Big Sur is a sparsely
populated region of the Central Coast of California where the Santa Lucia
Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. The name "Big Sur" is
derived from the original Spanish-language "el sur grande", meaning
"the big south", or from "el país grande del sur",
"the big country of the south", referring to its location south of
the Monterey Peninsula. The terrain offers stunning views, making Big Sur a
popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak is the highest coastal
mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending nearly a mile (5,155
