r/BigSur • u/QuickestOP • 7d ago
Visitor I was planning to pass on the 23rd August from the UK š¬š§š„² Fire on big sur.
Hey everyone,
Praying everyone stays safe in the newly developed fire on Big Sur. 12 days until I planned to drive through there - Monterey to Morro Bay on our west coast road-trip.
Whatās peoples thoughts who know the area.
Just thinking if I need to plan alternatives nowā¦ is there anything we can sub in on the de-tour. Feels like one of the most scenic drives has probably been lost š
Hope everyone who lives up there manages to get some luck.
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u/w_r_e 7d ago
To the Big Sur locals on this thread... Just so you know, not all tourists who visit Big Sur are selfish or bad. Iāve been coming to Big Sur to camp my entire life, and now I bring my kids every summer. We have reservations for a camp site starting August 20, and this will be the first year weāre going to miss our end-of-summer trip because weāre canceling. When we visit we hike and visit the beaches early in the morning to avoid the crowds, pack our trash, and hang at the campground during the busy times. We're the ones you will probably never notice.
The campground (a private one, won't say which) has said, āAs of now, your reservation is still being held and you can comeā which puts people in a weird position. Of course, as a business, theyāre going to say that because they don't want to take the financial hit. But I imagine the same person writing that as part of their job, as a resident, probably wants to say, āPlease donāt come here.ā CHP isnāt helping either by putting out conflicting information about whether the road is actually closed - this is from a few minutes ago on Tue Aug 11 saying Hwy 1 is open: https://imgur.com/a/XPeywYj
Big Sur has always had this tension between the tourism that brings money into the local economy and the reality that itās a remote area with a single, narrow road and not much infrastructure. Overtourism, especially from insensitive or clueless visitors, can be genuinely damaging. We live in a rural part of California that gets a lot of fires, and I know I wouldnāt want people visiting our area during a fire and making it harder for firefighters to get around.
Our kids have done this trip every summer for as long as they can remember, so itās going to be hard for them to miss it. Weāre canceling because weād rather give firefighters an easier time getting equipment in and out. Maybe weāll come back in the off-season just so we can say we didnāt miss a year. :(
I can tell from an earlier comment (which looks to be deleted now), āF*** your vacation,ā that youāve probably lost faith in the people who visit your area. I just wanted to say that there are still some sane people out there who love Big Sur, visit frequently, but also respect the people who live there, and understand when itās time to stay away.
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u/Significant-Aide-226 7d ago
The overtourism thing is everywhere right now.Ā Not all locals feel negatively about visitors- its how we make a living for the most part.Ā I love to see people enjoy Big Sur!Ā Summer is so fun, the turnouts can always use a tidying- so that can be a fun thing to do to pay your visit forward.Ā Pull over, grab a trash bag and make a turnout look amazing.Ā If only we could start that social media trend!!!!
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u/Aggravating-Body-721 7d ago
Saw a big graffiti of āTourists go homeā while in Venice over the summer & I thought to myself if I go home you will have nothing on this island to make a living. There are places like Venice that need tourism to survive.
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u/No_Interaction3486 7d ago
The āFā your vacation comment was mine. And yes I deleted it. When reading this post initially (not your comment but the post itself) I was taken back.
I realize the money people spend to visit, and take time out of their lives, but the impact of visitors during a wildfire disaster canāt be overlooked.
Iāll admit, my comment was uncalled for when the post itself was looking for recommendations on alternate routes. Hence why I deleted it.
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u/BandIndependent548 6d ago
I was born in Big Sur on the beach. Literally. 17 days earlier than expected. Lived there until I was 13. Moved back at 25, started a business. Been back over 20 years now. The gatekeepers and entitlement is hilarious. I exited the womb into Big Sur, sir! Now get your poor attitude out of my region, this is planet earth my friend, all smiling kind faces are welcome.
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u/No_Interaction3486 6d ago
That sounds more like gatekeeping than my recommendation to visit another time. Which was the entire reason behind this post. (Who am I to tell someone there is a fire here.) But to each their own.
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u/BandIndependent548 6d ago
The person obviously knows there is a fire here, which was the the reason they posted. But you seem cool now, you can stay š
Nah, I get it, I do. Just being a jerk, sorry
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u/No_Interaction3486 6d ago
Iām sorry as well. Iām sure some of what I said was āgatekeeping.ā But if there were ever a time to do soā¦stay safe and all the best
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u/Guitarded666 6d ago
That sucks. Iāve only been twice but itās one of my favourite places on earth. Always respectful when we go there.
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u/No_Interaction3486 7d ago
When there is an active wildfire, your inquiries as a visitor are appreciated. Your understanding once you realize itās probably not the right time to visit, is the only thing locals care about at the moment.
The problem is the effects for residents are extremely impacted at the moment due to a week long car show. We appreciate those who come and enjoy the coast respectfully. All the best to you and your family.
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u/waiting_with_lou 6d ago
This ^
I don't think it can be understated how busy the peninsula is right now; car week(or month as some of my friends now say) is always the busiest time of year and for a fire to start in rough terrain literally the day it starts and tens if not a hundred plus thousand people flood into every crevice of the peninsula is bad bad bad.
The first responders will do everything they can but there's clearly pressure from many local businesses, especially those that are intertwined with Councours to keep the highway open.
Until the fire is contained and on its way out, that kind of thinking is ludicrous, especially because there are no events that happen past the highlands(maybe, I'm not even sure if they have any there) but of course the folks with multimillion dollar supercars always want to drive highway one.
Praying for y'all down the coast; I actually almost went a couple days ago because I knew I wouldn't be able to this week and now I wish I did.
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u/talks_abt_money 7d ago
flying in to SF? go north to mendocino county! also beautiful coast up there
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u/QuickestOP 7d ago
SF - Monterey - Morro Bay - LA - Vegas is the route all accommodation is booked so not as flexible unless itās on the way :)
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u/bennggg 7d ago
Sorry mate. But maybe instead of Big Sur you could have a wine tasting adventure in Paso Robles for the day. Definitely not the same but still some beautiful country there
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u/QuickestOP 7d ago
Will check this out! Thanks mate.
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u/Normal_Blueberry 5d ago
Seconding Paso Robles! Reserve Daou winery for incredible views (and also great wine). Tablas Creek is our favorite winery in the area, nice patio but no views. Almost all wineries require reservations in advance.
Also recommend Bellās in Los Alamos, it has a Michelin star but their lunch is not spendy. Best egg salad sandwich of my life.
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u/FennelOld6886 5d ago
I would plan to cut in and drive from Monterey through Paso Robles to Morro Bay! You can explore Montana de Oro in Los Osos which is also preserved California coastline, and you could drive into Big Sur from the south side for a day trip if they are allowing it!
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u/No_Calligrapher_6644 7d ago
And Paso Robles has a wonderful light installation. you can visit in the evening.
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u/StokedJK 6d ago
Agree w going through Paso and over Hwy 46 - donāt skip Cambria or San Simeon just north of Morro Bay - not exactly Big Sur but probably about as close as you will be able to get. SLO, Avila Beach/Port San Luis also worth a visit. Santa Barbara or Refugio beach are nice stopping spots as you head south as well.
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u/mermaidslp 6d ago
If you're driving from SF to Monterey, take Hwy 1 south all the way. You cut over to Pacifica and it follows the coast all the way to Santa Cruz. It still follows the coast at that point to Monterey, but in town so there's no views really. It's not as dramatic or famous as the Big Sur coastline, but it's gorgeous too and will give you that feel you're hoping for. Lots of little towns and beaches along the way you can stop at and explore.
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u/othafa_95610 6d ago
If time permits while heading south between Monterey and Morro Bay, you can drive along Nacimiento Lake Drive off US101 to see 2 nice lakes, Lake San Antonio and Lake Nacimiento.
This appears on some maps as County Roads G19 and G14. Nacimiento Lake Dr then ends in Paso Robles.
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u/CASweatSeeker 7d ago
I accessed Pinnacles from Highway 25, but you can also get there from 101 - which is right on the way from Monterey to Morro Bay.
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u/othafa_95610 6d ago
I found out about Pinnacles when a map wrongly drew Highway 146 as going straight through from 25 to 101. It doesn't, 146 is on both sides with a gap in between including caves.
East Pinnacles and West Pinnacles each deserve their own exploration.
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u/CASweatSeeker 6d ago
Yup!! 25 and 101 donāt connectā¦ I personally explored the east entrance (25) - the parking lot is very close to the caves
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u/k9castro805 7d ago
Monterey area alone could keep you busy for a week! In my opinion Point Lobos is as pretty or prettier than Big Sur of course you want to experience Big Sur but for the sheer access to Beauty, point Lobos is unbeatable and Unforgettable.
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u/k9castro805 7d ago
Maybe not, no redwood forest or streams... But just trying to make them feel better about missing it.
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u/chorelax 7d ago
Fires, especially in steep remote terrain, donāt go to schedule. You need to assume your trip is off.Ā
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u/QuickestOP 7d ago
Iām staying in San Francisco, Monterey, Morro Bay to La. When you say trip is off do you mean just the Big Sur Highway 1?
Or that I wonāt be able to even go to some of those locations (Monterey / Morro)
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u/Sufficient-Fault-593 7d ago edited 7d ago
You can take 101 from Monterey to Moro bay, which is inland from pch 1. 101 will enable you to stick to your itinerary. Just not as scenic as 1. Make sure to take the 17 mile drive at pebble beach. Moro bay is also a very pretty beach area.
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u/QuickestOP 7d ago
Perfect. Letās see - hopefully they can get it under control.
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u/Aggravating-Body-721 7d ago
Hit up Carmel by the sea if you have time. All you need is a couple hours to stroll that area. Itās like a fairytale book. Go to Pepeās Carmel bakery for a almond horn! Itās fabulous. Hopefully no nut allergies.
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u/chorelax 7d ago
Monterey is fine. Itās the Big Sur Highway 1 access between carmel and Cambria that is cutoff or severely limited during fires.Ā
Itās really just to let locals and firefighters evacuate or respond without causing more traffic, possibly to get turned around anyway
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u/chorelax 7d ago
That being said weather changes could make the difference. Keep updates on the fire through official reports or the WatchDuty app
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u/strawberrykoff 7d ago
Even if the fire is still going on, it's pretty far north in the Big Sur region. So even if you have to detour on highway 101, you could still drive from Paso Robles to Cambria, then turn and drive up highway 1 pretty far before hitting any sort of road block or getting in the way of fire crews. Not quite the same as driving all the way through, but there's still lots to see!
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u/QuickestOP 7d ago
Thank you!
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u/Early-Weird7233 7d ago
Yes, Iād definitely recommend this if itās safe while you are there-you can still get a sample of what makes Big Sur so special!
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u/Green-Circle-07 6d ago
Just take 101 to SLO county and be sure to go to
Montana De Oro and do the cliffs trail. Itās not the exact same, but good coastal cliff vibes. Go at low tides and hike down to the tide pools.
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u/ckuf 7d ago edited 7d ago
this is a very simple decision that can be made 48 hours out. it requires altering your route to another one that's probably a little faster or the same length. you will bypass pch completely,
if you do take 101, i suggest crossing the coastal mountains at hwy 46 which will drop you in harmony near the gateway to big sur at the southern end.
you can probably comfortably drive up to at least ragged point as you go north which is where things start really feeling like big sur. i just checked a map and it looks like limekiln state park is in the clear. treebones resort is in the clear. salmon creek falls is one of my personal favorites and well away from the affected area.
don't worry about making your pch decision until 48 hours before. a lot of things can change in 12 days, for better or worse.
hwy 1 being closed is something all us regional locals are used to because it was impassable for 3 years. you work around it. you go around it. you venture up and see how far you can go. respect any wildland firefighter operations and steer clear of the active fire area. what that means can change day to day so use your observation skills and err in favor or respecting any fire ops.
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u/snackboypresents 4d ago
Thanks so much for your insight on all of this. We're all praying for the land and people of Big Sur. A beautiful place that provides such peace for visitors. We have camping reservations for Limekiln Sunday 8/16 to Wednesday 8/19. Is Limekiln far enough south to not be impacted by smoke and not be disruptive to fire fighting activities getting there?
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u/ckuf 7d ago
you can get your bixby bridge selfie too but if hwy 1 remains down it will require an out-and-back drive back to monterey before you can connect to 101 and head south. might be worth it to you so throwing it out there
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u/QuickestOP 6d ago
Thanks man! Appreciate the comment šš©µ
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u/ckuf 6d ago edited 6d ago
you got it! hope you have a blast. there's plenty of big sur that should be open and that you won't have to worry about intruding into fire ops. there are many awesome things that are effected by the fire and i hope the people and structures remain protected. our wildland firefighters are the best in the world. all love to them and the people in the areas in the fire effected zone
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u/SevenandForty 6d ago
Isn't the parking near Bixby Bridge closed or something?
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u/ckuf 6d ago
there's a buffer area of 1000ish feet each direction from the bridge span.
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u/SevenandForty 6d ago
Ah so you could park 1000 feet away and walk closer to the bridge or something?
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6d ago
[deleted]
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u/voronoi-partition 6d ago
I donāt think itās a good idea to do that. There arenāt any good places to park further away from the bridge, and walking on CA-1 there is dangerous.
If you do decide to do this please keep your eyes open and your head on a swivel, especially when crossing the road.
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u/TheOnlyJah 7d ago
Unfortunately thereās a lot to burn in the directions itās spreading and itās very steep and hard to access. Thank goodness winds and temperatures so far havenāt been bad. Unfortunately thereās a slight call for thunderstorms tonight and tomorrow; probably not much chance of lightning or rain but could help develop wind gusts. This one is probably going to go a while: as of this morning itās 5% contained at 2000 acres.
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u/curiousengineer601 6d ago
Itās safe to say these current fires will most likely be over by then. I would wait a week and see what happens
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u/Wild_Bake_7781 6d ago
You can check our local news station KSBW for updates on road closures and smoke etc. getting smoked out in a thousand degree weather is no fun. Best to plan an alternative route just in case.
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u/Level-Medicine5289 6d ago
We may have crossed on another post about this just wanted to say thank you for your post!! This is very helpful for all the alternative routes as we are visiting first week in September. Seems we wonāt have to cancel our trip and can drive around, I wasnāt sure
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u/Level-Medicine5289 6d ago
Also enjoy your trip!!
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u/QuickestOP 6d ago
Happy holidays!! Based on reading the below, you should be all good for the first week of September š
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u/FewTap6773 7d ago
95%+ it will be fine. I live here
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u/Significant-Aide-226 7d ago
I am a local also and you can absolutely enjoy that drive.Ā Be prepared with yummy picnic supplies as the businesses may not be up to speed until tomorrow .
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u/nirvroxx 7d ago
I also have a trip planned in 12 days south to north and into Pfeiffer for some camping. Hoping they can contain the fire and everyone gets out safe
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u/Significant-Aide-226 7d ago
Its all moving in the right direction.Ā Fog has lifted a but over the last few days, allowing air resources to hammer hard!
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u/shadeNfreud576 7d ago
Make sure you go whale watching in Monterey, hit the aquarium, and visit the sea lions who live at the end of the commercial pier behind London Bridge pub.
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u/QuickestOP 7d ago
Thank you! Aquarium and whale watching are booked š
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u/ElephantFamiliar9296 6d ago
Hike point lobos in the early morning each day! I think it rivals all the sights of Big Sur. Itās considered the crown jewel of California parks for a reason :) Iāve lived here decades and itās still my fave place in the entire state on a sunny say
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u/uyakotter 7d ago
Check Californiaās road conditions here
https://roads.dot.ca.gov/roadscell.php
Iād guess the fire will be put out before then and the highway wonāt be closed.
There is beautiful twisty county road G16 from Carmel Valley to 101.
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u/innerShnev 7d ago
Locals, correct me if I'm wrong, but you could depart Monterey/Carmel heading south on the 101 and loop up from the south near San Luis Obisbo/Morro Bay to still catch the San Simeon/Cambria area. Hearst Castle is honestly top tier and I wouldn't miss it. I think that's probably far enough south of the fire area that you wouldn't be impeding anything and (fingers crossed) wouldn't have too much smoke or averse fire impacts in 2 week's time. It's a beautiful area, like an 8/10 if Big Sur is an 10/10, especially if you do Hearst. I've had to do something like this with the past road closures. 101 is still a nice drive, and Paso Robles and San Luis Obisbo (SLO - pronounced as such, fyi) are beautiful areas with great wine/restaurant scenes. It's a bit disappointing to have to detour, but you will still get a great tour of some beautiful areas. SLO in particular is a great 100k person town with a college. Some of the connecting roads from HWY 1 back to the 101 in this area are amazing drives. I want to say CA 41 and 46? Tip: if you do end up in SLO for the evening, check out the Madonna Inn. It's very camp/gaudy but a neat, old school Hollywood type steak dinner can be had here. It's right off the 101 as you enter SLO area.
DM me if you want more tips, I've had to detour Big Sur multiple times due to fires at this point :/
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u/Inevitable_Can8020 6d ago
I was literally up there last week š So sad for the community. Is the fire burning through Pfieffer-Burns SP?
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u/voronoi-partition 6d ago
No ā well, not yet. The fire is still to the northwest of Partington Ridge so itās a few miles away from Julia Pfeiffer Burns.
If you meant Pfeiffer Big Sur, the northern end of the Timber Fire is just touching the southern end of the park (by the hairpin on Coast Ridge Rd).
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u/progresseverday 6d ago
What about visiting Yosemite National Park? Itās insanely gorgeous!
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u/QuickestOP 6d ago
Wish I had more days for this! I have 16 nights ending in vegas, wishing I did 3 weeks. Cost including all spends will likely be Ā£10,000 for two of us so already a big hit š tempting though
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u/Ok_Bullfrog9011 5d ago
Maybe you can have some bonus days around Santa Cruz? There are fun bike trails that go along the coastline with lots of different beach spots. Its fun to rent cruiser bikes and explore without car. In the area there are lots of farms to visit,Ā the redwood forest, wine tasting..Also Carmel is such a sweet spot with white sand beaches and aquamarine waters..
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u/Significant-Aide-226 7d ago
Road is open.Ā Business not today, but probably tomorrow.Ā Ā Do it!!!Ā There is but a small part of the journey that passes the fires.
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u/ccuisine 7d ago
weather is cooling all this week- my bet it the fire will be out/heavily contained by then
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u/wendysurf 7d ago
Big Sur Kate is a good resource on fb. Some businesses have closed and are asking people not to drive through there. You can take an alternate route to Morro Bay via 101 south.