Highway 1 through Big Sur is open! #driveHWY1

Yay! Highway 1 is now open all the way through Big Sur from Carmel to Morro Bay.

Storms and mudslides forced the iconic road to close for nearly 18 months, but Caltrans worked its magic and re-opened the road two months ahead of schedule.

To celebrate, Visit California – in partnership with Caltrans, Monterey County Convention & Visitors Bureau and Visit SLO CAL – hosted a “Dream Drive” shortly after the reopening.

75+ journalists and influencers (including moi) made the 132-mile journey in a convoy of cars made up of one from each year since 1934, when this stretch of Highway 1 initially opened.

The cars came courtesy of enthusiasts, many of whom own expensive and seldom seen  automobiles. I was in the extremely rare Panhard P17 Tigre, owned by Ken Nelson. Don’t worry, I hadn’t heard of it either. Once popular in Europe, its a defunct French brand. Ken tells me he only knows of 2 of tis model that still exist!

A self-proclaimed nutcase (or automobile affectionato) Ken started collecting cars after his dad bought a Citroen when he was a kid. He now has more than 40 vintage cars, and works on them himself.

On our drive we held our breath on the inclines (we made it!), admired the views and stopped a few places along the way including Ventana Big Sur for a fabulous lunch and Hearst Ranch for a bit of wine tasting.

Check out my photos below and also my tips of where to stop along the route and suggestions on where to stay!

So what are you waiting for …. Highway 1 is open!

Watch the video of my drive!

Places to stop along Highway 1 through Big Sur

Point Lobos State Reserve 62 California 1  Carmel, CA 93923 +1 (831) 624-4909 www.pointlobos.org‎ A personal favourite. Check out tide pools, hike through coastal brush (but be careful to avoid poison oak!) It’s not unusual to see migrating whales and their dolphin groupies.

Bixby Creek Bridge CA-1, Monterey, CA 93940 For fabulous photos!

Julia Pfiefer Burns State Park Big Sur, CA 93920 +1 (831) 667-2315 http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=578 Walk out to the McWay waterfall, perhaps the most photographed in Big Sur.

Sand Dollar Beach A long stretch of beach in Big Sur. Very popular for its jade and breathtaking views. 99 steeps staircase down to the beach. Sand Dollar Beach is 25 miles south of Big Sur on Highway One. (Planning on collecting jade? Read this first).

Jade Cove Two miles south of Sand Dollar Beach off Highway 1. Rocky beach with jade. Popular with divers.

Hearst Ranch Winery Tasting Room San Simeon 442 Slo San Simeon Rd, San Simeon, CA 93452 +1 (805) 927-4100 https://hearstranchwinery.com Wine tasting and views of the Pacific. What more could you want?

Places to stay along the way

Treebones Resort 71895 California 1  Big Sur, CA 93920 +1 (805) 927-2390 http://www.treebonesresort.com/

Ventana Big Sur 48123 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920 +1 (831) 667-2331 https://www.ventanabigsur.com Luxury full service resort in heart of Big Sur. They recently opened glampsites for families which look amazing. For an extra fee you can use the resort facilities.

Big Sur Campground & Cabins 47000 CA-1, Big Sur, CA 93920, USA +1 831-667-2322 http://www.bigsurcamp.com/  Super cute cabins on the river, and reasonably priced too.

IF YOU GO:

Planning a vist to California? Your first point of call should be the Visit California website; http://visitcalifornia.co.uk