Big Sur shuttle service starts this week
At the Fernwood Resort in Big Sur, manager Diana Ballantyne is ready for a busy weekend. “It’s been a tough year,” said Ballantyne.” A year of constant change.”
Business has been slow for many local shops, hotels and restaurants since last summer when the Soberanes fire burned roughly 130,000 acres. Then a tough winter damaged the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge so badly that it needed to be demolished cutting the community in two. As if things couldn’t get any worse, the massive Mud Creek slide is still blocking Highway 1 on the south side.
“When the bridge broke and then the slides to the south of us, the electricity went out, the phone didn’t work,” said Big Sur resident John Hoeffel. “We were stranded.”
In hopes of getting back some sense of normalcy a shuttle service is set start up on Saturday.
“Our guests will be able to take advantage of that and shuttle over there and have an adventure on the south part of our Big Sur Valley that they would normally never get,” said Ballantyne.
One shuttle, leaving every hour starting at noon, will pick folks up at Andrew Molera State Park and will make stops at the River Inn, Fernwood Resort and Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Once at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, visitors will be able to hike around the bridge to the other side a place that has been quiet since the community was cut in off.
“In front of our house we walk down the middle of the highway every night after dinner,” said Hoeffel.
There will be another shuttle on the southern side. It will leave from Loma Vista to Nepenthe every 15 minutes. “I think it’s really a unique opportunity,” said Ballantyne. “People are going to be able to come to see that part of Big Sur without very much traffic. It’s very quiet and beautiful.”
Visitors will be using a trail that has only been available to locals. Some are worried that opening it up to the public is not the right move especially since so much work was done to open it. Others say they welcome the visitors.
“It’s a public park, the visions here warm your heart, and do something to you. People should be able to do that if they want to,” said Hoeffel.
Back at the Fernwood, Ballantyne says she’s ready for folks to come back to Big Sur but wants to remind visitors to respectful.
“It’s actually a really great opportunity for us to educate the people on how to handle Big Sur with care and how to pick up after yourself and leave nothing but footprints.”
The shuttle will cost $5 per person. It’s $10 to park at Andrew Molera which according to State Parks is expected to reopen by August.
