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Bixby Bridge, Big Sur, CA

Photo: Diliff, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

SightseeingIconicOutdoor Adventure

Bixby Bridge

See the 1932 concrete arch of Bixby Bridge carry Highway 1 high over Bixby Creek on the Big Sur coast.

Highway 1, about 13 miles south of Carmel · Big Sur, CA

About Bixby Bridge

Bixby Bridge carries Highway 1 across Bixby Creek about 13 miles south of Carmel. Opened in 1932, the reinforced concrete open-spandrel arch is 714 feet long and stands 280 feet above the canyon floor. In 2026 Monterey County approved a 12-month no-parking pilot on both sides of the highway from about 900 feet north to 700 feet south of the bridge, so plan to see it as you drive across. The bridge has appeared in films such as Top Gun: Maverick.

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  • #big sur
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What's around here?

The closest stops to Bixby Bridge, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing

    Point Sur State Historic Park

    Under $25

    A preserved 1889 lighthouse station on a volcanic rock above the Big Sur coast, open only on guided tours.

    4.5 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Under $25

    Coastal state reserve on the Monterey Peninsula known for headlands, coves, meadows, and a rich offshore marine habitat.

    10 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Stay
    Outdoor Adventure

    Big Sur Lodge

    $50+

    A lodge inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park with guest cottages, a restaurant, a cafe and a grocery store beside the park's trails.

    10 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Iconic

    Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

    Under $25

    Look down on McWay Falls, an 80-foot waterfall that drops onto a Big Sur beach, from a trail above the cove.

    20 mi awaySwitch it up: Sports & Outdoors

  • Sightseeing
    Local Gem

    Salinas City Center

    No admission fee

    Downtown Salinas improvement association promoting Old Town's restaurants, shops and events.

    Transit: reachable by public transit

    25 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    Iconic

    Old Fisherman's Wharf

    No admission fee

    Historic waterfront pier in Monterey lined with seafood restaurants, shops and whale-watching operators.

    30 mi awayMore like this

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