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 open today?
- One-way traffic control1 Mile North of Point Sur Lighthouse → Point Sur Lighthouse · Slide - Temporary Signal · North / SouthJul 31 – Dec 31 · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlRocky Creek Bridge → Rocky Creek Viaduct · Bridge Work · North / SouthAug 31 – Nov 30 · Caltrans
- Alternating LanesVentana Entrance → Nepenthe (North Entrance) · Bridge Work - Temporary Signal · North / SouthNov 6 – Dec 4 · Caltrans
3 more listings
- One-way traffic controlSycamore Draw Bridge → Torre Canyon Bridge · Emergency Work · NorthSat 6:01 AM – Sat 6:01 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlDolan Point → Rat Creek · Drainage Work · North / SouthSat 6:30 AM – Sat 8:01 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlRat Creek → Dolan Creek Bridge · Drainage Work · North / SouthSat 6:30 AM – Sat 8:01 PM · Caltrans
8 more closures listed later this week
- One-way traffic controlSan Luis Obispo County Line → Stuart Avenue · Shoulder Work · North / SouthMon 8:30 AM – Mon 2:45 PM; Wed 8:30 AM – Wed 2:45 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlSilver Spur Creek → Stuart Avenue · Shoulder Work · North / SouthTue 8:30 AM – Tue 2:45 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlSpindrift Road (North) → Highland Drive · Utility Work · North / SouthTue 9:01 AM – Tue 3:01 PM; Wed 9:01 AM – Wed 3:01 PM · Caltrans
5 more listings
- One-way traffic controlRagged Point Viaduct → Monterey County Line · Tree Work · North / SouthTue 9:01 AM – Tue 1:01 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlSan Carpoforo Creek Bridge → Arroyo Del La Cruz · Tree Work · North / SouthTue 11:01 AM – Tue 2:59 PM · Caltrans
- Full closureSycamore Draw Bridge → Torre Canyon Bridge · Emergency Work · North / SouthWed 8:01 AM – Wed 12:01 PM; Wed 1:01 PM – Wed 5:01 PM; Thu 8:01 AM – Thu 12:01 PM; Thu 1:01 PM – Thu 5:01 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlSalmon Creek → Soda Springs · Shoulder Work · North / SouthThu 8:30 AM – Thu 2:45 PM · Caltrans
- One-way traffic controlSalmon Creek Ranger Station → Soda Springs · Shoulder Work · North / SouthFri 8:30 AM – Fri 2:45 PM · Caltrans
Checked Sat, Nov 14, 2:28 PM Pacific. These lists don't include every closure: Forest Service gates and fire closures can be missing. All riding roads this week.
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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Motorcycle crashes and deaths on Highway 1, Big Sur
36 motorcycle crashes were reported within 60 m of the road from 2021–2025: 14 killed or seriously injured someone, and 4 were fatal. 58% involved no other vehicle. Busier roads have more crashes partly because more people ride them, so these counts don't say how risky the road is.
Bends, straights and junctions
Outside city limits, 37 motorcycle crashes were reported on Highway 1, Big Sur from 2021–2026, 8 of them within 40 m of a junction. Of the other 29, 16 (55%) were in bends tighter than a 100 m radius, which make up 30% of the road. So crashes gather in the bends, more than their share of the road. 13 of the 22 crashes with no other vehicle were in bends.
A crash alone in a bend usually means running wide or losing grip: set your speed before the bend, look through it, and expect gravel, sand or diesel mid-corner.
How we tell bends from straights, and every riding road compared
How riders crash here
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
Camping near Highway 1, Big Sur
Campgrounds and RV parks within about 5 miles of the road (straight line), nearest first. Seasons, fire restrictions and closures change, so check with whoever runs it before you go.
- Free Camping. Sunset - Sunrise262 ft · on the roadOn the map
- Hike & Bike. Plaskett Creek Campground181 ft · on the roadOn the map
- Riverside Campground & Cabins131 ft · on the roadOn the mapWebsite
- Kirk Creek CampgroundForest Service · 32 sites · 142 ft · 0.1 mi from the road · toilets, feeOn the mapReserve
- Plaskett Creek Group Campground227 ft · 0.1 mi from the roadOn the map
- Limekiln State Park Campground100 ft · 0.1 mi from the road · feeOn the map
Campgrounds from Recreation.gov (federal campgrounds, 2026-10-18) and OpenStreetMap (2026-09-28); water, toilets and showers only where they're listed. Elevation from USGS.
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 today?
- As of Sat, Nov 14, 2:28 PM Pacific, Caltrans lists 6 closures on it today. These lists don't include every closure (Forest Service gates and fire closures can be missing), so check Caltrans QuickMap before you go.
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.