I’m on the same bandwagon as everyone else. Santa Barbara is too far south to explore the southern half of Big Sur. If Highway 1 is open and you want to explore the southern end then your choices are San Simeon, Cambria and Morro Bay, although Morro Bay is a bit for for to be convenient.
Two nights in Carmel is good. You’ll either enjoy Carmel and the Monterey area for two days or if 1 is still closed you can take a day to explore the northern end of Big Sur returning to Carmel.
If Highway 1 is open you’ll need a stop in Cambria, Morro Bay, Cayucos or Pismo Beach. San Simeon if you’re interested In Hearst Castle, although I’d prefer Cambria for Hearst Castle. . From there you can still go on to Santa Barbara and enjoy that area. There is plenty to do in Santa Barbara that has nothing to do with Big Sur.
There is zero comparison to Highway 1 south of Los Angeles to Highway 1 between Carmel and San Simeon. Even if you drive straight through with no stops the 3 hour drive will feel like 6 hours. The the road needs your full attention at all times. Especially since we don’t know what an open Highway 1 will look like. There could be many one lane sections with construction going on with a flag person holding up traffic or there could be stop lights, there already are some, holding up traffic letting one lane go at a time. When you’re driving you are 100s of feet above the Pacific on a twisty and curvy road. You’re sharing the road with other tourists that are driving it for the first time as well. You have to not only watch for falling rocks but you also need to watch out for bad drivers making dangerous decisions.
It will be easy to have a plan A and a plan B.
Plan A: SF-Carmel-Cambria-Santa Barbara
Plan B. SF- Carmel (using a day to sightsee the northern end of Big Sur) - Santa Barbara
Take a Santa Barbara day and book something in a San Luis Obispo beach town. If Highway 1 isn’t open cancel it a go with plan B.
These websites and blogs are helpful for Big Sur driving tips and Kates blog updates the conditions on Highway 1 almost daily.
http://www.bigsurvisitorguide.com/
https://www.bigsurcalifornia.org/
https://bigsurkate.blog/amp/
Edited: 4:34 pm, April 14, 2023