before dark.

Closures still happen

Caltrans was clear when it reopened the road that there would be occasional full closures to clear debris after bad weather, at Regent’s Slide and elsewhere, as well as delays from ongoing construction. Planned work also goes on: in October, Caltrans closed the road overnight just north of Nepenthe to repair a drainage structure.

A closure in the middle of Big Sur means a long inland detour, so check QuickMap on the morning you set out, and again after any heavy rain.

Before you go

Fuel is scarce and expensive between Carmel and Cambria, so fill up before you leave, and expect no mobile signal for long stretches. The pull-outs are on the ocean side, so southbound is the easier direction for stopping. This is a road for touring rather than pace: the bends are blind, the drops are long and the limits are low.

If you have a second day, the Angeles Crest Highway is a few hours south. Our road trip preparation guide covers what to check on the car before a long drive.