Big Sur Slide Spectacular Part 2 (Nacimiento-Fergusson Road to isolated CA 1)

Started by Max Rockatansky, June 14, 2017, 09:15:04 PM

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Max Rockatansky

Alright....so this one has been a long time coming.  Yesterday both Los Padres National Forest and Fort Hunter Liggett both confirmed for me the next convoys to the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge repairs will be tomorrow.   That being the case and along with the weather being super nice I made back out to Big Sur this time via the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  This would be significant because Naciminento-Fergusson gaps the Santa Lucia Range to the 11 mile section of CA 1 along Big Sur that is cut off by Paul's Slide north of Lucia and the Mud Creek Slide south of Gorda.  I took over 300 photos which can be found here:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/151828809@N08/oQUcFB

The Nacimiento-Fergusson Road itself is a 24.5 mile (Edit: or anywhere from 23.8 to 24.5 depending on the source)which runs from Misson Road in Fort Hunter Liggett westward to CA 1.  What makes the roadway difficult to access is simply the fact that it is located on an active Army Test Range which makes it tricky to figure out when there might be closures.  The roadway is pretty normalized in Fort Hunter Liggett but becomes a single lane road at the Los Padres National Forest Boundary.  My observations westbound are as follows:

Miles 1-8.5:      This is the two-lane section through Fort Hunter Liggett.  There is a nice older one-lane bridge that road traffic uses over a creek but there is also a tank bypass directly next to it.  The road is pretty normal aside from the weird Army signage which is nowhere near MUTCD standards for the most part. 

Miles 8.5-17.5:      There is a gate leaving Fort Hunter Liggett which enters Los Padres National Forest.  From here west Nacimiento-Fergusson is a single lane road all the way west to CA 1.  The road picks up the Nacimiento River for a couple miles before losing it on the ascent to approximately a 2,700 foot summit at the Coast Ridge Trail.   Even though this is a single lane road there is anything too crazy at this point.

Miles 17.5-24.5:   This is where the road gets nuts...or rather a lot of fun.  The Santa Lucias open at this point revealing a steep canyon which the Pacific can be seen off in the distance.  The road narrows significantly and follows the edge of the canyon walls all the way down to CA 1.  The grade in the last three miles I'm certain exceeds 15% if not 20% in places and really should be tackled with low gear.

So with all that in mind, is the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road worth it?....with as much emphasis as I can state F$#$ YES it is!  Really this roadway is criminally underrated for scenery and really ranks up there with CA 1 through Big Sur itself or even Tioga Pass/CA 120...at least in my opinion  That last seven miles west to the coast might be the most scenic segment of highway in the state, it really is that good. 

Compared to other single lane roads I wouldn't say that Nacimiento-Fergusson ranks very high up there for difficulty.  Really the hardest part is being patient enough to maintain low gear on the descent to the coast.  If you stick to your side of the road and otherwise aren't afraid of heights the roadway is perfectly suitable for most mildly skilled drivers.  There are sections only wide enough for one vehicle, but they are extremely brieft and never had me wanting for passing room.  On the western descent I passed twenty-two vehicles heading back east, I didn't have a problem passing anyone.  There was some oversized fuel trucks that I encountered but nothing too worrisome.  I would certainly imagine that having weekly convoys on the Nacimineto-Fergusson Road has to a pretty extreme task given the road is really not designed for vehicles over 30 feet in length.

Compared to other one-lane paved roads in the state this is a pretty decent challenge but I would still rate roads like Blackrock Road, Kaiser Pass Road, and maybe even Ebbetts Pass on CA 4 as more difficult overall.  I certainly would put Nacimiento-Fergusson ahead of all of them for scenery by a wide margin.  I've never done the full route before but really it is worth the trip, especially since CA 1 between Lucia and Gorda is now isolated by mudslides.

Before I get into CA 1, I'll briefly go back over the history of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  As I stated in the previous thread the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road appears on the 1935 Monterey County Map and is shown as complete to CA 1 on the 1938 State Highway Map.  I would assume that Nacimiento-Fergusson was completed by 1937 much like CA 1, but I don't have anything in that time gap to substantiate that.  Either way, here are the maps that I referenced:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~247320~5515371:Monterey-County-?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:california%2Bdivision%2Bof%2Bhighways;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=48&trs=160

http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239588~5511892:Road-Map-of-the-State-of-California?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=69&trs=86


As for CA 1, the roadway from Nacimiento-Fergusson is open 3 miles to the north and 8 miles to the south.  Heading northward there is a gate at Limekiln State Park which is manned by a Caltrans worker.  I'm to understand that the roadway is open to locals north through Paul's Slide up to the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge project.  Limekiln State Park is completely open but the campgrounds were maybe one third full.  The trail up to Limekiln Creek Falls was almost impassable but there was some make shift bridging over the creek with fallen tree debris.  The trail to the kilns was completely obstructed by a fallen redwood which would have been really difficult to get over.  The beach where Limekiln Creek meets the Pacific was in good shape but there seemed to be some odd errosion lines.

Southbound on CA 1 to Gorda is basically completely cleared up.  I hardly say any other cars which made for an odd instance where 55-60 MPH speeds were completely easy on the open roadway.  Surprisingly there is gas available in Gorda and it didn't cost much over the state averages.  I would have loved to actually stayed in Gorda, it has food available and basically is completely quiet.

Heading back east on the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road will have you mostly cliff-side on the climb back up to 2,700 feet.  There is enough grass at the edge of the roadway to likely curtail vertigo for most folks.  The grade like I stated before is completely heavy on the climb up the Santa Lucias but it isn't anything to worry about in regards to overheating because you might be able to do 25-30 MPH max.  At the top I encountered a car of kids probably in their late teens/early twenties who were asking for information.  Apparently the sign saying "CA 1 closed 6 miles ahead, locals only" was throwing them off at the summit.  Really it speaks to the inaccuracy of the information about the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road in general I think...but with the slides information ought to be easier to access.  Those kids didn't even know what low gear or engine braking were and I explained it to them...hopefully they didn't roast the brakes too badly.

Heading back to Fort Hunter Liggett there was a pretty decent size fire going on in the fields on one of the ranges.  I'm not sure it was a wildfire or if it was caused by the Army doing exercises, I believe the latter might be the case given the large number of Humvees in proximity.  To that end I'm unsure if there was any closures from the fire but it was probably a good thing that I left when I did.

Speaking of accurate information of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, if you are looking at making a trip I would suggest checking the following sources:


BigSurKate

https://bigsurkate.blog/

Like I said in the first thread, this is a blog that is largely written from the perspective of locals.  To that end there is really good information on Caltrans convoys and Fort Hunter Liggett road closures that pops up.  I would REALLY suggest not paying attention to the pining of the locals in regards to how people drive on the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  The road is nowhere as difficult as they say it is to drive on and the opinions border on malicious with the appearance that might be written as such to scare people away.

Los Padres National Forest

https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/lpnf/alerts-notices/?cid=stelprdb5347980

The home page has links to current closures within the National Forest.  The Monterey Ranger Station in King City has current road information for Nacimineto-Fergusson which includes Caltrans convoys. 

Fort Hunter Liggett

http://www.liggett.army.mil/sites/local/home.php

You'll need to call 831-386-2513 to reach someone in Base Security for information on closures within the range roads.  Sometimes the person who picks up will give you straight information, other times they'll tell you to call a couple other extensions.  I would just keep trying until you get a clear answer one way or the others.


So with all that in mind that only leaves one last slide segment from Ragged Point southward.  I'll have some other things going on the next couple weeks in the Sierras but I'm hoping to wrap that last segment up at some point in the next month.  Once Pfeiffer Canyon reopens I'll likely come back out to take CA 1 north to Monterey via Nacimiento-Fergusson. 


Max Rockatansky

I've been reading through my notes and I've noticed a discrepancy in the length of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road from various sources.  So far I've seen; 23.8, 24.2, and 24.5 miles....if someone has a clear answer on this from a reliable source I would be greatly interested seeing it.  The road is post marked with mileage markers as a National Forest road eastbound, I don't recall seeing any travel back west.  I'm actually finding this kind of vexing that there is so little REAL information out there on this road considering how many seem to know about it.

Also if I'm feeling up to it I might actually link of some relevant photos tomorrow in regards to the CA 1 closures and of course some of the cool stuff on Nacimiento-Fergusson. 

Max Rockatansky

According to pjammycycling the western most 6.7 miles of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road to CA 1 has the following grade statistics:

Distance
6.7
Average Grade
7.20%
Elevation Gained
2,609
Descended
(62)
Beginning Elevation
237
Ending Elevation
2,777
Max Grade
14.1%

I've found this site to be very reliable for finding out what grades since he uses a grade meter to measure the roadways.  Really it is pretty helpful information in California in general since that kind of information is difficult to come by from Caltrans or any sort of governing body maintaining a roadway.  The site can be found here:

https://www.pjammcycling.com/california---top-ca-climbs.html


So with that in mind, I figured that this whole saga yesterday was worth the older Max R picture treatment given the gravity of the situation with the closures on CA 1.  That being the case I'll start with how I accessed the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road which in my opinion is really poorly conveyed by most informational websites...especially the ones linked over in the original post.  That being the case I started out by crossing the Diablos on CA 198 and took it to the western terminus at CA 198:

IMG_0249 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

CA 198 becomes San Lucas-Lockwood and crosses the Salinas River on the single lane San Lucas Bridge.  This particular bridge was completed in 1915 and is still in use...pretty active actually given the proximity to US 101:

IMG_0250 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

I took a western turn onto Oasis Road which is a wide single lane west to G14/Jolon Road:

IMG_0251 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

About 12 miles south of Oasis Road is the turn-off of Jolon Road to Mission Road which continues west into Fort Hunter Liggett.  Apparently the "30 foot truck advisory" is a brand new sign posted this year:

IMG_0252 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

To reach Nacimiento-Fergusson you need to take Mission Road approximately 3 miles west to the main gate for Fort Hunter Liggett.  The gate is easily identifiable from the large Jersey barriers that are blocking it off from direct access.  I thought the elk advisory was weird to see, apparently there is a herd of Tule Elk nearby:

IMG_0254 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The Nacimiento-Fergusson Road starts with this one large bridge over the San Antonio River.  Bridgehunter didn't have any information on this bridge but it appears to be somewhat old, the design capacity is probably huge due to the Army training grounds  Interestingly there is a tank bypass just to the left of the bridge in this picture:

IMG_0256 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Nacimiento-Fergusson is a two-lane well maintained road west to the Los Padres National Forest line.  There is a large gate at the National Forest Boundary:

IMG_0259 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0261 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0264 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Nacimiento-Fergusson drops to a wide single lane and remains that way all the way west to the coast from here on out.  Again there is a new "30 Foot" advisory sign:

IMG_0265 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr





Max Rockatansky

It isn't too long until the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road picks up the namesake river at about an elevation of 1,400 feet above sea level:

IMG_0268 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

There is virtually no elevation change for the next couple westward miles until this single lane crossing of the Nacimiento River.  The Nacimiento-Fergusson Road begins to ascend to the 2,777 foot summit from here:

IMG_0274 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

About a mile or two from the summit there is a really nice overlook of the Santa Lucia Range:

IMG_0287 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

At the unnamed 2,777 foot summit there is a sign saying CA 1 is closed six miles ahead to locals...that ain't accurate given the road is open for awhile in both directions.  Either way the drop to the coast begins here:

IMG_0290 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

A couple hundred feet west of the summit is the first view of the ocean and the expanse below:

IMG_0291 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

From here west there are occasional narrow sections where someone would have to back up if two cars met.  That said, they are brief and it is highly unlikely that an encounter would cause too much of an issue:

IMG_0295 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The roadway really hugs the terrain pretty closely which leads to a lot hairpins and blind curves.  If you stay on your side of the road it will minimize running into someone unexpectedly:

IMG_0300 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

At about 2,100 feet is the first real chance to see what is westward and far below.  The Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is the line on the cliff-side on the right of the panoramic:

IMG_0313 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

There is a second overlook a little to the west which shows the road cut a little more clearly.  It is a steady but fairly drop for the next mile or two ahead:

IMG_0324 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The road dogs north briefly away from the cliff-face which was where the slip-out from February was located which just so happens to be in a small grove:

IMG_0329 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0334 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0335 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0337 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Max Rockatansky

West of the construction zone is where the big grades start at about 1,700 feet above sea level.  The 14% areas are within this area:

IMG_0339 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Which is illustrated by how much the roadway drops by looking at it from above:

IMG_0353 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The Nacimiento-Fergusson Road dogs north for a bit facing towards Lucia while losing elevation:

IMG_0359 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The road dogs back south after this hairpin and essentially is located directly above CA 1:

IMG_0363 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0366 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0370 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

I found this attempt at a center stripe to be somewhat amusing:

IMG_0378 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The roadway curves back east from here on nearing the final descent:

IMG_0379 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Which offers a nice view of the canyon you just traversed:

IMG_0381 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

After another hairpin the road is facing west again towards the ocean:

IMG_0387 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Max Rockatansky

Before the last swing north to CA 1 there are some fantastic views of it from a pull-out.  It was kind of amazing to see the Pacific Coast Highway with NO cars on it and almost no noise aside from the ocean below:

IMG_0388 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0390 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

And with final drop Nacimiento-Fergusson reaches CA 1.  The road was open three miles to the north and it says eight miles to the south but it is actually slightly further:

IMG_0392 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0393 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

I started out heading north towards Limekiln State Park which is completely open and Paul's Slide:

IMG_0395 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0399 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

There is a gate at the bridge over Limekiln State Park with a manned gate.  My understanding is that the gate is manned to let locals from Lucia in/out of where they live.  The Caltrans convoys apparently have enough room to get through Paul's Slide to get to the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge project.  Apparently the Paul's Slide section of the CA 1 closure is due to reopen completely by the end of July:

IMG_0400 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The trails in Limekiln State Park are all jacked up and washed out from tree debris.  I did manage to get up to Limekiln Falls by using the tree debris, the Lime Kiln trail was wiped out by a fallen redwood:

IMG_0433 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The beach on the other hand was easily accessible and had great views of the ocean in addition to the highway bridge.  There was plenty of open camps on the beach, I would imagine that it would make for a great quiet getaway with the road closures:

IMG_0442 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0445 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0449 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Max Rockatansky

Heading south Caltrans QuickMap shows CA 1 open to Plaskett but it is actually open as far south as Gorda:

IMG_0458 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The contradiction is evidenced by the fact this VMS says 9 Miles approximately 1 mile south of Nacimiento-Fergusson:

IMG_0463 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

I didn't encounter another passenger car heading south, only stray Caltrans workers cleaning up the road.  Made for some great shots of an empty highway and made it easy to get up to 60 MPH:

IMG_0472 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0481 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The Willow Creek Bridge is where the QuickMap shows the current closure a couple miles south of Gorda:

IMG_0487 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

But as you can see Gorda is reachable:

IMG_0495 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

And is the location of the current closure for the Mud Creek Slide:

IMG_0493 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

There is gas, food, lodging, and even an ATM in Gorda that are active.  I would imagine that makes for much more livable conditions for the local populace:

IMG_0494 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

But even still...getting back out to the rest of the state requires use of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road:

IMG_0496 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0498 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Max Rockatansky

On the way back up over the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road I took some extra pictures that were relevant to the roadway, starting with a decent sized truck conveying the true width of the road on the cliff-side grade:

IMG_0510 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The Forest Service Road Coastal Trail access from the summit of Nacimiento-Fergusson:

IMG_0521 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0522 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0523 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

And fire I mentioned on the way back east in Fort Hunter Liggett:

IMG_0530 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0533 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr


And really that's pretty much it.  Hell of a ride to get out to Big Sur on the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road, especially for something really unique with all the road closures on CA 1.  I doubt it will be so quiet once Pfeiffer Canyon opens up again, but I would venture a guess that Gorda might be a little island of solitude given it is still a decent clip out of the way with the Mud Creek Slide.  Either way I'm looking forward to the Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge opening and maybe taking the Challenger out for a trip up to Monterey.

andy3175

Jaw-droppingly beautiful. Thank you for posting these. I'd never seen a view like the one coming over that narrow 1.5-lane road and looking down toward Highway 1 and the Pacific Ocean. It was also very unusual to see so little traffic on what normally would be a busy route. And look, you got clear skies in June... not bad!
Regards,
Andy

www.aaroads.com

jakeroot

Great shots, man. I love seeing single-lane roads. There seems to be a dwindling number of them in the US. I've encountered quite a few in Hawaii, but there's very few in Washington.

How long of a day was it for you? Driving a road like that takes ages.

Jbte

Nice! thanks for the pictures. Looks like a beautiful road to travel on, and of course challenging.
Hope you don't mind to post it here, the reason of the hwy 1 closure, for those who don't know.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: andy3175 on June 16, 2017, 01:08:34 AM
Jaw-droppingly beautiful. Thank you for posting these. I'd never seen a view like the one coming over that narrow 1.5-lane road and looking down toward Highway 1 and the Pacific Ocean. It was also very unusual to see so little traffic on what normally would be a busy route. And look, you got clear skies in June... not bad!

It really a pretty unique view with the ocean and Big Sur all in view, like I was saying before I find it amazing how little this road is talked about.  The forecast was pretty much perfect this entire week after there was a big cold front the week prior.  I just wish that I had time either to camp or stay at the motel in Gorda for a couple days.  With so few people out in Highway 1 it would have been something really unique and really peaceful.  Seeing the road so empty really puts in perspective how much of an inland island Big Sur really is.

Quote from: jakeroot on June 16, 2017, 02:38:47 AM
Great shots, man. I love seeing single-lane roads. There seems to be a dwindling number of them in the US. I've encountered quite a few in Hawaii, but there's very few in Washington.

How long of a day was it for you? Driving a road like that takes ages.

Overall I want to say that I drove six hours that day?...I'm really not that far away and I was home by the early afternoon.  Going downhill on Nacimiento is a lot slower than going back up if you do it right and use lower gears.  I want to say from the start of the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road it took maybe an hour to get down and 45-50 minutes going back up.  I mostly in first gear the way down but I probably could have shifted to second for a couple miles if I wasn't taking pictures...I also machined my rotors a week ago and didn't want to use my brakes much.  Going back uphill going back east I was going 25-30 MPH, 30-35 MPH through the rest of the single lane section in Los Padres National Forest, and 50-55 MPH in Fort Hunter Liggett.

Hell I love one lane roads, they offer a pretty unique challenge that you usually don't get on a normal two-lane roadway.  California is FULL of single-lane paved roadways with several even in the state highway system.  Some of the others that I've posted on this board would include:

-  J41/Nine Mile Canyon Road
-  Mineral King Highway
-  Blackrock Road
-  Kaiser Pass Road
-  Coalinga Road/Los Gatos Creek Road
-  Peachtree Road
-  Parkfield Grade
-  CA 236 Big Basin Highway
-  CA 146 Shirtail Canyon Road
-  CR J1
-  CR J21
-  CA 4 over Pacific Grade Summit and Ebbetts Pass

The one I really want to try is Onion Valley Road in the eastern Sierras, that thing looks daunting as all hell.

What I find interesting about Nacimiento-Fergusson is that the roadway really could be widened and improved if there was ever a push to do so.  I'm actually surprised none of those locals that I see that BigSurKate blog has ever mentioned petitioning the legislature to adopt the road into the state highway system.  All the locals on that blog seem be interested in is complaining about contractors and tourists on the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  Really the alignment would make for a handy continuation of CA 198 and obviously has proven merit given the situation at hand being the only route that is usable across the Santa Lucia Range from Carmel Valley Road all the way south to Santa Rosa Creek Road in Cambria.   Not that I'm suggesting that something like that should be done, or would be realistic with how the legislature operates these days in regards to road building.

Quote from: Jbte on June 16, 2017, 02:52:05 AM
Nice! thanks for the pictures. Looks like a beautiful road to travel on, and of course challenging.
Hope you don't mind to post it here, the reason of the hwy 1 closure, for those who don't know.


I want to say the closure in Gorda is only two miles from the Mud Creek slide.  As bad as that slide really is it isn't something that is ever going to close the road permanently.  The slide history of Big Sur in the post-1972 EPA Era is still pretty big and Caltrans has managed to get the highway open eventually in the past.  The worst thing that could happen would be another heavily rainy season this winter.  I guess that the estimation for reopening the Mud Creek slide section of CA 1 is mid-2018 right now.

kkt


jakeroot

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 16, 2017, 08:53:43 AM
Hell I love one lane roads, they offer a pretty unique challenge that you usually don't get on a normal two-lane roadway.  California is FULL of single-lane paved roadways with several even in the state highway system.  Some of the others that I've posted on this board would include:

[clipped]

I checked out quite a few of those on Street View. I really gotta get back to California, in a car. Those roads have some spectacular views.

The best thing I saw from that list was a view from Kaiser Pass Rd (here). What a shot! God, I love the Sierras.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kkt on June 16, 2017, 01:19:01 PM
Awesome!  Thanks for the travelogue and the pictures!

Hopefully the information is useful, especially if anyone wants to head out that way.  I've done the 7 mile section from CA 1 up to the summit before but the information about Fort Hunter Liggett was either extremely wonky or difficult to come by. 

Quote from: jakeroot on June 16, 2017, 05:45:57 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 16, 2017, 08:53:43 AM
Hell I love one lane roads, they offer a pretty unique challenge that you usually don't get on a normal two-lane roadway.  California is FULL of single-lane paved roadways with several even in the state highway system.  Some of the others that I've posted on this board would include:

[clipped]

I checked out quite a few of those on Street View. I really gotta get back to California, in a car. Those roads have some spectacular views.

The best thing I saw from that list was a view from Kaiser Pass Rd (here). What a shot! God, I love the Sierras.

Kaiser Pass Road is probably one of the more traversed of those one-lane roads which can be pretty wild considering that there are very places where the asphalt is wide enough for two cars.  At the summit of Kaiser Pass there is an OHV road that is about a mile long that takes you to the White Bark Vista which overlooks Florence Lake:

IMG_8848 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_8857 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Even coming back down to Huntington Lake has some nice views but hell I wouldn't want to run into another car and try to back up on a steep grade!

IMG_8893 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_8904 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr


The one that is really amazing is Blackrock Road out by Balch Camp which really might be the most intimidating paved road I've ever driven:

5 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

12 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

16 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

22 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

26 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

31 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

If you're coming out this way let me know, I'll have something interesting regardless of where you are in the state.  Speaking of one-lanes, I'll be clinching CA 172 next weekend when I'm out in the Sierras.

Max Rockatansky

There was some new Caltrans photos of the Mud Creek Slide, Paul's Slide, and Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge project posted on the BigSurKate Blog:

https://bigsurkate.blog/2017/06/16/cal-trans-photos-no-change-in-update/

Apparently the next Caltrans convoy is on the 20th next week.


It would seem the fire I saw out on Fort Hunter Liggett was a controlled burn:

https://bigsurkate.blog/2017/06/13/controlled-burn-stoney-valley-on-weds-614/


And here is an example of what the locals post in regards to the truckers/contractors using the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road:

https://bigsurkate.blog/2017/06/16/damage-to-nacimiento-rd-2/

Really I'm not understanding what the locals aren't getting.  The truck in the picture had to cut-over to the other side somewhere due to it being long, hence why the convoys require shutting the road down completely.  Really the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road isn't really meant for trucks or heavy/long vehicles in general, there will be SOME damage that is a consequence.  More so this is a Forest Service Road and it isn't something that people can expect to like a normal two-lane state maintained highway, always expect the unexpected I'd say....construction or not.  I get it that the situation is shitty, there will be some road damage, and I'm sure that not every trucker is "top-notch" driver either......but at least Caltrans is trying to get access back open for these people instead of pulling a CA 39 on them.  Really like I said in the previous posts, the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is infinitely better shape than ought to be expected.  I also love how there is no mileage post references that a DOT might be interested in for patch work, it just strikes me as people who probably have good intentions but don't provide (or don't know how) that could information for anyone who might be able to help them.


jakeroot

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on June 16, 2017, 06:44:09 PM
12 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

This is like something you'd see on the Radiator Springs Racers ride at Disneyland (meaning, 'duck!' or off comes your head!). I've never seen anything like that!

When I drove the single lane roads in Hawaii, I just blew my horn around every corner. Kept me out of trouble for the most part.

Max Rockatansky

^^^

Blackrock (actually it really isn't all that clear if it is Blackrock or Black Rock Road) is so far out there up the Kings River watershed in the Sierras that the nearest place which is Balch Camp is actually a company town run by PG&E.  Surprisingly I'm fairly certain Blackrock Road dates back to the 1960s which I base off the dates on the wooden bridges.  The road actually drops down to dirt after the Black Rock Reservoir and goes north all the way to Wishon Lake.  Really it is intended for PG&E vehicles but the whole thing is accessible to the public, I've even run it a couple times and would park next to that giant pipe!  :-D

I've found the car horn method to be especially effective on dicey turns.  I had to use said method twice going back uphill when I had the cliff-face on Nacimiento-Fergusson.

relaxok

Loved these pictures, thanks!

I live in the Bay Area and have stayed in Big Sur 8-10 times (Ventana is a favorite hotel of the girlfriend) driving south from here, and also driven through the entire coast via San Simeon going north after staying in Santa Barbara.    We've joked about taking this road since the closure, but it actually doesn't look as rough as I expected.  Anything where there's even a potential of having to back up makes me really uneasy though!

Maybe it's because I've gone all seasons but there's definitely times where Big Sur and CA-1 aren't very busy at all.  The summer is quite packed however.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: relaxok on August 18, 2017, 05:13:46 AM
Loved these pictures, thanks!

I live in the Bay Area and have stayed in Big Sur 8-10 times (Ventana is a favorite hotel of the girlfriend) driving south from here, and also driven through the entire coast via San Simeon going north after staying in Santa Barbara.    We've joked about taking this road since the closure, but it actually doesn't look as rough as I expected.  Anything where there's even a potential of having to back up makes me really uneasy though!

Maybe it's because I've gone all seasons but there's definitely times where Big Sur and CA-1 aren't very busy at all.  The summer is quite packed hwoever.

I live close enough that usually I drive the entire Big Sur section of 1 a couple times a year, I've rarely had occasion to stay given the proximity.  I'm really hoping that Pfeiffer Canyon reopens on time since that would make for an awesome little trip to drive the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road west to 1 and north to Monterey.

I doubt there is much chance of a backup out there on the Naci.  Getting to the road in the first place is pretty vaguely defined but there is also little information that is reliable from Fort Hunter Liggett other than to call and hoping to get someone in Dispatch who will give you a clear answer.  The roadway is much wider than most people present it to be and in the final seven or so miles for the most part you can see someone coming from a long ways away to be ready for them. 

Max Rockatansky

Seems this is the only thread for the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  This road was heavily damaged during the Dolan Fire in 2020, I thought there was a fair chance it would closed for good.  Seems funds have been finally been set aside for repairs:

https://www.ksbw.com/article/federal-money-to-repair-nacimiento-fergusson-road/38727374#

pderocco

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 30, 2022, 12:23:19 PM
Seems this is the only thread for the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  This road was heavily damaged during the Dolan Fire in 2020, I thought there was a fair chance it would closed for good.  Seems funds have been finally been set aside for repairs:

https://www.ksbw.com/article/federal-money-to-repair-nacimiento-fergusson-road/38727374#

This road has the advantage that it is an alternate route for that other road that gets shut down a lot, so they can't very well not fix it. I've driven it many times in wildflower season, but I fear it won't be open in time for that this year.

By the way, those were great Blackrock Rd pix. I started down that once, but turned back because it was late afternoon and I didn't want to risk getting stranded. It's on my bucket list.

If you're looking for another exciting one-lane road, try Wards Ferry Rd between Groveland and Sonora. I had a World's Most Dangerous Roads experience on it once, when I encountered an ancient school bus coming the other way, filled with bungee jumpers who use the bridge at the bottom. I had to squeeze way over to the left against the rocks while the bus inched its way by with its left wheels on the edge of the cliff. Took about five minutes. Seemed like the driver had done that before.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: pderocco on February 06, 2022, 03:02:28 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 30, 2022, 12:23:19 PM
Seems this is the only thread for the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road.  This road was heavily damaged during the Dolan Fire in 2020, I thought there was a fair chance it would closed for good.  Seems funds have been finally been set aside for repairs:

https://www.ksbw.com/article/federal-money-to-repair-nacimiento-fergusson-road/38727374#

This road has the advantage that it is an alternate route for that other road that gets shut down a lot, so they can't very well not fix it. I've driven it many times in wildflower season, but I fear it won't be open in time for that this year.

By the way, those were great Blackrock Rd pix. I started down that once, but turned back because it was late afternoon and I didn't want to risk getting stranded. It's on my bucket list.

If you're looking for another exciting one-lane road, try Wards Ferry Rd between Groveland and Sonora. I had a World's Most Dangerous Roads experience on it once, when I encountered an ancient school bus coming the other way, filled with bungee jumpers who use the bridge at the bottom. I had to squeeze way over to the left against the rocks while the bus inched its way by with its left wheels on the edge of the cliff. Took about five minutes. Seemed like the driver had done that before.

Once the Nacimiento-Ferguson Road reopens I'll probably going out for drive.  You're right about it being a prime wildflower location, the blooms can be really nice up there.  The road kind is the main access point to Los Padres National Forest so fortunately the chances it would ever be abandoned are low. 

With Blackrock I might head out that way with my mountain bike this year.  A friend of mine went out there with her Jeep and did the whole thing towards the Wishon Reservoir.  Apparently the wooden planks on one of the bridges above Balch Camp were falling out of place.

I've had Wards Ferry on my radar for awhile.  Usually I chain other stuff to do if I can find more than one local compelling road.  J14 looks like interesting, what killed my trip before was the Michigan Bar Bridge being replaced before I got out there.  The Yankee Jim Bridge is in the general area too, so might make a day trip when Spring hits. 

My priority is New Idria Road but I need to replace the unreliable battery in our Forester first.  That's a little too off grid to expect cell service or anyone to wander by for a jump.



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