Joshua Creek Canyon Ecological Reserve

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.

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).

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.

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).

Rocky Creek Bridge is a 497.0 feet (151.5 m) long reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch bridge on the Big Sur coast of California, featuring a reinforced-concrete, open-spandrel, fixed, parabolic-arch, a decorative cantilevered walkway, and reinforced-concrete railings in an arched-window design. It is located in Monterey County, on State Route 1 (Cabrillo Highway) about 12 miles (19 km) south of the city of Carmel, and about a mile north of the more famous Bixby Creek Bridge. The bridge's main arch is 239 feet (73 m) long. Rocky Creek Bridge is one of seven similar bridges along State Route 1 known as the Big Sur Arches. It provides important crossings for the Carmel-San Simeon Highway, originally State Route 56 (now State Route 1). As its name implies, it spans Rocky Creek. A turnout with limited parking space exists to the northwest of the bridge, for tourist use. The ecology in the vicinity is noteworthy in that the marine waters at the mouth of Rocky Creek are a habitat for the endangered southern sea otter, E. l. nereis. Additionally, on a ridge above Rocky Creek is one of the few known habitats of Yadon's piperia, a North American rare and endangered species of orchid.

Garrapata State Park is a state park of California, United States, located on California State Route 1 6.7 miles (10.8 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea and 18 miles (29 km) north of Big Sur Village on the Monterey coast. The 2,939-acre (1,189 ha) park was established in 1979. California sea lions, harbor seals and sea otters frequent the coastal waters while gray whales pass close by during their yearly migration.

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.

Rancho San José y Sur Chiquito was a 8,876-acre (35.92 km2) Mexican land grant in present-day Big Sur, in Monterey County, California, given in 1835 to Teodoro Gonzalez and re-granted by Governor Juan Alvarado the same year to Marcelino Escobar. The grant, including Point Lobos, was located south of the Carmel River, extending inland along the coastal mountains, and south along the Pacific coast. It included San Jose Creek, Malpaso Creek, Soberanes Creek, Tres Pinos Creek, Garrapata Creek, and ended on the north side of Palo Colorado Canyon. A hand-drawn map created c. 1853 accompanying the grant indicated a road or trail was already present along the coast.Two of Escobar's ten children sold the land to Josefa Abrego, who may have been acting for her husband, José Abrego. She later transferred the title to a group of about 10 Mexican soldiers at no cost, who according to legend might have received it in payment of a gambling debt incurred by José Abrego. They gave it to José Castro, their superior officer. When Alta California was ceded to the United States government, Castro was required to prove his title. He submitted a claim in 1853, but he died before it was resolved. His successors were denied the patent claim and appealed the court decision. The other Escobar children attempted to claim their portion of the land, and do did many others. Thirty-two claimants eventually asserted that they owned a portion of the land. Thirty-five years later, in 1886, Castro's successors finally obtained clear title, forcing all other claimants out. The land was by then used by Chinese, Japanese, Azores, and Anglos for a variety of purposes, including ranching, dairy, farming, mining, whaling, a granite quarry, and an abalone cannery. In 1890, the owners converted their title into stock of the Carmelo Land and Coal Company. When the coal mine failed, the owners submitted a plan for a 1,000 lot subdivision. Alexander Allan bought Point Lobos in 1898 and began efforts to preserve the land against development. One portion was sold by successors to form the existing Carmel Meadows subdivision. In 1933, the State of California bought Point Lobos and formed a state park. Portions of the inland portion of the grant became Garrapata State Park. The A.M. Allan ranch across from Point Lobos was sold to the State of California and has been set aside as a possible future state park.

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.

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.

Malpaso Creek is a small, coastal stream 5 miles (8.0 km) south of Carmel in Monterey County, California, United States. It is generally regarded as the northern border of Big Sur in central coastal California. A low grade bituminous coal deposit was found in upper Malpaso Canyon in 1874. Actor and director Clint Eastwood bought 650 acres (260 ha) of land in the vicinity of the creek and named his production company Malpaso Productions after the creek.

Highlands Inn is a historic resort hotel located in Carmel Highlands, California. Constructed in 1917 by Frank Devendorf, one of the early co-founders of Carmel-by-the-Sea and a real estate developer, the inn was built on land acquired in 1906 from local ranchers, south of Point Lobos. This establishment is part of the Hyatt Hotels Corporation.