[4] Condé Nast Traveler named State Route 1 through Big Sur one of the top ten world-famous streets, comparable to Broadway in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

The highway was first proposed by Dr. John L. D. Roberts, a physician who was summoned on April 21, 1894, to treat survivors of the wreck of the 493 tons (447 t) S.S. Los Angeles (originally USRC Wayanda), which had run aground near the Point Sur Light Station about 25 miles (40 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

On January 29, 2021, the land under the road collapsed into the sea due to heavy storms near Rat Creek 15 miles (24 km) south of Big Sur Village.

[12] Governor Juan Alvarado granted Rancho San Jose y Sur Chiquito, including the land from Carmel to near Palo Colorado Canyon, to José Castro in about 1848.

[15] After California gained statehood, the trail from Carmel to Mill Creek (present-day Bixby Canyon) was declared a public road by the county in 1855.

[16] Yankee businessman Charles Henry Bixby bought several hundred acres south of Mill Creek and harvested lumber, tanbark, and lime.

[14] In July 1937, the California Highways and Public Works department described the journey, "There was a narrow, winding, steep road from Carmel south ... approximately 35 miles to the Big Sur River.

The southern homesteaders were more closely tied to the people in the interior San Antonio Valley including the Jolon and Lockwood areas than to coastal communities to the north.

The road was constructed by crews composed of men from the Civilian Conservation Corp, U.S. Forest Service, and state and county relief agencies.

[35]: 60 On April 21, 1894, Dr. John L. D. Roberts, a physician and land speculator who had founded Seaside, California and resided on the Monterey Peninsula, was summoned to assist treating survivors of the wreck of the 493 tons (447 t) S.S. Los Angeles (originally USRC Wayanda),[6] which had run aground near the Point Sur Light Station about 25 miles (40 km) south of Carmel-by-the-Sea.

[6][7] In 1897, he walked the entire stretch of rocky coast from Monterey to San Luis Obispo in five days and mapped out a course of the future road.

Contractor George Pollock Company of Sacramento started construction next on one of the most remote segments, a 13 miles (21 km) stretch between Anderson Canyon and Big Sur in September 1922.

Convicts were paid $2.10 per day but the cost of clothing, food, medical attention, toilet articles, transportation to the camp, construction tools, and even their guards was deducted from their pay.

[47][48] The remainder of the two-lane road south to San Copofaro Creek was opened on June 17, 1937, after 18 years of construction, aided by labor provided by the New Deal.

The wife of the late Senator Elmer Rigdon, who had promoted the bridge and obtained funding, dedicated a silver fir to her husband's memory.

Bixby Bridge alone required 300,000 board feet of Douglas fir, 6,600 cubic yards (5,000 m3) of concrete, and 600,000 pounds (270,000 kg) of reinforcing steel.

The state legislature permanently limited the road along the Big Sur coast to two lanes, halting any proposals to upgrade the route to a freeway.

The primary transportation objective of the Big Sur Coastal Land Use plan is to maintain Highway 1 as a scenic two-lane road and to reserve most remaining capacity for the priority uses of the act.

The steep topography, active faults, diverse geology, and seasonal storms combine to make the rugged Big Sur area one of the most landslide-prone stretches of the California coast.

Torrential rains caused flood conditions throughout Monterey County and Highway 1 in Big Sur was closed in numerous locations due to slides.

[63] In March 2011, a 40 feet (12 m) section of Highway 1 just south of the Rocky Creek Bridge collapsed, closing the road for several months until a single lane bypass could be built.

The highway became impassible and CalTrans closed the road in the south near the Elephant seal viewing area at Piedras Blancas beach in San Simeon, California.

[86][98][104] Following several summers of intense drought and wildfire, which weakened soils, a rainy 2020-2021 winter season produced mudslides in the Big Sur region.

[105] On Friday, January 29, 2021, a large section of the road collapsed into the sea near Rat Creek, 15 miles (24 km) south of the community of Big Sur Village.

[109] Condé Nast Traveler named State Route 1 through Big Sur one of the top 10 world-famous streets, comparable to Broadway in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris.

[113] The beauty of the scenery along the narrow, two-lane road attracts enormous crowds during summer vacation periods and holiday weekends, and traffic is frequently slow.

[114] Visitors have reported to the California Highway Patrol hours-long stop-and-go traffic from Rocky Creek Bridge to Rio Road in Carmel during the Memorial Day weekend.

[116] Since the introduction of smart phones and social media, the popularity of certain Big Sur attractions like Bixby Creek Bridge, Pfeiffer Beach, McWay Falls, and the Pine Ridge Trail have dramatically increased.

There are a large number of unpaved pull outs along the highway, but there are only three paved road-side vista points allowing motorists to stop and admire the landscape.

[131] Due to the large number of visitors, congestion and slow traffic between Carmel and the Bixby Creek Bridge is frequently the norm during popular holiday and vacation periods.