1956 Map of Big Sur

About this map

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and the rugged Central Coast coastline anchor this mid-century topographic record. The map reveals a transition between established recreational sites like the Pico Blanco Boy Scout Camp and the wild interior of the Los Padres National Forest. Water is the defining force of the landscape, from the dramatic mouth of Bixby Creek to the inland Pfeiffer Falls. While modern developments appear in purple revisions from the early 1980s, the underlying survey preserves the earlier infrastructure of the 1950s, including the winding path of the Old Coast Road and remote landmarks like Comings Cabin. The sheer verticality of the Santa Lucia Range is evident in the steep canyons of the South Fork Little Sur River and the towering heights of Pico Blanco, providing a precise look at the geography before the expansion of modern wilderness management.