Popped up to Big Sur for 3 days. We found great campsites, either mountain or ocean views. We went for ocean...because we could!
It was very easy to get to. The roads had been pretty corrugated and rutted, but because of "fire season" they currently have equipment working on the roads. I can easily provide turn by turn, but the trip began following Michael's Big Sur trip. Once you're high enough up onto the hillside, it's camp anywhere as long as it's near the road. We found ridiculous ridge top forever views. We rehabbed an old rock fire pit and found an ancient picnic table behind some trees that looked out over the coast. We named that "the dining room".
It's a great area, but no off-roading per say. Just dilapidated fire roads. It's an amazing drive, one minute through cedar forests, then next through exposed chaparral and shale mountain sides.