Big Sur

Empty Highway in the Land of Slides

I am walking down the center of Highway 1 south of Gorda, a two-lane road carved into 1,000-plus feet of precipitous marine terrace in Big Sur.

Sykes Camp: Loved to Death?

Sykes Hot Springs is a popular place. Photo by Snickclunk on Flickr.

Crowds and trash in the Big Sur backcountry.

The Bats of Big Sur

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A UC Santa Cruz researcher holds onto a Western Red Bat. Photo credit: Samantha Chavez

A few hours on a bat capture-and-release operation in Big Sur reveals new information about the flying mammals of UC’s Big Creek Reserve.

Jade Cove and the Conscious Unconscious

A view of the South Cove from the top of the trail.

February 2013. I am freediving in water the color of the Ring Nebula. My body slinks through a labyrinth of boulders. My mind is lost among a mosaic of algae, sponges, limpets and barnacles. It is seeking, seeking, seeking jade’s smooth and lustrous wink.

Lost and Found: Sea to Summit on Big Sur’s Cone Peak

Like all climbs from the ocean side of Big Sur, the payoffs are immediate and breathtaking.

It’s a beautiful Christmas morning. At roughly 8:30 am, I park my car across Highway 1 from the Kirk Creek Campground, 45 miles south of Big Sur Valley. High overhead lurks the hidden marble summit of Cone Peak.

Pfeiffer Ridge Fire Journal

Dec. 16: C Kevin Smith scans the fires through a very smoky sky. Where the fire is next going is still very iffy. There have been multiple, very long chains of fire marching through Lower Pfeiffer. Trees exploding, propane tanks torching all night. Woof.

A stunning photo essay and diary about the recent devastation in Big Sur by Pfeiffer Ridge Resident Jeff Mallory.

Ventana Wilderness Alliance

Caring for The Ventana Wilderness It’s no mystery why visitors travel from all over the globe to enjoy the views in Big Sur and the Santa Lucia Range. The jagged coastline, steep mountains and breathtaking scale have the power to inspire awestruck wonder.

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