Big Sur

For an extensive photo essay on Big Sur, emphasizing the connection of the Beat poets of the 1950s to the areas, click here.

Big Sur is not really a town, it's one of the most scenic drives in the world. This large area of about 70 miles of craggy peaks, beautiful forests, and breathtaking coastline is easily seen from Route One, starting at the Monterey peninsula. The residents, many of them artists and writers, like the fact that Big Sur has no boundaries.

Esalen Institute
Henry Miller, author
Nepenthe
State Parks along the Coast