PCH closure

Question

Hello,apologies if this has been mentioned loads recently.

From the UK and like many are keen to do route 1 this summer. Am I right in thinking that a small part is still shut and will be for the foreseeable?

So you would go down as far as possible and then turn back towards Carmel picking up the 101? To get to Santa Barbara?

Apologies for any silly questions in the above!

Cheers

Trevor

Answer

Hi Trevor — good question, and not silly at all. Yes, you’re correct: part of Highway 1 (PCH) in Big Sur is still closed, and that has major implications for your road trip planning. Here’s what the latest is, what it means for traveling the coast, and how you might work around it.

Current Status of the Closure

There’s a ~6.8-mile stretch of Highway 1 (Big Sur coast) that remains closed at a section known as Regent’s Slide, a landslide site. Caltrans estimates the *reopening around March 2026*, though that could change depending on weather and ongoing slide activity.
More than 100 miles of Hwy 1 are still open and accessible, including many iconic Big Sur viewpoints and coastal communities — but you can’t drive the full continuous stretch. The road block is specifically between Esalen (north of closure) and Lucia (south of closure) per Caltrans.
There are overnight closures sometimes — for example, Caltrans has scheduled work at Rocky Creek Bridge, including full closures at night (10 pm–6 am) under certain circumstances.

What This Means for Your Route

You won’t be able to drive coast-to-coast on PCH through Big Sur on the segment that’s closed. For a road trip in summer 2025 or early 2026, you'll need to plan a detour if you're trying to go south beyond the closure.

One common workaround is: drive down the coast from Carmel / Monterey as far as you can on Hwy 1, enjoy the scenic portions, then turn inland onto US 101 to bypass the closure.
From there, you can continue south via 101, which will eventually reconnect you to coastal routes farther down or allow you to head toward your next destination (e.g., San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, etc.).

Tips for Planning Your Trip

Check Caltrans QuickMap (or the Caltrans District 5 site) right before you travel — road conditions can change, and they post the most up-to-date closure or one-way traffic info.
A “down-and-back” drive is totally valid: go as far south as you can on Hwy 1, enjoy the views and pullouts, then turn around and head out via 101. Many people do that because it’s more reliable right now.
If you were planning to connect down to Santa Barbara, the detour via 101 won’t add a *crazy* amount of time compared to the classic PCH route — especially since part of the PCH is currently impassable.
Because of construction / work zones, drive carefully: some parts might be flag-controlled or slower than normal.

Bottom Line

Yes — unfortunately, that iconic stretch of Big Sur is still partly closed. But you can absolutely do a scenic drive: head down as far as permitted, soak in the views, and then use US 101 to continue your journey toward Santa Barbara (or elsewhere). Just plan ahead, check road conditions often, and expect to make a detour.

PCH closure

More Big Sur Travel Questions

The attractions mentioned in this question

Popular Destinations

Popular Travel Questions