Hi all:
I had made a post on here last week asking for intel about getting through the HWY1 Big Sur closure, and a lot of you provided some really helpful info. In return, I’d promised to provide an update once I went through the closure, so here it is!
I passed through on Monday evening, after starting out from Pacific Grove that morning. I reached the closure itself around 4:45pm, and found another touring cyclist there to wait with (see first picture). As everyone has said, the workers and security on site seem to be around until at least 5:30 or so, though I’ve also heard 6pm or later.
On Monday, they seem to have finished up early- the security guy left around 5 and told us both just to “wait a little bit”, and so we went through around 5:30.
The first section of closure involves walking around a couple barricades and riding on normal road with construction vehicles parked around (see second and third photos).
The actual slide is further down the road, and definitely requires a bit more attention when traversing. It’s safe, but the packed down dirt is still very rugged and uneven, and the slope down to the end of the closure is relatively steep if you’re trying to go slow on a fully loaded bike (my hydraulic brakes came in handy here). But it’s totally doable, and you could always walk your bike if it was too dark/bumpy/steep for riding. (See fourth and fifth pictures).
After getting around the south end, we camped at Kirk Creek, which is just another mile or two down the road. As others have advised, there is NO WATER at that campground- make sure to bring some from the deli in Big Sur (last stopping place to buy water. Alternatively, the next campground with water is Plaskett Creek, which is more like 8-10 miles from the closure.
Hope this is helpful for anyone traveling through. The ride itself has been fantastic, and the closure has made large stretches of it almost car-free which is incredibly nice.
by Architeuthosaurus