Rocky Creek Bridge (California)

Bixby Bridge, also known as Bixby Creek Bridge, on the Big Sur coast of California, is one of the most photographed bridges in California due to its aesthetic design, "graceful architecture and magnificent setting". It is a reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge. The bridge is 120 miles (190 km) south of San Francisco and 13 miles (21 km) south of Carmel in Monterey County on State Route 1. Before the opening of the bridge in 1932, residents of the Big Sur area were virtually cut off during winter due to blockages on the often impassable Old Coast Road, which led 11 miles (18 km) inland. The bridge was built under budget for $199,861 (equivalent to $3.73 million in 2024 dollars) and, at 360 feet (110 m), was the longest concrete arch span in the California State Highway System. When it was completed, it was the highest single-span arch bridge in the world, and it remains one of the tallest. The land north and south of the bridge was privately owned until 1988 and 2001. A logging company obtained approval to harvest redwood on the former Bixby Ranch to the north in 1986, and in 2000 a developer obtained approval to subdivide the former Brazil Ranch to the south. Local residents and conservationists fought their plans, and both pieces of land were eventually acquired by local and federal government agencies. A $20 million seismic retrofit was completed in 1996, although its 24-foot (7.3 m) width does not meet modern standards requiring bridges to be 32 feet (9.8 m) wide.

Bixby Creek is a west flowing stream in Monterey County the U.S. state of California. The stream is crossed by the Bixby Creek Bridge of California State Route 1 prior to entering the Pacific Ocean.

Notleys Landing (also, Notley's Landing) is an uninhabited former hamlet in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. It was located near the mouth of the Palo Colorado Canyon 11 miles (18 km) south of the Carmel River, at an elevation of 112 feet (34 m).

Palo Colorado Canyon is an unincorporated community in the Big Sur region of Monterey County, California. The canyon entrance is located 11.3 miles (18.2 km) south of the Carmel River at the former settlement of Notley's Landing, 6.5 miles (10 km) north of Point Sur, and at an elevation of 112 feet (34 m).

Glen Deven Ranch is an 860 acres (350 ha) property in Big Sur that was given to the Big Sur Land Trust in 2001 by Seeley and Virginia Mudd. Composed of coastal woodlands, coastal river lands, grasslands and wildlife, it is used by the Trust each summer as an outdoor summer camp to teach inner-city youth about coastal ecosystems. The ranch is accessible via Highway 1 east on Palo Colorado Road, to Garrapatos Road. The ranch's roads also offer residents of Palo Colorado Canyon an emergency exit during a flood or fire. Dr. Mudd and his wife lived on the property for 30 years. They decided to donate the land when she learned she was terminally ill with cancer in 1998. After her husband passed in September 2000, the property became part of the Big Sur Land Trust in April 2001. The Mudd's former home, an artist's studio, and a pool have been retained on the property. The Mudds stipulated in their bequest that the property should be used to serve artists. To reduce fire danger, the Trust is removing non-native, highly-flammable Eucalyptus trees from the property. The ranch leases 30 acres (12 ha) of pasture to the Corral de Tierra Cattle Company. In 2016, Jeannette Tuitele-Lewis, President and CEO of the Big Sur Land Trust, said that the Mudds bequeathed the property to the Trust because they wanted to both conserve and "share the landscape with people." On November 29, 2016, the ranch was the site of a special dinner prepared by Outstanding in the Field restaurateur Jim Denevan. The company hosts special events at various locations around the world, seeking to connect "local chefs, farmers, and artisans" to serve a one-time meal in each location. Individuals flew in from Chicago and drove to the site from Los Angeles and other distant points. The meal featured dates from a farm in Thermal, California; pork from the Klingman Ranch in Utah; apples from Devoto Orchards in Sonoma County, California, beef from the Corral de Tierra Cattle Company, and black code salad from TwoXSea in San Francisco. Other than special invitation-only events, access is restricted to camp attendees and members of the Trust.

The Colorado Fire was a wildfire that burned near Big Sur, in Monterey County, California. The fire was first reported around 7:30 p.m. PST on January 21, 2022. As of February 3, 2022, the fire burned 687 acres (278 ha) and was 100% contained. The suspected cause of the fire is said to be from a formerly controlled fire escaping into wildland. It is named after the road it started near, Palo Colorado Canyon Road.

The Palo Corona Regional Park is a 4,500 acres (1,800 ha) park owned by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District on land east of Big Sur Coast Highway and Garrapata State Park in California. The 9,898 acres (4,006 ha) property stretches southeast about 11 miles (18 km) from the near the Carmel River State Beach to the Los Padres National Forest. The park is long from north to south, bordered on the northwest by Highway 1 and across from Carmel River State Beach. It wraps around Point Lobos Ranch and abuts Santa Lucia Preserve to the east. In the middle, it is sandwiched by Mitteldorf Preserve and Garrapata State Park. Its southern border abuts Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve. Environmental interests were concerned that it would be converted to an estate-type development like that done for Rancho San Carlos (renamed as the Santa Lucia Preserve). In May 2002, the Big Sur Land trust and The Nature Conservancy joined to buy the Ranch. Overall, the park directly and indirectly connects nine conservation properties preserved for their biological, recreation and scenic values. The area includes the former Rancho Caňada Country Club and golf course in Carmel Valley.

The 5,887.31 acres (2,382.51 ha) Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve in Big Sur, California, is owned by to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. It is located between Big Sur Coast Highway to the west, Palo Corona Regional Park and Mitteldorf Preserve on the north, and Santa Lucia Preserve and U.S. Forest Service land to the east. It is only accessible through the Santa Lucia Preserve, a private, gated, community of about 300 homes on 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) in Carmel Valley, California. The Big Sur Land Trust purchased the 9,898 acres (4,006 ha) Palo Corona Ranch in 2002 and 2004 for $32 million from Craig McCaw. The southern portion comprising 4,300 acres (1,740 ha) was used to form the Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve. All ecological reserves are maintained for the primary purpose of developing a statewide program for protection of rare, threatened, or endangered native plants, wildlife, aquatic organisms, and specialized terrestrial or aquatic habitat types. Visitors are required to obtain "Daily or Annual Lands Pass for Authorized Uses other than Hunting".

The Little Sur River is a 14.3-mile (23.0 km) long river on the Central Coast of California. The river and its main tributary, the a 11.1-mile (17.9 km) long South Fork, drain a watershed of about 40 square miles (100 km2) of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The South Fork and the North Fork both have their headwaters in the Ventana Wilderness, straddling Mount Pico Blanco. Portions west of the national forest and Old Coast Road lie within the El Sur Ranch. Some portions of the North Fork are on land owned by Granite Rock Company of Watsonville, California, which has owned the mineral rights to 2,800 acres (1,100 ha) on Mount Pico Blanco since 1963. The North and South forks converge about 2 miles (3.2 km) from the coast where the river enters the Pacific Ocean. The river's steep canyons and high chaparral-covered ridges are host to a number of rare species including the Santa Lucia Fir, Dudley's lousewort, and virgin stands of old-growth redwood.

The 1,043 acres (422 ha) Mitteldorf Preserve in Big Sur, California, is owned by to the Big Sur Land Trust. It is located between Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve to the south, Palo Corona Regional Park on the north, and Santa Lucia Preserve to the east. It is only accessible through the Santa Lucia Preserve, a private, gated, community of about 300 homes on 20,000 acres (8,100 ha) in Carmel Valley, California. Arthur Mitteldorf, an inventor and former president and chief executive of Spex Industries and his wife Harriet searched for property containing a pristine stand of Redwood trees and donated the funds to purchase the property to the trust in 1990. Mitteldorf conserves the largest Redwood trees in Monterey County. It also protects madrone, oak woodland, coastal chaparral, and grassland habitats. Williams Canyon Road through the preserve provides emergency access first responders. The road is an essential road for the California Department of Forestry Palo Corona Fuels Reduction Project. The trust began developing infrastructure for a nature camp and research program when the Soberanes Fire destroyed the barn and burned much of the habitat. Public access is allowed by reservation only.

The 1,534 acres (621 ha) Mill Creek Redwood Preserve is located in Big Sur, California, 6.8 miles (10.9 km) from Highway 1 on Palo Colorado Road. The park is owned by the Monterey Peninsula Regional Park District. To alleviate resistance by residents of Palo Colorado Canyon who were concerned about the impact of traffic on the narrow, one-lane road, access was limited to six visitors per day who must obtain a permit in advance from the district. The preserve was pieced together from several large properties between 1988 and 2000 at a cost of $2 million. When open, it is only accessible via trail from the road. The preserve was severely damaged by the Soberanes fire and is closed indefinitely.

Point Sur State Historic Park is a California State Park on the Big Sur coastline of Monterey County, California, United States, 19 miles (31 km) south of Rio Road in Carmel. The 1889 Point Sur Lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places.