Old Coast Road | Big Sur, California [Off The Beaten Track Episode 6]
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- Опубліковано 7 сер 2024
- We drive the Power Wagon along Old Coast Road in Big Sur, California. This fantastic 10-mile stretch of single-track dirt road was, as its name suggests, the old coastal road used by those traveling from San Franciso to Los Angeles.
Interactive 3D map of this track and GPX download: four.wheel.travel/old-coast-r...
All tracks in this series: four.wheel.travel/off-the-bea...
In 1932 the iconic Bixby Bridge was completed and the opening of that bridge basically bypassed this stretch of dirt road. The Old Coast Road is maintained by the county for access to the various private properties for whom the road is the primary access, and driving along the road is really a step back in time as it traverses shelf roads, Redwood stands, single-lane bridges, and peeks out here and there with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean!
We would recommend a high-clearance vehicle. The road is rutted in places, and rocky in others. We would strongly advise against attempting this without at least all-terrain tires, and four-wheel drive or at least all-wheel drive is recommended. The road is impassable when wet, and if you've traveled this route, you will know why - there are shelf roads with sheer drops of hundreds of feet interspersed throughout the track, and there's no way I'd want to be out here in slippery conditions!
We traveled in the north-south direction, starting at Bixby Bridge on the Pacific Coast Highway, then traveling the 10 miles of dirt track to emerge back onto the PCH at the Andrew Molera State Park.
There is no camping anywhere along the Old Coast Road, and it is essential to note that county roads such as this often cross private property. While you may have a right to travel along the route, all 'no trespassing' signs must be obeyed. There is absolutely no camping and no fires are allowed along the track, with hefty fines for those caught breaking these rules.
Edit: I called out Bixby Mountain in the video; there is a Bixby Mountain nearby but the peak we were looking at is Pico Blanco, a 3,709 ft peak composed of Granite, from which is derived the name Pico Blanco, or White Peak. This peak is visible from various points along the Old Coast Road.
Chapters:
0:00 Intro and map visualization
0:43 Old Coast Road at Bixby Bridge/PCH
3:19 Bixby Bridge overlook
5:12 Single Lane Bridge over Bixby Creek
7:02 Redwoods at Sierra Creek
7:57 2x Hyperlapse through Redwoods at Sierra Creek
9:57 More Redwoods at Sierra Creek (non-hyperlapse)
11:32 Narrow shelf road above Sierra Creek
12:43 Pacific Ocean overlook
13:09 Rutted, rocky, and overgrown downhill shelf road
14:23 Steep section above the Little Sur river
16:05 Single-lane bridges at Little Sur and Little Sur South Fork rivers
17:45 Redwoods alongside the Little Sur South Fork river
19:25 GoPro battery expires, switch to Rove dashcam
19:49 Crest the final ridge before the descent to rejoin the PCH at Andrew Molera State Park
21:02 Old Coast Road rejoins the PCH
21:18 Drive on the PCH over Bixby Bridge
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▶ 3WA for the points along the route:
Begins at Bixby Bridge: w3w.co/bonfires.radial.congra...
Ends at Andrew Molera State Park: w3w.colandscape.desk.reintrod...
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▶ Social Media Links:
* All The Links: four.wheel.travel
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The playlist for this series is here:
• Off The Beaten Track -...
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#oldcoastroad #bixbybridge #offroadtrails #offthebeatentrack
![Santa Rita Road | Templeton, California [Off The Beaten Track Episode 7]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/VisWWe4zbgg/mqdefault.jpg)
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Thank you!
It's eleven and a half miles. I had the good fortune to spend several years driving it. It's not a good idea for tourists to travel on the road, and it's not a tourist-friendly road for urban drivers. Mike! Mike Trotter, fourth generation.
Thanks for your comment. We’d agree, and as noted in the description and in the video, “We would recommend a high-clearance vehicle. The road is rutted in places, and rocky in others. We would strongly advise against attempting this without at least all-terrain tires, and four-wheel drive or at least all-wheel drive is recommended. The road is impassable when wet, and if you've traveled this route, you will know why - there are shelf roads with sheer drops of hundreds of feet interspersed throughout the track, and there's no way I'd want to be out here in slippery conditions!”
@@fourwheeltravel : Revised comment...
You show total lack of respect by this post. Take this off & leave your personal experience is yours..keep it there & spare those who work, live, & seek privacy from you rubber neck's... Those of you who typically throw trash into our lands..beware! We are through accommodating poop, any trash, roadside camps. If discovered your day may become one of your worst.
Thanks for this video! I've been on the PCH many times, but not on this road.
Thanks for watching and commenting. We were the same way. It's a beautiful drive, though narrow and rough in places.
If you are "local", Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur, no one calls the road PCH, it is known as Hiway 1.
PCH is used by So Cal folks.
PS I lived and worked off and on in Big Sur starting in the mid 60s. Rest of the time in Pacific Grove,
Monterey and Carmel.
Glenn Gregory Hildreth
RIP
Bixby Bridge, Nov 12, 1982
Yeah I usually refer to it as Highway 1. We’re local, 15-20 miles from the coast, but over the coastal range.
@@fourwheeltravel Prunetucky, Salinas, Spreckels, King City, Greenfield, Aromas ?
@@jeffhildreth9244 Lockwood/Jolon area.
@@fourwheeltravel Fantastic area. I have taken Jolon road many times to stay off 101.
Nice and relaxing video! Thank you for sharing!
It didn't seem like you aired down at all. Do you really need to?
Some of the trail seem very narrow....did you get any pin strips on your powerwagon?
Did not air down. Maybe a couple of pinstripes, though it really wasn’t that bad. I have had much worse, like our W15 video, that was painful! ua-cam.com/video/0bKXVfHZal4/v-deo.html
a very relaxing video to watch! I hope you consider a trail in Big Bear, CA sometime post snowfall :)
Thanks for watching and commenting! Would love to get out to Big Bear!
Great video, I have camped for many years along the Big Sur coast, this back road trip was interesting and I will subscribe to help you get closer to 1K subscribers.
Thanks for watching and commenting, and for the sub! :) I checked out your channel and see that you have a Carrizo Plain video, will check that out as it is on our list of 'backyard' destinations, looks like something of a hidden gem!
I sent my brother your way on you tube.// he's still in PG my old home ground.
thank you, much appreciated! 🙌🏻
Another nice drive to give a try. Please explain what you routinely call a "shelf" road. We would consider these types of trails a forest road with a #. TFS
By shelf road, I mean that a road was cut into a cliff or steep hillside, so as to create a 'shelf'. Usually, these will have a sheer drop at the outside edge with no guard rail or other safety barrier. I call these out because I have found that people become uncomfortable in such a situation, and also because those types of roads are dangerous and/or impassable when wet.
Great video! I'm planning on doing this trail in the beginningof September with my Wrangler. It's been on my bucket list. How long did it take you to get to the other side of the highway?
Thanks for watching & commenting! It’s about 10 miles and probably an hour if you drive straight through, longer if you pause at different locations. I think we spent about 2 hours, but 15 minutes of that was spent talking to a local we passed (one of only 2 vehicles we met) who had some fascinating history of his family & the area.
@@fourwheeltravel oh thats not bad at all. I gave it about 4-5 hours. With a few stops for photo ops. That's really helpful and I can probably plam to see the light house before they close. Thanks man! Much appreciated 👍
Great video. Do you think this trail is doable in a stock height Subaru Forester? It has little over 8" ground clearance.
Thanks for watching and commenting! I think you'd probably be ok. The trail surface is a little rougher and rockier toward the south end and there are just one or two spots where clearance might be an issue if you take the wrong line, but there is no rock crawling or anything like that. Definitely don't go if there has been recent rain (and in fact the trail may be closed when wet).
Definitely will make it. I've been through it from the northside of the bridge all the way around to the south of the bridge exit in a stock Subaru Crosstrek. I even saw a GMC Safari mini-van hitting the road too. I'd just suggest using the bathroom or anything like that before hitting the old coast road because there's no where to use it and the trail is definitely a bit longer than you'd expect if you're taking your time to enjoy the experience.
Nice video. Is it suitable for adventure motorcycle riding? 😅😅
Maybe with the right equipment, tires/suspension etc?
Yes. I have been over this road dozens of times over 46 years.
NSU Super Max 250, Moto Morini Camel, several BMWs.
Does anyone know how this road handled winters of 2023 & 2024?
Still open or washed out?
We haven’t been out since we did the video and would also be interested to know.
How long did it take you to complete?
Thanks for commenting! If you check the link in the description there's a full breakdown along with interactive map and GPX files. four.wheel.travel/old-coast-road/ You could expect it to take 1-2 hours depending how easy you go.
Would you recommend airing down?
Thanks for commenting - I don't think airing down is really necessary. There might be some slight comfort benefits to doing so, but I don't think it is necessary for traction.
Would a sprinter van full size 170 be ok?
Honestly you might have difficulty. It’s been a little while since we were there but there is a narrow section with an overhang of trees and bushes that could be challenging in a tall vehicle. Around 11:38 in the video.
What was your speed like?
Took us about an hour with stops for YouTubing etc.
@@fourwheeltravel like 15mph?
It’s about 10 miles so probably something like that. We crawled down the descent into Little Sur, and there is a narrow section just before that where we took it slowly.
Is this road open now? It says it might be closed...
Not sure, but it is subject to seasonal closure in the wet season. There are definitely parts I would not want to be on in the wet!
It is closed for now
this was all very much 'beaten track"
In this series we visit routes that are out of the way, even if they are hidden in plain sight, like the start and end of ‘Old Coast Road’. Thanks for watching & commenting!
Not just gingerly, but white-knuckling it down.
Slow & steady wins the race. 👍🏻