Latest Big Sur Stories

BIG SUR, Calif., April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Spring means renewal, and where better to spike the senses than Big Sur, TripAdvisor's® #7 Best U.S. Destination (Traveler's Choice, 2010) sporting 90 miles of iconic outback from Carmel to San Luis Obispo. Just in time for tourism season, Scenic Highway 1 is scheduled to officially reopened April 21, 2011 following a March 16, 2011 slide and road closure south of Carmel. Top stops from Point Sur Lighthouse Station to Nepenthe...

Scenic Highway 1 Southbound to Big Sur Set to Reopen Soon MONTEREY, Calif., April 12, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Spring spells renewal in Monterey County, with its potent mix of fresh ocean breezes, prime Pacific sunsets and crisp snap of Monterey pine to jump-start the senses. Verdant and visual, this region also boasts the top trekking for wild flower enthusiasts with 25 state and national parks, including the newest edition -- Fort Ord Dunes State Park. Add a wealth of cultural...

-California's State Scenic Highway 1 Links the Dots to Deals and Thrills This Winter- MONTEREY COUNTY, Calif., Jan. 25 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- February 3rd, Big Sur's Bixby Creek Bridge will star on the U.S. Postal Service's new Express Mail stamp - an honor for the 78-year old landmark that transformed tourism by paving the way to this remote wilderness best known for harboring authors and artists. This architectural marvel, one of the top ten highest single-span bridges in the world...

By The Monterey County Herald, Calif. Jul. 20--The Basin Complex Fire grew by 3,400 acres Saturday, but most of the action was firefighters setting controlled burns. There were no major developments in the fire that has charred 133,709 acres from Big Sur to Arroyo Seco in the past month, a fire spokesman said. Backfires were being used to improve fire lines, and the work was going well, he said. The fire has burned 27 homes and 34 outbuildings. Costs of fighting the blaze reached $59...

By Daniel Lopez, The Monterey County Herald, Calif. Jul. 18--The Ventana Wildlife Society has established an emergency fund to help rebuild its condor sanctuary damaged by the Basin Complex Fire. Kelly Sorenson, the society's executive director, said the plan is for cleanup efforts to begin Tuesday at its facility in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. "We are gearing up for it," he said. Among the needed repair work is rebuilding breeding pens destroyed when...

By Lisa M. Krieger, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Jul. 18--Two rare California condor chicks have survived the Big Sur-based Basin Complex fire, enduring dense smoke but untouched by flames. "We're ecstatic," said Kelly Sorenson of Ventana Wildlife Society, which monitors each bird along the vast central coast. "We're so incredibly relieved that two chicks survived." The fate of the third remains unknown. Unlike the two survivors, who lived in coastal nests, the nest of the third chick was...

By The Associated Press SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) - A large wildfire in a national forest spread farther away from the storied coastal town of Big Sur on Monday but forced residents of another community to stay away from their homes for a third day. Evacuation orders first issued Saturday morning remained in place for more than 200 homes in the rural Cachagua community northeast of Big Sur. The blaze, which already has charred 187 square miles and destroyed 27 homes, was about 1 1/2 miles from...

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- A large wildfire in a national forest spread farther away from the storied coastal town of Big Sur on Monday but forced residents of another community to stay away from their homes for a third day. Evacuation orders first issued Saturday morning remained in place for more than 200 homes in the rural Cachagua community northeast of Big Sur. The blaze, which already has charred 187 square miles and destroyed 27 homes, was about 1 1/2 miles from the area, according to the...

By Joshua Molina, San Jose Mercury News, Calif. Jul. 14--Fire, rain and mudslides ravaged parts of the state on Sunday, but firefighters kept the upper hand in battling hundreds of big and small blazes still burning in California. The Basin Complex fire near Big Sur was 61 percent contained, and the California Highway Patrol opened Highway 1 on Sunday morning after weeks of closure, delighting restaurateurs, store owners and innkeepers. "We are happy as hell about it," said Herb...

By Laura Bly Even as more than 300 uncontained wildfires burn across Northern and Central California and a storied stretch of the Big Sur coast probably will stay off-limits to visitors through early next week, the state's tourism industry is scrambling to reassure vacationers that most hotels, attractions and campgrounds are open and unaffected. About 1,700 wildfires have scorched more than 1,000 square miles and nearly 100 homes in the state since a lightning storm struck more than two...