The concrete arch
Over the canyon.
Will Langenberg wlangenberg — CC0 · Jav72 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pacific Southwest Region USFWS from Sacramento, US — Public domain · Martin Cathrae from Charlottetown, PE, Canada — CC BY-SA 2.0 · James Besser jcbesser — CC0
Bixby Bridge is a concrete bridge with a single broad arch, spanning a deep canyon where Bixby Creek meets the sea on the Big Sur coast of California. Green and golden hills rise behind it, and Pacific waves break on the rocks below. It opened in 1932; before then, Big Sur residents were cut off in winter when the old coast road closed. Its arch spans 110 m, the longest concrete arch in California's state highway system, and when finished it was the highest single-span arch bridge in the world. It is one of the most photographed bridges in California for its design and setting. Visitors stop at the small pullout at its northern end to photograph it with the coast. In January 2026 Highway 1 through Big Sur reopened after three years of landslide closures. It is about 21 km in a straight line south of Carmel. It gets very busy and roadside parking is banned in many places, so stop only where it is allowed.
Over the canyon.
Below the bridge.
Along the coast.
State Route 1, Big Sur coast, Monterey County, California
It reopened in January 2026; check before you go.
Only at the permitted north pullout.