Big Sur braces for its busiest summer in years

With Highway 1 reopened in January after three years of repairs following landslides, Big Sur is seeing a sharp surge in visitors. Caltrans data show guest counts at restaurants and retailers up 40% since last year, while northbound traffic at Ragged Point has

On a 75-mile stretch of cliff-hugging Highway 1 in California, Big Sur has been waiting for the road to come back. It’s open again now, and the traffic tells the story—more cars, more reservations, more photos—and, for locals, a summer that feels like both relief and risk.

The highway reopened in January after three years of repair and reconstruction following a pair of landslides. Drivers can once again take the state’s most famous road trip without leaving the two-lane coastal route. covering the roughly 100 miles between Cambria to the south and Carmel to the north.

They’re coming in numbers that surprised even people who live with the road’s long history of interruptions. Caltrans estimates that as of May, Big Sur restaurant and retailer guest counts are up 40% from last year. At the same time, northbound traffic at Ragged Point—the southern gateway to Big Sur—has risen 900% year-over-year.

Caltrans’ figures arrive as California’s cost of driving keeps climbing. The state’s average gas price is $6.11 per gallon as of May 26, up 26% from the year before. In early April, rates reached $9.99 at the isolated gas station in the Big Sur community of Gorda.

For travelers considering the tradeoff—spend more to travel by road or stay put and save money—the answer so far has been clear: the road is winning. Kirk Gafill. co-owner of the popular Nepenthe restaurant and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce. summed up the mood with a simple warning to visitors: “Take your time.” Then he added the quieter truth beneath it. “You’re going to be sharing the road with a number of people.”.

Megan Handy, assistant general manager at the upscale Treebones resort, said the pickup shows up in reservations. She estimated that bookings are 30% or more ahead of last year, and that rates have remained unchanged since then. Still, she said it isn’t the kind of chaos people fear when crowds return. “It’s still not feeling super crowded, which is nice. Everything still feels kind of calm.”.

But the increase has brought a different kind of worry—where to park, how to keep people safe, and how to manage the places that draw visitors the most.

On May 19. Monterey County’s Board of Supervisors voted to explore a 12-month ban on parking around Bixby Bridge. one of the region’s top photo spots. Over the years, cars parking near the bridge—often illegally, sometimes blocking emergency vehicles—have become a growing problem. The parking moratorium would not take effect until the supervisors discuss it further.

Even if Big Sur isn’t yet “super crowded,” business owners are feeling the pressure that comes when demand returns quickly.

Handy said one of the biggest challenges at Treebones is “Restaffing and retaining.” At Nepenthe. Gafill said his business has seen a 45% boost in guest volume since the road reopened—more than he would have expected. He said he would have anticipated a 35% pickup “simply by virtue of reopening the highway. ” and that the added 10% likely reflects “all that pent-up demand. ” supported by “a very beautiful and very dry winter. ” followed by a mild spring.

There’s another reason the mood stays cautious: nobody knows how long Highway 1 will remain open.

Gafill said the response inside local businesses is immediate and practical. “Everybody is trying to recruit and retain their existing staff.” At the Ragged Point Inn. rates that had dropped as low as $149 nightly last fall have risen back over $200. Staff there are advising customers to book at least six months ahead.

The inn has reopened its snack bar for the first time since early 2023. and management is investing in capital upgrades and staging live music on weekends throughout the summer. Diane Ramey. whose family owns the inn. said. “Business “is up over 100%.” She added that the benefit isn’t evenly distributed across the community. but the direction is shared: “I know not all of our neighbors are having the same lift. but everybody is doing better.”.

Even places built around quiet rhythms are being pulled by the same reopening wave. At the New Camaldoli Hermitage, a Benedictine monastery above Lucia, bookings are up an estimated 30%. The hermitage rents rooms and cottages for visitors who agree to its requirement of silence. and in a season driven by open roads and delayed travel. that strict promise appears to be drawing people back.

Big Sur business owners say visitors can make the trip smoother by adjusting when they travel—heading out on weekdays for less traffic and better hotel rates, and getting on the road as early as possible.

Those recommendations land on a landscape defined by instability. Since its opening in 1937. Highway 1 has been vulnerable to landslides and shifting ground. cycling through closures. repairs. reopenings. and sometimes fires. The U.S. Geological Survey has identified the Big Sur coastline as one of the most landslide-prone areas in the western United States. The 2023–2026 closure was the longest in the highway’s history.

In recent repair efforts. Caltrans said it used drones to help survey the slopes and deployed remotely operated bulldozers and excavators to reduce risks to workers. During the closure. no traffic was allowed on a 6.8-mile span from just north of Lucia until about a mile south of the Esalen Institute. Drivers detoured inland by way of U.S. 101.

Now the road is open again, and the summer surge is the clearest sign. Still, Big Sur’s businesses are operating with one eye on the horizon, ready for whatever the next piece of ground—or weather—may bring.

Big Sur Highway 1 Caltrans landslides Ragged Point Bixby Bridge parking ban gas prices Monterey County tourism