THE EARNEST TRAVELER
Bixby is 13 miles south of Carmel and has been open throughout. What changed on September 2 is what lies beyond it: Highway 1 no longer dead-ends a few miles south, and you can now continue through Big Sur village to mile marker 45.
Bixby is the picture people have in their heads when they say Big Sur: a single concrete arch, 260 feet of open air underneath, thrown across a canyon that drops straight into the Pacific.
Getting there
Bixby Creek Bridge is 13 miles south of Carmel on Highway 1. Rocky Creek Bridge — smaller, older-looking, and far less photographed — is one mile north of it at 12 miles from Carmel.
Both are north of the closure and reachable today. Just understand what the drive is now: the highway ends at a hard closure a few miles further south, so this is an out-and-back from Carmel, not the start of a coast run.
The parking ban — the thing most guides have not caught up with
The County of Monterey approved a 12-month parking moratorium prohibiting parking on both sides of Highway 1 near Bixby Bridge. It was approved in May 2026 and advanced through June. As of a county fact sheet dated June 10, 2026 it was "not yet in effect" with no finalized implementation date — but by August 6, 2026, See Monterey was describing it as implemented. Sources conflict on the exact start date, so treat it as live and check the signage before you stop. Exact boundaries and fine amounts have not been published.
There is also one-way controlled traffic at Rocky Creek Bridge, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, through 6 a.m. on November 30, 2026, for construction. Expect to sit at a flagger.
Where to go instead
Monterey County's own suggested alternatives for a coastal stop are Andrew Molera, Pfeiffer Big Sur, Sand Dollar Beach and local lodges with parking — but all four of those are currently closed by the fires. The alternatives that are actually open today are Garrapata State Park, a few miles north, and Point Lobos.
Practical notes
- Light. The bridge faces roughly west-southwest across the canyon. Late afternoon is when the arch separates from the shadow.
- Fog. Summer fog typically burns off by midday. A foggy Bixby is its own picture, but if you want the blue-water version, come after lunch.
- Drones are prohibited below 1,000 feet along the Big Sur coast. This is enforced.
- Smoke. With two large fires burning to the south, air quality here varies day to day. We could not verify conditions for any specific location — check before you commit to the drive.
A short out-and-back on a narrow highway with flagger stops.