Nacimiento-Fergusson Road is the only road across the

Santa Lucia Range The Santa Lucia Mountains (sæntə luˈsiːə) or Santa Lucia Range is a rugged mountain range in coastal central California, running from Carmel southeast for to the Cuyama River in San Luis Obispo County. The range is never more than from ...

on the

Central Coast of California The Central Coast is an area of California, roughly spanning the coastal region between Point Mugu and Monterey Bay. It lies northwest of Los Angeles County and south of San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and includes the rugged, undevelope ...

, connecting California State Route 1 and the Big Sur coast to U.S. Route 101 and the

Salinas Valley The Salinas Valley is one of the major valleys and most productive agricultural regions in California. It is located west of the San Joaquin Valley and south of San Francisco Bay and the Santa Clara Valley. The Salinas River, which geologically ...

. The road is well-paved and maintained over its length, but is winding and has precipitous drops. It is widely regarded as one of the best motorcycling roads in central California due to its ocean views and forest setting. In January 2021, the road was washed out due to the impacts of the

Dolan Fire The Dolan Fire was a large wildfire that burned in the Big Sur region and other parts of the Santa Lucia mountain range in Monterey County, California, in the United States as part of the 2020 California wildfire season. The fire began at approx ...

and closed. It is not expected to reopen until December 2023.Nacimiento-Fergusson Status
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History

During the late 19th century, settlers on the coast of the northern Santa Lucia Mountains had a difficult time transporting cattle to the Central Valley over poor mountain trails. The only trail across the mountains was the route currently followed by the Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. The trail was enlarged into a road beginning in 1931, and completed in 1937. The road was constructed by crews composed of men from the

Civilian Conservation Corp The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was a voluntary government work relief program that ran from 1933 to 1942 in the United States for unemployed, unmarried men ages 18–25 and eventually expanded to ages 17–28. The CCC was a major part of ...

, U.S. Forest Service, and state and county relief agencies.

Route description

Nacimiento-Fergusson Road connects California State Route 1 at the south end of the Kirk Creek Bridge with Jolon to the east. It is the only route across the Santa Lucia Mountains between

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

and

Cambria Cambria is a name for Wales, being the Latinised form of the Welsh name for the country, . The term was not in use during the Roman period (when Wales had not come into existence as a distinct entity). It emerged later, in the medieval period, ...

in northern San Luis Obispo County where California State Route 46 connects California State Route 1 to U.S. Route 101 in

Paso Robles Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for "The Pass of Oaks"), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River approximately north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot ...

at the southern end of the Salinas Valley. The western terminus is located south of Lucia and north of

Hearst Castle Hearst Castle, known formally as La Cuesta Encantada ( Spanish for "The Enchanted Hill"), is a historic estate in San Simeon, located on the Central Coast of California. Conceived by William Randolph Hearst, the publishing tycoon, and his arch ...

. Climbing up the steep flanks of the mountains, the western part of the road near the coast has more than 100 turns before it reaches the summit from the coast at an altitude of , where it crosses the unpaved Old Coast Road. From the summit, the road descends through hillside chaparral and dense oak groves on the eastern side of the ridge, which offer few views, and passes through the U.S. Army's

Fort Hunter Liggett Fort Hunter Liggett is a United States Army fort in Jolon, California, in southern Monterey County, California. The fort, named in 1941 after General Hunter Liggett, is primarily used as a training facility, where activities such as field maneuve ...

. Because the road passes through sections of Fort Hunter Liggett Army Base, you may need to show valid car registration and proof of insurance. The road is steep, winding, sometimes only wide enough for one vehicle, and has precipitous drops at almost every turn unprotected by guard rails. At the eastern end, drivers can access the road via either from the north on Jolon Road on U.S. Route 101 near King City, or from the south on Jolon Road at U.S. Route 101 near

Bradley Bradley is an English surname derived from a place name meaning "broad wood" or "broad meadow" in Old English. Like many English surnames Bradley can also be used as a given name and as such has become popular. It is also an Anglicisation of t ...

. The road is closed occasionally during tank, artillery, and other firing exercises on the surrounding Fort Hunter Liggett.

Campgrounds

The Nacimiento and Ponderosa Campgrounds are situated on the eastern slope of the Santa Lucia range within Los Padres National Forest. The Nacimiento Campground, nestled beneath Douglas fir trees alongside the

Nacimiento River , name_etymology = , image = Nacimiento_River_1.jpg , image_caption = The river downstream of Nacimiento Dam , image_size = 300 , map = Salinas River watershed.png , map_size = 300 , ...

, is adjacent to Nacimiento-Fergusson Road and provides less privacy. Ponderosa Campground, known on some maps as "Camp Nacimiento", provides a private setting within a valley off the main road along the Negro Fork of the Nacimiento River. Due to the history of wildfires in the area, campfires are only permitted in established campgrounds. It is illegal to camp in other locations, such as road side pullouts. Illegal camping or campfires can result in a $5,000 fine.Los Padres Prohibits Camping Along Nacimiento-Fergusson Road
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References

{{Big Sur, state=collapsed Roads in Monterey County, California Monterey Ranger District, Los Padres National Forest Big Sur