Highway 1, Big Sur
- mapped
- 90.3 mi
- mapped
- motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025
- 36
- motorcycle crashes, 2021–2025
- serious or fatal
- 14
- serious or fatal
- fatal
- 4
- fatal
Is Highway 1, Big Sur safe to ride on a motorcycle?
We don't rate roads as safe or unsafe: crash counts can't say how risky a road is, and popular riding roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them. What the records show: 36 motorcycle crashes were reported along its 90.3 mapped miles from 2021–2025, 14 of them serious or fatal (4 fatal). 58% involved no other vehicle. What to watch for: Tourist traffic stopping suddenly for views, RVs crossing the centre line, fog, and closures from landslides. Check Caltrans before you go.
This week's weather
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How riders crash here
58% of crashes here involve only the motorcycle, usually running wide or losing grip in a corner. Enter corners slower, look through the bend, and watch for gravel, sand and diesel.
17% of crashes here involve a car turning left across the rider. Cover your brakes at junctions and driveways, and assume turning drivers haven't seen you.
Places along the way
Common questions about Highway 1, Big Sur
- What is Highway 1, Big Sur like to ride?
- World-famous coastal highway along the cliffs.
- How long is Highway 1, Big Sur?
- About 90.3 miles as mapped in OpenStreetMap, for the stretch we cover.
- Is Highway 1, Big Sur open?
- Check Caltrans QuickMap (quickmap.dot.ca.gov) for closures, chain controls and roadwork before you go. Mountain roads close for snow, rockslides and fire, and some sections close every winter.
Other riding roads nearby
Crashes: motorcycle crashes reported within 60 m of the road, 2021–2025, from the California Crash Reporting System (CCRS). Road: © OpenStreetMap contributors. Weather: National Weather Service. Distances to other roads are between their middles, in a straight line. How the data works.