Big
Sur Photos
Fine Art Photography of Big Sur California
Big
Sur California
What is Big Sur
Big Sur is a scenic
area located on the Central Coast of California
between San Simeon and Carmel (Monterey), approximately 300 miles
north of Los Angeles, and 150 miles south of San Francisco. Big Sur
is a place of rugged beauty of grandeur proportions on the edge of
California and the "Western World".
What name Big
Sur mean
The name Big Sur
came from Spanish "El Sur Grande" or "El País
Grande Del Sur" - "The Big South" or "The Big
Country Of The South", that's what locals called this unexplored
wilderness area along the coast South of Monterey, which many would
agree is one of the most beautiful places in the World.
How big is
Big Sur
Surrounded by
Ventana Wilderness area and the three million acres of the Los Padres
National Forest, and accessible only from Highway 1 (Pacific Coast
Highway - PCH), which runs along the spectacular Pacific coast for
over 90 miles, Big Sur is mostly majestic wilderness, with State and
National Parks and a few small villages along the main road.
Highway 1 (PCH)
Declared California's
First Scenic Highway PCH (Highway
1) is being considered "state of art" itself. It started
in 1872 with a wagon road built south from Monterey to Bixby
Creek. Modern highway construction began in 1922 and took over
20 years (the present highway was officially opened in June of 1937),
and was very expensive to build due to extremely difficult area it
goes through.
Pacific Coast
Highway is a World class road, and one of the best maintained, but
still some parts of it get closed sometimes after being washed away
by winter rainstorms. PCH is not the easiest road to drive because
of hundreds of curves that contour the mountain ridges, but it provides
driving experience unsurpassed in natural beauty, grandeur and exhilaration.
What's in Big
Sur
From San Simeon
(Hearst Castle) on the south end, the scenic drive goes climbing up,
above the clouds, and drops down to where the ocean meets the land,
and then up again, with mountains, creeks, waterfalls,
patches of redwood forest
wilderness and ocean beaches all the way to Carmel.
A few very small
towns along Highway 1 with cafes and art galleries, campgrounds and
private houses scattered in the mountains, and the highway itself
is all that exist here of "civilization". The rest is just
majestic wilderness of grand proportions and rugged beauty, work of
elements and powers of Nature.
Big Sur history
At the turn of
the last century Big Sur sustained a booming redwood lumbering industry,
and the first permanent settlers arrived in Big Sur around 1930's.
Some of their descendants still live here, but the whole area population
is smaller today than it was back then, with total number of houses
today being a little over 600.
Big Sur is a place
dearly loved by travelers, philosophers, writers, poets and artists.
Among people who epitomize it in their books, two American literature
icons: Henry Miller and Jack Kerouac, made Big Sur known to a larger
audience. Today this natural marvel attracts thousands of people from
around the World, many of whom visit this place more than once.
National Geographic
magazine named Big Sur as one of the "50 Places of a Lifetime"
in "The World's Greatest Destinations." Big Sur is also
home of the "Best Marathon in North America" and the "Best
Hotel in North America" - Post
Ranch Inn, which also once was named "Best Hotel in the World."
When is the
best time to visit Big Sur
The best time
to visit Big Sur is during the Spring and Fall. Wild flowers and abundant
flora and fauna make Springtime especially attractive, while Autumn
provides gorgeous foliage colors and more contemplative environment.
Coastal fog cools the summer mornings, but it's usually gone by early
afternoon. Winters are mild, and rainy days are mixed with periods
of bright sunshine.
So drive safely
and enjoy this scenic paradise called Big Sur.
