<P> The region does not have specific boundaries , but is generally considered to include the 71 miles ( 114 km ) segment of California State Route 1 from Malpaso Creek near Carmel Highlands south to San Carpóforo Creek near San Simeon and the entire Santa Lucia range between the rivers . The interior region is uninhabited , while the coast remains relatively isolated and sparsely populated with about 1,000 year - round residents and relatively few visitor accommodations scattered among four small settlements . When the region was ceded by Mexico to the United States in 1848 , it was the United States ' `` last frontier . '' The region remained one of the most isolated areas of California and the United States until , after 18 years of construction , the Carmel -- San Simeon Highway ( now signed as part of State Route 1 ) was completed in 1937 . The winding , narrow road , often cut into the face of seaside cliffs , dominates the visitor 's experience of Big Sur . The highway has been closed more than 55 times by slides , and in May 2017 , a 2 million cubic foot landslide blocked the highway at Mud Creek , north of Salmon Creek near the San Luis Obispo border , to just south of Gorda . The road is expected to be reopened in June 2018 . </P>
where does the big sur begin and end
does not have specific boundaries , but is generally considered to include the 71 miles ( 114 km ) segment of California State Route 1 from Malpaso Creek near Carmel Highlands south to San Carpóforo Creek near San Simeon and the entire Santa Lucia range between the rivers