Some parks in Big Sur closed indefinitely

P atto and his wife, Luanna came all the way from Brazil and rented an RV to go camping in Big Sur. They along with many others, had to turn around because Highway 1 is closed in both directions along with some state parks in Big Sur.

“We’ve been planning this trip since last year,” said Leonardo Patto of Brazil. “Unfortunately it didn’t go the way we planned.”

About a half a dozen state parks are closed, which include Andrew Molera, Pfeiffer Big Sur and Limekiln.

“Back in July we had the Soberanes fire come through this area and caused a lot of damage to the Big Sur sector of California state parks,” said Sgt. Mike Dippel, California State Parks.

Severe rain storms followed the fire, washing the burned vegetation down which has littered campgrounds with rock and mudslides, charred trees, eroded roads and washed out trails. Parks that are not heavily damaged by the weather are also off limits.

“If it’s not dangerous, it’s just you cannot access the parks because the roads themselves are either blocked by mudslides or have damage to them,” said Dippel.

Local businesses said they’re feeling the financial pain of the closures. Big Sur Lodge, located right next to Pfeiffer State Park, has had zero customers.

“It’s had a pretty big impact on revenue, it’s been extremely slow,” said Rebecca Reynolds, Supervisor, Big Sur Lodge. “It’s nice to get all of the views to yourself sometimes but it’s better to get all of the business.”

Instead of getting calls to book reservations, people are calling to cancel them.

“So we’re not going to get a lot of traffic for the summer like we normally do,” said Reynolds.

Park officials said they are working hard on trying to get the parks open, which they will do on a case by case basis.

Below are the details of the park closures from the CA State Parks Website.:

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ALERT: Highway 1 through Big Sur is closed at the north end at Palo Colorado Road and at the south end at Ragged Point. There is currently NO ACCESS TO BIG SUR for the general public. Additionally, as of 5:00 on February 15, Highway 1 is impassable in both directions at Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge, about half a mile south of the Big Sur Station. The structural integrity of the bridge has been compromised by this winter’s heavy rainfall and is currently under repair by CalTrans. This will be a long-term project. Check traffic conditions before driving at the Caltrans website.

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* GARRAPATA State Park is open on the west side of Highway 1. All park lands east of Highway 1 closed to public entry, due to the 2016 Soberanes Fire.

* POINT SUR LIGHT STATION is open for guided tours, though tours may be cancelled due to weather conditions and road closures. More info: www.pointsur.org or (831) 625-4419

* ANDREW MOLERA State Park is closed until further notice due to flooding from recent heavy rains.

* PFEIFFER BIG SUR State Park continues to be closed due to the impact from the 2016 Soberanes Fire and flooding from recent heavy rains. BUZZARDS ROOST TRAIL is closed until further notice. GROUP CAMP is closed and not available for reservation until further notice. Follow on Facebook for more up-to-date information. BIG SUR LODGE IS OPEN.

* JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS State Park is closed until further notice.

* LIMEKILN State Park is closed until further notice.

For more State Park information and updates on current conditions, please call the California State Parks Big Sur Sector Office at (831) 667-1112 or the Big Sur Station at (831) 667-2315. Check the CalTrans website for up-to-date road conditions on Highway 1.

* PFEIFFER BEACH is also closed until further notice due to flooding and road damage. Call the USFS Monterey District office in King City (831) 385-5434 for more information regarding Pfeiffer Beach.