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Trapped in Paradise
How Big Sur survived seven months of isolation
Brought on by severe winter storms, mudslides isolated 35 miles of Highway 1 in May 2017. In the north, the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge collapsed after debris washed out its support column. Just 24 miles south, Paul’s Slide buried the road. Below that, the Mud Creek Slide reshaped California, spilling out more than 1 million tons of earth, adding 13 acres to the coastline. Paul’s Slide was the first to be cleared, but hundreds of residents were still trapped.
The Lifeline
Carved into California's plunging coastline, the stretch of Highway 1 cutting through Big Sur serves both the tourists drawn to its scenic views and the residents who depend on it to survive. When this road is obstructed, however, the community must depend on itself.
Part 1: The Slides
Big Sur: a history of Landslides
Data sourced from: "A history of road closures along Highway 1, Big Sur Monterey and San Luis Obispo counties, California. 2001"
Cut off from grocery stores, schools and emergency medical services, the community blazed a bypass trail around the fallen Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge to reach the outside world. This trail, apart from the dangerous Nacimiento Fergusson Road, was the only way residents could leave.
