Beat Generation legends kooky Big Sur cabin on jaw-dropping coastal plot hits market

A secluded slice of Big Sur paradise tucked beneath one of California’s most photographed landmarks has hit the market for $2 million.The 2.61-acre property, hidden inside a gated enclave in Bixby Canyon next to the iconic Bixby Bridge, was once owned by famed poet and painter Lawrence Ferlinghetti.“The property includes a cleared building site, new well with source-capacity review for future residential use, existing cabin, meditation hut and historic trout ponds… A rare feature is access to a private residents-only pathway following Bixby Creek to the shoreline beneath Bixby Bridge,” the listing states.Current owner Lorenzo Ferlinghetti, the son of Lawrence Ferlinghetti, said the property’s biggest draw is its untouched natural beauty.“What I love most about this place is the abundance of quail, the many kinds of songbirds and the wonderful songs they sing, the soothing sound of the creek, and the clear, clean freshwater that flows year-round where trout and steelhead flourish,” he said.He also praised the “incredible” views of Bixby Mountain and the private walk to the beach beneath the famous bridge.The seller has already completed preliminary “due diligence toward residential use,” including “geotechnical/percolation investigation, septic planning and residence concepts,” but anyone dreaming of building a home on the property should be prepared for a costly and lengthy approval process.That’s because development in Big Sur is governed by Monterey County’s Local Coastal Program, widely regarded as one of the nation’s toughest sets of coastal development rules.Its previous owner, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, was one of America’s defining literary voices before he died at the age of 101 in 2021.Ferlinghetti became famous for his publication of Allen Ginsberg’s poem “Howl and Other Poems” in 1956, which led to his arrest and a landmark legal trial that established crucial First Amendment protections for literary free speech.

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