After mudslide, the vibe of Big Sur is more mellow than ever

When a million tons of rocks tumbled down the coast of Big Sur this past spring, the landslide added 13 acres to the region and buried California's scenic Hwy. 1 in 40 feet of dirt and gravel — the equivalent of 800 Olympic-sized swimming pools. It was just the latest blow for a tiny community: The Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge had begun to fail in February after heavy winter storms caused slides along the coast, and it will remain closed until October.

Taken together, the weather events shut off access to an entire region of Southern California that's otherwise known for postcard-perfect vistas, switchback hiking trails, lighthouse-dotted beaches and, lately, as the setting of HBO's breakout hit "Big Little Lies." Now it's known colloquially as "Big Sur Island," bounded by the closing at Pfeiffer Canyon on the north and landslide-related barriers to the south.

But Big Sur is already doing big business — and for travelers, at least, it's better than ever.

"There's a silver lining for everything," said Caroline Beteta, president and chief executive of Visit California, the state's tourism marketing arm.

Because the highway is inaccessible to car traffic until the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge reopens, travelers to Big Sur can for the first time walk or bike unimpeded along a 45-mile stretch of the Pacific coast.

An hourlong hiking path was created post-mudslide as a way to connect the local community to essential services in nearby towns. Once there, visitors can rent electric bikes from Big Sur Adventures, a service in Loma Vista, Calif., that sprang up in the wake of the road closings.

Many businesses are open

"All the businesses north of the bridge are back in business and have been for much of the summer," said Mike Freed, managing partner of the cliffside Post Ranch Inn, which reopened in April and offers helicopter rides for guests.

Many businesses south of the bridge are open as well, and they are making the most of a surprisingly peaceful summer.

Nepenthe, the Big Sur restaurant with perhaps the best view in the area, is also operational, and also relaxed for this time of year.

Also open, minus the crowds, are all the essential Hwy. 1 pit stops such as the Henry Miller Memorial Library (a cultural center and bookstore devoted to the American author), the local tap house, and a crab-and-beer bar popular with locals.

The meditation-themed Esalen institute has reopened for workshops on mindfulness and yoga and offers shuttle service from the Monterey airport. Even the tiny, 10-room Lucia Lodge is taking reservations again. And hiking trails new and old, from Point Lobos State Park to the Point Sur Lighthouse and Coast Road, are all safe for walkers.

There are exceptions. Ventana Big Sur, Post Ranch Inn's closest competitor for luxury lodging, had planned to close this year while it underwent a restoration and rebranding, a process that took longer, due to the natural disaster. It will relaunch in October, when the Pfeiffer bridge reopens, as the first Alila resort in the United States.

Big Sur without road trippers, it turns out, is even more spectacular than Big Sur with them. "Guests who want to see Hwy. 1 can still see it," said Freed. Because the Post Ranch has 15 hybrid vehicles on property, guests can drive down the stretch of the highway that's bounded by the bridge closing and the mudslide. "You're basically the only ones on the coast," he said.

And then there's the newfound possibility of walking down the Pacific Coast Highway. "We have guests that are walking to Nepenthe, and you literally have more animals than cars on the road. Deer, bobcats, turkeys, California condors, foxes," Freed said.

The quiet recovery period is magnifying the appeal of this iconic spot, on many people's bucket lists. "It's a whole different experience. The visitors in Big Sur now are realizing it really is once-in-a-lifetime, Beteta said.

Locals most unfazed

Big Sur residents must make three-hour journeys to get gas and groceries because their cars are parked on the opposite side of Pfieffer bridge, an hour's hike one way.

"You hike the trail, and you run into somebody that you know. You check in on how they're doing and see the school kids walking up and down. It's very endearing and special how the whole community has come together around this lifeline," said Kristina Jetton, general manager of Ventana, the soon-to-be Alila resort.

Still, the reopening of the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge in October will inspire a massive sigh of relief from the community. Cars will be able to come in and out, and the remaining closings on Hwy. 1 will be navigable via a series of relatively painless detours.

"As soon as the bridge opens, we will be able to open," said Jetton, who is ready to unveil her newly renovated resort to the global jet set. Aside from soft enhancements in all 59 rooms, the resort will have a fully redone, expanded spa; a new pool; and 15 luxury campsites scattered through the redwoods, each with daily housekeeping and turndown service with s'mores.

Beteta teased that the epic California road trip might soon get an extension thanks to the 13 acres of coastline that was added in the aftermath of the slide.

"We kind of understand that this comes with the territory of a partnership with Mother Nature," Beteta said. "But when you're in Big Sur on a perfect 72-degree day, it's just spectacular."