With its dramatically twisting roads and stunning scenic promontories, California Rt. 1 between Cambria and Carmel is to many Californians a kind of modern pilgrimage, the object of reverence being the Big Sur River (crossed by the awe-inspiring Big Sur Bridge) and its beautiful forested hinterlands.

*Bolded names and numbers in the text below correspond with our map of this driving tour. 

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Begin a trip north on California Rt. 1 by first getting gas and a meal in Cambria (1) (Visitor information, 767 Main St., tel +1 805 927 3624); the distances between the few towns are long, and the road is a workout in itself at times.

Beyond the small town of Lucia (the southernmost limit of the redwood tree) lie the three state parks of central Big Sur. First is Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (2) (tel +1 831 667 2315). A trail leads to Saddle Rock, location of the only waterfall on the Pacific Coast that falls directly into the ocean. Behind it looms Anderson Peak, at 4,099 feet (1,336 yards) the highest point of the Santa Lucia Range.

A few miles farther north is the Henry Miller Memorial Library (3) (tel +1 831 667 2574, closed Monday and Tuesday), in the place where the writer spent the postwar years with a coterie of fellow artists.

The star of the Big Sur coast is Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (4) (tel +1 831 667 2315), the largest of the three state parks, with a substantial stand of redwoods. A good swim in the Big Sur River before making a campsite is an old California tradition.

About six miles north again is Andrew Molera State Park (5) (tel +1 831 667 2315), where the scenic Big Sur River ends in a fine habitat for birds and wildlife. Look for mule deer, gray foxes, and common raccoons. Much in the way of classic drama surrounds the location of Point Sur Light Station, built in 1889 after two disastrous shipwrecks (weekend walking tours, tel +1 831 625 4419). Unfortunately they were not the last. During World War II, the Navy dirigible Macon surrendered itself and two crewmen to the legendary Big Sur fog.

The Big Sur area has a series of interesting places to stay or eat. Deetjens Big Sur Inn (Castro Canyon, tel +1 831 667 2377) is a rural sprawl of cabins, each named for various literary figures. It also has a good little Norwegian restaurant. Not far away is the restaurant-bar Nepenthe (tel +1 831 667 2345), whose name means "no cares." Designed by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, it was once bought for Rita Hayworth by Orson Welles. Go for a drink on the deck overlooking the Pacific.

Another enterprise is the Ventana Inn (tel +1 831 667 2331), long considered the ultimate in Big Sur lodging. Its spacious, luxury cabins (with kitchens) are built on a sun-flecked hillside. The massages and spa treatments are outstanding, and you can enjoy the Japanese baths, stroll among the trees in Ventana's white bathrobes, and enjoy the peace. It is a good place to relax, but the restaurant is overrated.

At the Loma Vista Café & Gardens (tel +1 831 667 2818) you can enjoy a cup of coffee and great views of the Santa Lucia Range, and buy exotic and native plants. 

Approaching Carmel, you reach Point Lobos State Reserve (6) (tel +1 831 624 4909), a striking rocky promontory whose coves are home to sea lions, sea otters, and pelicans. Literary experts believe this was the inspiration for Spyglass Hill in Treasure Island, which Robert Louis Stevenson wrote after visiting in 1879. Two outstanding walks (among several outlined in the fine park map) are the Sea Lion Point Trail, past stands of wild red buckwheat to a lookout onto Sea Lion Rocks, and the Cypress Grove Trail, around a grove of ancient cypress hung with green-blue moss. The environs support delicate coastal orchids, which grow along the branches of fallen trees. 

To see something of the hinterland, return from Carmel by taking County Rd. G16 up the Carmel Valley. After 20 miles, the Tassajara Rd. on the right takes you to the placid Zen retreat at Tassajara Hot Springs (7). In summer it is possible to make reservations for an austere but calming overnight stay (39171 Tassajara Rd., Carmel Valley, tel +1 415 431 3771). Return to G16 and continue via Arroyo Seco Rd. to Greenfield. A few miles down U.S. 101, turn off on County Rd. G14 to the small town of Jolon, the setting for John Steinbeck's novel To a God Unknown, about a pioneering California family. In a quiet valley to the north is the restored Mission San Antonio de Padua (8), founded by Padre Serra in 1771. 

For an introduction to the unique botany of the area, return to the coast road down Nacimiento Fergusson Road (9). In the foothills of the Santa Lucia Range you are surrounded by a remarkable display of California wildflowers, particularly in spring. The great variety of plant life here includes curly dock (a feast for migratory birds); wild fennel, a non-native that is slowly dominating the coastal underbrush; white-plumed our lord's candle; bright green-yellow mustard (said to have been sown by the padres); and coastal agave, its tendril-like biomorph twisting toward the sun and looking like a beached octopus.