With Highway 1 open, Big Sur braces for its busiest summer in years

On a 75-mile cliff-hugging stretch of highway in California, traffic is way up, despite soaring gas prices.And locals expect the busiest summer in years.The road is Highway 1 in Big Sur, which reopened in January after three years of repair and reconstruction following a pair of landslides.

Drivers can once again embark on the state’s most famous road trip, covering the 100 miles between Cambria to the south and Carmel to the north without leaving the two-lane coastal highway.And they’re heading out in big numbers.

Caltrans estimates that as of May, Big Sur restaurant and retailer guest counts are up 40% from last year, and that northbound traffic at Ragged Point, the southern gateway to Big Sur, has risen 900% year-over-year.“Take your time,” said Kirk Gafill, co-owner of the popular Nepenthe restaurant and president of the Big Sur Chamber of Commerce, offering advice to travelers.

“You’re going to be sharing the road with a number of people.” As travelers rediscover the road, the cost of driving has been shooting skyward.California’s average gas price ($6.11 per gallon as of May 26) is up 26% from the year before.

In early April, rates hit $9.99 at the isolated gas station in the Big Sur community of Gorda.For spring and summer travelers, these numbers would seem to pose a stark question: Stay home and save money, or head for the coast because the road is finally open and it’s still cheaper than flying? So far, the latter answer is winning big.“We are definitely seeing a huge uptick in our reservations,” said Megan Handy, assistant general manager at the upscale Treebones resort.She estimated that bookings are 30% or more ahead of last year, and rates are unchanged since then.

But “it’s still not feeling super crowded, which is nice.Everything still feels kind of calm.”But added traffic has raised some anxiety.

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