Seaside resident Arthur Davis and his wife had driven to a camping area in coastal Big Sur near state Highway 1 and Nacimiento-Fergusson Road on Friday, but had reportedly had a verbal dispute that afternoon about camping issues, the sheriff's office said.
Davis left the couple's campground to take a walk up a mountain alone and seemingly got lost, the sheriff's office said. When he did not return for several hours, Davis' wife contacted the authorities and reported him missing.
A nighttime search-and-rescue effort was conducted by the sheriff's department on Friday night, but Davis was not found, the office said.
The search resumed on Saturday morning and Davis was found walking northbound on Highway 1 near the area of the 28-mile marker, sheriff's deputies said.
"No medical attention was needed and he was returned to his wife," the sheriff's office said in a statement.