Recently visited during a rainy day, the waves were significantly higher than usual, but the sea otters didn’t seem to mind. Beautiful hike, fairly steep and wet so be sure to wear good shoes and wear a rain jacket as rain is inevitable and so is the moisture from the waves.

This is a beautiful park unfortunately we came during some major renovations. They were building new bathrooms and the trail down to the waterfall was closed. We were however able to see the waterfall from the top of the trail

There is work going on, so only Porta-Potty's there and definitely need emptying. The walk over to the waterfall is a smooth flat walk. The waterfall is iffy on visibility whether the weather cooperates. Second time to stop it was clear.

Totally worth the drive. Breathtaking view. This stop doesn’t take much of a time to see the fall. Must see spot on the Big Sur drive. Would definitely like to explore more such places.

Beautiful views! We loved our visit, but were disappointed that the trail was closed partially. The area is well maintained aside from this though. Definitely worth a trip.

For the longest time I’ve wanted to drive down highway 1 on the California coast. This year we finally did drive down from Big Sur to Santa Barbara mostly one highway one stopping whenever and wherever we felt inspired. This park was one of our stops with information on the area and many hiking trails available

It was really beautiful scenery to drive down to Big Sur and Los Angeles but unfortunately due to road closures we did have to turn back but still enjoyed the view.

Very short walk from the parking lot (entrance closes after sunset). Stunning views along the coast.

State of California is filled with many beautiful state parks located on Hwy 1 coast. Julia Pfeiffer Burns would sit on the top of the list. First and foremost, the drive along the coast is filled with coastal beauty and breathtaking views! Visitors wanting to stop every few yards to immerse in the nature and explore picture perfect spots. Parking is available with self pay and they renovated restrooms, picnic area beautifully. Only disappointment is trails are not opened after recent years of natural disasters. Short trail takes one through a tunnell under highway, opens up to watch the stunning views of the cove and McWay falls. Amazing shades of blue pleasing the eyes. There is a hidden campsite on the cliff above the falls accomodating only two tents. Very private! Cliff area is blocked so there is no beach access. Visited so many times, never get tired, it's pure delight. It's located pretty close to Lucia after Big Sur on Hwy1 south.

We were here to check out the Mc way falls trail. It was a short walk to the point. There were breathtaking sunset views and a waterfall if you look down. Suitable for Senior citizens. There is a short staircase at the start of the trail , so might not be wheelchair friendly . Theres a tunnel on the way that opens up to beautiful views. Definitely a place to checkout !! Clean restrooms at the start of the park. There was limited parking.

Located on California 1 highway this is one of the Must Go destinations is west coast. The view on the way to this park is something you will always remember. August is usually foggy here but if you are lucky you will have a sunny day when you can get the best view of McWay falls. Park entrance fee for vehicle is $10 and the same pass should work for any of the state parks in Cali.

Such a beautiful place. After a short walk from your parking spot, generally on the road outside the park. You can watch this marvelous miracle from God and nature. The waterfall comes pretty much from the stone and blends smoothly into the white sandy beach and the ocean. Relaxing and beautiful.

McWay Falls is beautiful. The trail is a short walk from the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park day use parking lot. The falls are in the shade in the morning & the marine layer often in the evening. Popular location so the falls overlook can be crowded mid-day.

It is perfect place to spend your day. The beach is really beautiful and when we went it was not so crowded. The entrance to this beach is off the main road, the road to the entrance of the beach is really narrow and hence we have to drive very careful and only 1 car can pass so often we have to give way. But I would like to really appreciate this state park staff who are always ready to help and are good with vehicles traffic on this narrow road. More photos please check my insta: fsk_photoz

Beautiful beach with lavender color sand. It has some breathtaking huge trees that branch out like an umbrella, it has a cave that is surrounded by seawater. Lastly has some beautiful orange-colored cliffs highly recommend taking this trip for a relaxing therapeutic experience at Pfeiffer Beach.

It’s a quiet beach with intricate rock formations and lush greenery on the hills. Hiking up the hills is the must because the trail leads you to the vista point with breathtaking views of the coastline. NB! They have public restrooms there!

Oh what beauty. The beach was very less crowded when we went and very beautiful. We spent some peaceful time there. The drive to the beach was through a curvy and narrow 2 mile road, just be careful. Would definitely recommend to go for a picnic or dip in water if that’s your thing.

What an amazing beach! Purple sand and incredible views! Well worth the drive and $10.00 at the gate. Very windy, so definitely bring warm clothes. A really spectacular beach, I didn't want to leave this gem!!

It is very stunning. The rock formations are very awesome. One seems to be like a door opening into the ocean. The road to enter the parking is very narrow, needs to be driven slowly and careful to cede way to cars since it's like only one way road and it has curves. There is an entrance fee of $15 dollars but worth every cent. The sand is indeed purple yet not entirely. Sunset was so worth it.

Great little beach. Accessing the beach parking lot can get a little interesting. The road to the parking lot narrows and has plenty of twists and turns. A day pass was $12. Otherwise, there was plenty of parking and accessing the beach itself was very easy.

An amazingly beautiful beach that is really huge and has a characteristic purple sand that I have never seen anywhere else in the world! Beware that the road down to the beach (Sycamore Canyon Road) is very narrow, windy, and very rough! In many places it is only one lane and you will find yourself searching for pullouts to avoid oncoming traffic. If you have a large vehicle, or a car with low ground clearance, the drive will be much more difficult. There is a separate fee to enter of $12. They don’t accept ANY park passes for this beach. Parking is fairly plentiful, but they will close access to the beach when the parking is full, so try to arrive early on weekends or holidays. The beach is only a 5 minute walk from the parking area. The beach is expansive and has plenty of room and soft sand. You will notice in places that the sand appears a dark purple color just below the surface or in areas where the waves have washed away the surface sand. It’s the only place in the world that I have seen sand this color, and it brings a lot of visitors down here to explore. The water is very cold, and the waves can get rough, so be prepared if you plan to swim.

I love this beach❤️❤️ there’s a private road following up to the parking lot. There’s a little bit of walking getting to the beach which is super serene. A special sacred place 🤍

Unlike many of the other beaches I've seen in my life. Interesting purple sand in some areas and unique rock formations which make for beautiful wave crashes. Limited parking available which makes the beach seem relatively empty compared to how big it actually is.

Pfeiffer Beach is an absolutely beautiful beach. It is arguably the most the best beach in California if not the planet. Get there early because parking fills up. It is a great beach for swimming, sun bathing, photography, picnicking, rock climbing, or just for living life. Make aa sharp right turn off Highway 1 just south of Pfeiffer State park and follow the narrow road down to tge beach and pay a small fee tovpark.

I grew up going to this beach and now I take my kids and family. Please respect the space, pack it in and pack it out. Observe local rules and clean up after yourself. Be safe and have fun!

Update: the entry fee has now been raised to $15. If you are planning to come down to visit Big Sur, this place should be in on your list, it’s a must place to visit and one of best beaches I have ever been to in US. The beach is clean, quiet and a great place to see sunset. Rocks surrounding the beach adds up to the beauty. It’s just amazing to see the waves colliding with the rocks! I would come again. There is a 12$ entry fee to get to the beach and parking is available. Last, restrooms are available by the parking area as well.

It’s a nice beach but not worth the drive. The drive was dangerous in my opinion and I wouldn’t want to drive here. There are so many nice beach with beautiful view along the California coast.

The best scenic view I’ve ever seen in California. Most beaches look the same but trust me this one looks different and has a unique vibe. The path to this place is wild through forest and a narrow road. Not preferable for RV’s or big vehicles. $15 per vehicle and you get to spend a whole day here. I would suggest you to visit afternoon so that you can see vibrant sun colors and sun test if possible(as it’s foggy most of the times). Overall worth the time and adventure. It’s close to Big Sur and plan your trip ahead as this place has no network. I would highly suggest you to download maps for better navigation.

Wedding photographer who absolutely loves this location! It has everything- waterfall views, ocean view, cool paths!

It was such a beautiful day, and I am happy about that. No fog, and the fall was easily visible from the viewing area. Unfortunately, the last part of the trail is still closed, but as you can see from the photos, the fall is visible. The trail is super easy. It turned out to be a hotter day than I expected, so I didn't stay there long. There is a bench if you want to relax a bit before heading back. ***Parking is self registered. Pick up the cash envelope on your way in OR park to the side to complete. Remember to leave the top portion on dash. Park staff were present, checking and walking the trail as well. If you pay for parking at any state park, keep your receipt because it will cover all state parks in the area for the entire day. Restrooms available.

Its a one of the gem in the Big Sur area on C A route 1 running parallel to the Pacific ocean. It is inside the Pfeiffer Burns State Park And you see Falls falling into ocean 1. You have to enter and pay the parking fee $10. 2. Once you enter then park your car and then walk towards falls 3. There is tube kind of tunnel walk through it. 4. Best time to visit is during sunset so that you can get very good photos 5. Will be crowded during evening but you can see best views 6. You can not go down to beach but can see from top

Short walk to a view point that’s far from the falls. Limited parking. A stop if you are driving the HWY 1 and have a park pass for the day already. Or find street parking down the way and walk In

The sunset in winter from this spot is spectacular! Although the day we went, the tide was low and waterfall looked funny as it was just to the “sand”, but still outstanding view!

Without doubt the main attraction at Big Sur's Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is McWay Creek falls, where the eponymous creek crashes 80 feet down the coastal cliffs and straight onto the picturesque beach. You'll probably recognize the McWay Creek Falls from the brochure of almost every California tourist publication you can find. Located right next to Route 1 this is a convenient must-see side trip, and clocking in at a total hike length of just over half a mile makes this short journey accessible to everyone. For those who prefer to stretch their legs on a longer hike, the 2,000 acre coastside Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park offers several great trails trails. We would recommend the 4½ mile Canyon Trail and Ewoldsen Trail loop, which is a great way to experience the diversity of this picturesque park - complete with wildflowers, steep canyons, and some of the biggest redwoods in the State.

This is an amazing waterfall. The waterfall could be seen from the main road and the entrance to the vista point to have a better view of the fall is through the state park. It is usually crowded but it is a MUST if you are the nearby . It is totally worth the visit

A very nice and easy to get to spot for an amazing view! Coming from San Francisco, ,the drive to here makes for a fantastic day trip (with so many spots to stop along the way). It's a shame you can't get closer to the waterfall itself.

Gorgeous short stroll to see the waterfall. Early morning afforded me the place to myself. No way to walk to the beach or falls but worth a stop to see from the trail.

it seems that the path to get a closer view of the waterfall is still closed. despite this, this waterfall is a must-stop on a pacific coast highway drive! it takes around only 10 minutes to hike to the view point, and the trail usually isn't too busy. this is a classic PCH destination, although i do wish there was a trail open that led to a closer view of the waterfall.

As far as I know this the only waterfall in the world which is found at the beach. I had seen many people posting photos and videos captured from the tunnel under the waterfall but looks like the path has been closed for the trekking. In a way its good, this view is more beautiful without humans 😊 There are limited parking spaces near the visitor center, parking inside charges around $10, the inside parking was full and we were asked by staff to park at parking areas away from the entrance. The center has public restrooms, entree is free. As the Route 1 was closed we had to come to this place from north which adds up 3 hrs drive one side. But if you are driving from LA then it adds to the advantage as when you drive from the North you get better views of the Pacific coast You can trek to the view point which is easy and may take hardly 10 minutes. You might try to get the photos from the farthest view point. The view you get is astonishingly beautiful and you would love to stay there for longer time just to get more glance of the natural beauty. You can observe The waves swallowing all the water falling from the waterfall. A point where a sweet water loses its identity and meets into Ocean and becomes like it. Dont miss it.

Pictures taken June 18th. An incredible place to visit. The walkway / trail down to the beach was closed that day so if you plan to go to the bottom, try to find out about that before heading out. Otherwise nice views of the falls from top and the 10 minute walk from the lot to the end of the walkway overlooking the falls. Beautiful!

It's one of the most beautiful sites you will ever witness. Breathtaking. This is paradise! We have traveled extensively, and this was at the top of our list with places like Lake Louise in Banff. WOW!

I loved this place and its view. It was not crowded and transportation was easy. You can reach this beauty after a short walk.

Yes, the falls are pretty cool but the state of disrepair of the trails meant that you can't see them very well. The small trail that is open is super crowded as is the parking lot. It was an expensive visit ($10) foe a 5 minute walk to a neat but underwhelming overlook.

Stunning redwood forest on one side and amazing Big Sur California coast line on the other. The views are spectacular. My family and I hiked up to Buzzard's Roost, not too challenging of a climb, but it definitely gets a little hot in the direct sunlight at the top. I wouldn't recommend the climb with small children. The visitor center was pretty neat. There were clean restrooms available, a gift shop with a variety of items for sale, and a mini ice cream parlor. We spent a full day here and could easily have spent another. The majesty of these trees are amazing. A Park Ranger shared with us that when the fires come through, the redwood trees fair better than most. She explained that because the redwoods are so hard, the fire doesn't destroy them as easily. However, she did say that because the heat of the fire outside the water held inside the trees will boil, causing the tops of the trees to explode. Can you believe that? Crazy!

We made a brief stop in November 2006 at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Here large strong trees are impressive to look at. A hiking guide explained a lot to us about the park: The landscape with its large forests and beautiful stretches of coast is beautiful

Gorgeous! I’ve been many times and love stopping. McWay falls is one of my Big Sur faves!!! Epic hike. Lots to enjoy. Must do!!!

The nature is stunning. So many trees and plants. Very quiet on the trails I don’t hear the traffic from State Route (SR) 1. Very beautiful scenery and the water fall looks fantastic.