When Brigga Mosca, 70, and Reed Cripe, 82, moved from Los Angeles to Big Sur, Calif., in 1983, they camped out in a two-person tent on a 5-acre piece of land they bought for around $70,000.

The longest sand beach in the area is the Garrapata State Beach, which has been hailed as the finest secluded beach on the whole expanse of Big Sur. Access it via paths that lead down from ...

Another year, another summer of the same closure on Highway 1 near Big Sur, meaning you still can’t drive all the way from San Francisco to Los Angeles along this iconic stretch of California coast.