Old Coast Road | Big Sur, California [Off The Beaten Track Episode 6]

[@fourwheeltravel]

We have merch! Check out our merch store at store.fourwheeltravel.com

[@salvadorruiz1830]

Thank you for your video, I rode my motorcycle through Gloria and La Gloria Road because of you and they were great next up Old Coast Road

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for watching & commenting! La Gloria Rd is a fun one, and Old Coast Rd is excellent. We’ve been out to Clear Creek a couple of times recently - might be interesting for motorcycles. Editing our 2nd trip out there now.

[@Deetroiter]

Went the direction from north of the bridge southwards on old coast road in my Subaru Crosstrek, was a lot of fun but it took a lot longer than I thought it would. I was surprised to see other vehicles, like a Chevy Astro AWD van, etc all doing the coast road too. If anyone gets the chance to do it, make sure you do! It’s just enough ruggedness to to be exciting and fun, but it’s not so wild that you need to be a pro or have an off road rig. Just take your time up/down and enjoy!

[@fourwheeltravel]

@@Deetroiter interesting that you did it in a Crosstrek! To be honest there are a few spots that were a little tight, especially height-wise, in the truck, which is taller now because of the camper. Maybe I can persuade my wife to take the Crosstrek over there. It is a hidden gem, that’s for sure.

[@robertchickering6724]

Thanks for this video! I've been on the PCH many times, but not on this road.

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for watching and commenting. We were the same way. It's a beautiful drive, though narrow and rough in places.

[@Malco47]

Thank you!

[@gisel2115]

a very relaxing video to watch! I hope you consider a trail in Big Bear, CA sometime post snowfall :)

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for watching and commenting! Would love to get out to Big Bear!

[@GTZZTG]

Nice video. Is it suitable for adventure motorcycle riding? 😅😅

[@fourwheeltravel]

Maybe with the right equipment, tires/suspension etc?

[@jeffhildreth9244]

Yes. I have been over this road dozens of times over 46 years. NSU Super Max 250, Moto Morini Camel, several BMWs.

[@jemteebee556]

Great video! I'm planning on doing this trail in the beginningof September with my Wrangler. It's been on my bucket list. How long did it take you to get to the other side of the highway?

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for watching & commenting! It’s about 10 miles and probably an hour if you drive straight through, longer if you pause at different locations. I think we spent about 2 hours, but 15 minutes of that was spent talking to a local we passed (one of only 2 vehicles we met) who had some fascinating history of his family & the area.

[@jemteebee556]

@@fourwheeltravel oh thats not bad at all. I gave it about 4-5 hours. With a few stops for photo ops. That's really helpful and I can probably plam to see the light house before they close. Thanks man! Much appreciated 👍

[@CC_Marauder]

Another nice drive to give a try. Please explain what you routinely call a "shelf" road. We would consider these types of trails a forest road with a #. TFS

[@fourwheeltravel]

By shelf road, I mean that a road was cut into a cliff or steep hillside, so as to create a 'shelf'. Usually, these will have a sheer drop at the outside edge with no guard rail or other safety barrier. I call these out because I have found that people become uncomfortable in such a situation, and also because those types of roads are dangerous and/or impassable when wet.

[@extraordinarymoments]

Great video, I have camped for many years along the Big Sur coast, this back road trip was interesting and I will subscribe to help you get closer to 1K subscribers.

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for watching and commenting, and for the sub! :) I checked out your channel and see that you have a Carrizo Plain video, will check that out as it is on our list of 'backyard' destinations, looks like something of a hidden gem!

[@jeffhildreth9244]

If you are "local", Monterey Peninsula and Big Sur, no one calls the road PCH, it is known as Hiway 1. PCH is used by So Cal folks. PS I lived and worked off and on in Big Sur starting in the mid 60s. Rest of the time in Pacific Grove, Monterey and Carmel. Glenn Gregory Hildreth RIP Bixby Bridge, Nov 12, 1982

[@fourwheeltravel]

Yeah I usually refer to it as Highway 1. We’re local, 15-20 miles from the coast, but over the coastal range.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@fourwheeltravel Prunetucky, Salinas, Spreckels, King City, Greenfield, Aromas ?

[@fourwheeltravel]

@@jeffhildreth9244 Lockwood/Jolon area.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@fourwheeltravel Fantastic area. I have taken Jolon road many times to stay off 101.

[@kbezier7484]

@@jeffhildreth9244 "Prunetucky...". Love it. That is the turn off on 101 (for 156) when driving to Monterey / Big Sur from SF. Drove Highway 1 Monterey / Big Sur / Morro Bay many times over the decades. Both directions. Preferred the South to North direction. Heard way too many "West of One Driving Club" stories. Yeah, found the "PCH" references weird too. Used to live in SoCal and the PCH was Highway 1 from Oxnard south. Starting at the 101 / 1 split. North of Oxnard that was just the 101 until 1 split off again at Gaviota. And Lompoc definitely is not on the PCH. I immediately understood the Bixby Bridge reference. My sincere condolences.

[@marvinfojas1]

Great video. Do you think this trail is doable in a stock height Subaru Forester? It has little over 8" ground clearance.

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for watching and commenting! I think you'd probably be ok. The trail surface is a little rougher and rockier toward the south end and there are just one or two spots where clearance might be an issue if you take the wrong line, but there is no rock crawling or anything like that. Definitely don't go if there has been recent rain (and in fact the trail may be closed when wet).

[@Deetroiter]

Definitely will make it. I've been through it from the northside of the bridge all the way around to the south of the bridge exit in a stock Subaru Crosstrek. I even saw a GMC Safari mini-van hitting the road too. I'd just suggest using the bathroom or anything like that before hitting the old coast road because there's no where to use it and the trail is definitely a bit longer than you'd expect if you're taking your time to enjoy the experience.

[@williaml.baptiste3597]

It's eleven and a half miles. I had the good fortune to spend several years driving it. It's not a good idea for tourists to travel on the road, and it's not a tourist-friendly road for urban drivers. Mike! Mike Trotter, fourth generation.

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for your comment. We’d agree, and as noted in the description and in the video, “We would recommend a high-clearance vehicle. The road is rutted in places, and rocky in others. We would strongly advise against attempting this without at least all-terrain tires, and four-wheel drive or at least all-wheel drive is recommended. The road is impassable when wet, and if you've traveled this route, you will know why - there are shelf roads with sheer drops of hundreds of feet interspersed throughout the track, and there's no way I'd want to be out here in slippery conditions!”

[@williaml.baptiste3597]

@@fourwheeltravel : Revised comment...

[@canyonhaverfield2201]

You show total lack of respect by this post. Take this off & leave your personal experience is yours..keep it there & spare those who work, live, & seek privacy from you rubber neck's... Those of you who typically throw trash into our lands..beware! We are through accommodating poop, any trash, roadside camps. If discovered your day may become one of your worst.

[@onememories8523]

Nice and relaxing video! Thank you for sharing! It didn't seem like you aired down at all. Do you really need to? Some of the trail seem very narrow....did you get any pin strips on your powerwagon?

[@fourwheeltravel]

Did not air down. Maybe a couple of pinstripes, though it really wasn’t that bad. I have had much worse, like our W15 video, that was painful! kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZpOuiYmcfb-UopY

[@christianbada7449]

What was your speed like?

[@fourwheeltravel]

Took us about an hour with stops for YouTubing etc.

[@christianbada7449]

@@fourwheeltravel like 15mph?

[@fourwheeltravel]

It’s about 10 miles so probably something like that. We crawled down the descent into Little Sur, and there is a narrow section just before that where we took it slowly.

[@reggierespicio1177]

How long did it take you to complete?

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for commenting! If you check the link in the description there's a full breakdown along with interactive map and GPX files. four.wheel.travel/old-coast-road/ You could expect it to take 1-2 hours depending how easy you go.

[@brentfrank7012]

Does anyone know how this road handled winters of 2023 & 2024? Still open or washed out?

[@fourwheeltravel]

We haven’t been out since we did the video and would also be interested to know.

[@misaeldimatulac7506]

Would a sprinter van full size 170 be ok?

[@fourwheeltravel]

Honestly you might have difficulty. It’s been a little while since we were there but there is a narrow section with an overhang of trees and bushes that could be challenging in a tall vehicle. Around 11:38 in the video.

[@daves485]

Would you recommend airing down?

[@fourwheeltravel]

Thanks for commenting - I don't think airing down is really necessary. There might be some slight comfort benefits to doing so, but I don't think it is necessary for traction.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

I sent my brother your way on you tube.// he's still in PG my old home ground.

[@fourwheeltravel]

thank you, much appreciated! 🙌🏻

[@nicholasroche]

Is this road open now? It says it might be closed...

[@fourwheeltravel]

Not sure, but it is subject to seasonal closure in the wet season. There are definitely parts I would not want to be on in the wet!

[@senthil1122]

It is closed for now

[@Barley150]

Not just gingerly, but white-knuckling it down.

[@fourwheeltravel]

Slow & steady wins the race. 👍🏻

[@KirbyLouis]

this was all very much 'beaten track"

[@fourwheeltravel]

In this series we visit routes that are out of the way, even if they are hidden in plain sight, like the start and end of ‘Old Coast Road’. Thanks for watching & commenting!