What travelers need to know about Highway 1 through Big Sur right now
Highway 1 reopened through Big Sur on September 14, but two wildfires still burning nearby have closed several state parks indefinitely.
Highway 1 reopened along the Big Sur coast at 6 a.m. on Monday, September 14, allowing drivers to travel directly between Cambria and Carmel for the first time in weeks, according to KSBY News. The road had been closed in sections since late August because of the Timber Fire and the Plaskett Fire, two wildfires burning in the Los Padres National Forest that together have burned more than 55,000 acres of Monterey County, per KSBY.
The highway's reopening does not mean Big Sur is back to normal. Several state parks along the route remain closed, evacuation orders and warnings are still active in parts of Monterey County, and both fires are still burning as crews work toward full containment. Here is what to know before heading down the coast this fall.
How the closures started
The Timber Fire ignited on August 8 at about 8:35 p.m. southeast of Loma Vista in the Los Padres National Forest, according to Cal Fire. Its cause remains under investigation. As of a Cal Fire update posted at 6:29 a.m. on September 14, the fire had burned 25,426 acres and was 39% contained.
The Plaskett Fire started separately on August 26 at about 11:01 a.m. near Forest Road 23S10, east of Los Burros Road in the Plaskett area of the national forest, also in Monterey County, per Cal Fire. Its cause is likewise under investigation. Cal Fire's September 14 update, posted at 8:57 a.m., put the Plaskett Fire at 29,961 acres and 89% contained.
The two fires forced Caltrans to close Highway 1 in separate stretches as they grew. Cal Fire's incident page for the Timber Fire describes a closure from mile marker 56, south of the Little Sur River, to mile marker 45, south of Big Sur. The Plaskett Fire's incident page describes a separate stretch closed from mile marker 19, at Kirk Creek Campground, to mile marker 11.1, at Los Burros Road. A California Backroads travel-update page tracking the closures reported different, shifting boundaries over time, including an extension of the southern closure down to the San Luis Obispo county line by early September — a sign that the exact closure points moved as the fires spread and containment lines changed.
Highway 1 is open, but stay alert
KSBY reported the full reopening Monday morning and noted that evacuation warnings in San Luis Obispo County had already been lifted the previous week as crews gained ground. Combined containment on the two fires, calculated from Cal Fire's acreage and containment figures for each, works out to above 60%. The station advised drivers to expect ongoing fire operations and emergency vehicles along the route.
Even with the highway open, official information hasn't fully caught up everywhere. As of a September 10 update, California State Parks' page for Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park still listed Highway 1 as closed "from San Luis Obispo County line to north of Sand Dollar Day Use" — a stretch that Cal Fire's more recent incident pages describe as reopened. Travelers should treat state agency pages, Cal Fire incident pages and Caltrans' QuickMap as sources that can fall out of sync during an active fire, and check more than one before setting out.
Which Big Sur parks are still closed
Highway 1 reopening doesn't mean every stop along it is open. California State Parks closed Point Sur State Historic Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park because of the Timber Fire, an order first announced on August 26 when the fire stood at about 17,800 acres and 23% contained.
As of a September 10 update to the Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park page, the park remained "closed until further notice," and all backcountry trails east of Highway 1 were described as closed indefinitely "due to the ongoing fires and repair work." Camping at the park is unavailable while it stays closed, though reservations for other dates can still be made through ReserveCalifornia up to six months in advance.
Not everything nearby is shut. The same update noted that day-use areas, restrooms and the Partington Cove trail at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park and at Limekiln State Park were open. Federal campgrounds in the fire zone, including Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek in the Los Padres National Forest, were also affected by the closures, according to Afar.
“Highway 1 reopening doesn't mean every stop along it is open.”
Evacuation orders and warnings
Parts of Monterey County remain under evacuation orders or warnings even with the highway reopened. Cal Fire's September 14 Timber Fire update listed 13 zones under an evacuation order — meaning, in Cal Fire's language, an "immediate threat to life" and a lawful order to leave — and 26 additional zones under an evacuation warning for a "potential threat to life and/or property."
The Plaskett Fire's zones were fewer: seven under order, including zones labeled FHL-G011, FHL-G012-B, FHL-G014, MRY-G016, FHL-G017, FHL-G018 and FHL-G023, and four under warning, per Cal Fire's Plaskett Fire page. Residents and travelers with property in the area should confirm current zone status directly with Monterey County emergency-notification channels rather than relying on the fire perimeter alone.
Planning a fall trip down the coast
For anyone planning a Big Sur trip this fall, the practical advice from official sources is consistent: check road conditions the morning of travel, not the week before. Caltrans' road-conditions map — what Afar calls Caltrans QuickMap — is a tool California State Parks also points travelers to for real-time closure information, and conditions on a highway this exposed to slides, fire and weather can change with little notice.
Because state park pages, Cal Fire incident reports and news updates aren't always posted on the same schedule, cross-checking more than one source is worth the extra few minutes before a drive. Travelers headed to specific businesses along the route should call ahead, since operating status for smaller restaurants, inns and shops isn't tracked on state or Cal Fire pages at all. For anyone who can't confirm a park or trail is open, Highway 101 remains the inland alternative for through-travel between the Monterey Peninsula and San Luis Obispo County.
