Located in Monterey County, Big Sur encompasses the 93 miles of land between Carmel and San Simeon.BigSurSource.com: A Brief History of Big Sur

Following the construction of Highway 1 in 1937, the area has since become a popular tourist destination. Frommer's considers Big Sur "one of the most romantic, relaxing places in California" with the "majestic" Santa Lucia Range on one side, and the "rocky" Pacific coast on the other.Frommer's: Introduction to Big Sur Coast

Reports indicate that lightning ignited a fire in Big Sur on June 21. As of July 14, the fire had burned nearly 118,000 acres and destroyed about 60 homes and structures.NBC11.com: Big Sur Fire 41 Percent Contained (July 11, 2008)

The fire was one of several blazes that simultaneously occurred in Northern California. Thousands of firefighters across the state "strained" to contain the fires, which were aggravated by triple-digit temperatures and strong winds.The Associated Press: Flames force Calif. residents to flee - again

The Big Sur fires were expected to be fully contained by July 30.NBC11.com: Big Sur Fire Forces Monks To Evacuat (July 10, 2008)

• Limekiln State Park
• John Little State Reserve
• Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
• Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
• Andrew Molera State Park
• Point Sur Lightstation State Historic Park
• Garrapata State Park
• Point Lobos State Reserve
• Carmel River State Beach

If planning a trip, please see Big Sur and Monterey Vacation.