Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Los Padres National Forest:
Call the King City office at (831) 385-5434 or visit
www.fs.fed.us
for seasonal or permanent closures of forest service roads.
Big Sur Station:
Call (831) 667-2315 for information on state park and forest service
roads.
Cal Trans:
Call (888) 836-0866 for information about traffic and road conditions on
Highway 1 from Carmel to Cambria.
Back Road Camping
I
F YOU ARE TURNED OFF
by the high price of camping along Highway 1, consider
the primitive and remote camping that exists along Big Sur's back roads. The plus
side is that many of these camps provide free camping (simply unheard of along the
coast). With the exception of Arroyo Seco Campground and the developed sites at
Nacimiento and San Antonio Reservoirs, these primitive, rarely maintained camps
provide few to no amenities, so expect to bring in water and/or purifying systems and
everything else you might need to be comfortable and safe.
Alder Creek Camp
DIRECTIONS:
Located 8 miles from Highway 1 on Willow Creek Road (23S01).
CAMPSITES:
2 |
COST:
Free
WATER:
On the creek; no potable water
COMMENTS:
For more information contact the Los Padres National Forest Service at (831)
385-5434 or
www.fs.fed.us
.
Arroyo Seco Campground
DIRECTIONS:
Coming from the south on Highway 101 to Greenfield, take the Arroyo Seco
exit into town. Turn left on Elm Street. Go west to Arroyo Seco Road and turn left; campground
is at the end of Arroyo Seco Road.
Coming from the north on Highway 101 just pass Soledad. Go west to Arroyo Seco Road
and turn left; campground is at the end of Arroyo Seco Road.
CAMPSITES:
50 |
COST:
$15-30 (primitive sites), $20-40 (with showers and flush toilets),
$75 (group site)
COMMENTS:
For more information contact Rocky Mountain Recreation at (831) 674-5726.
Bottchers Gap Campground
DIRECTIONS:
Located 8 miles inland, off Highway 1 on Palo Colorado Road (18S05), 15
miles north of Big Sur and 11 miles south of Carmel.
CAMPSITES:
11 |
COST:
$12/night, $5/day use
