A $8 day use fee is charged, but like other Big Sur parks, parking is free (and fine for oversized vehicles) alongside Highway 1, the nearest suitable layby here being 0.2 miles further south.
The center of the state park is at McWay Creek, where a short side track leads to a small parking area in woods beside the stream - a place that often fills up by mid morning and has no room for large vehicles at any time. So impressed was Helen with Julia's life and achievements that she donated all her land to the state of California on condition that it would be named after the pioneer woman. Julia died in 1928, having in her later years become close friends with one of the main landowners in the region, Helen Hooper Brown (wife of congressman Lathrop Brown). She still was a rancher but also operated a guest house a little way further north along the coast, a site now occupied by the Esalen Institute, and became well known to tourists and the other local residents. Julia married quite late in life (1915) to John Burns, and afterwards settled near present-day Burns Creek, a few miles south of McWay Creek. Julia Pfeiffer was born in 1868 and moved to the Big Sur coast with her parents one year later, when the family built a cattle ranch and farmed vegetables. Like Andrew Molera, 15 miles north, the park commemorates an early twentieth century pioneer of this remote region. But the 3,762 acre park also contains several more miles of high, rocky coastline, the grassy bluffs either side of Highway 1, an undersea area popular for scuba diving, and a section of the inland hills rising almost to 3,000 feet, mostly covered by mixed woodland of chaparral, oak and redwood. I highly recommend being at McWay Falls at sunset, though it is a popular place for other photographers and sunset gawkers.The highlight of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is undoubtedly beautiful McWay Falls, one of only two coastal waterfalls in California, where McWay Creek falls 80 feet over a granite cliff onto a sandy beach, or at high tide directly into the Pacific Ocean. The best photo opportunities of McWay Falls and the coastline are at sunset. The entire Big Sur coastline is outstanding. There is also an awesome view of the Big Sur coastline in the other direction. The park was named after Browns friend, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, who was a pioneer and cattle ranch owner in the Big Sur area. Not much is left of the house, but it is an interesting site. The path continues past the waterfall a short distance to some ruins of an old stone "waterfall house", owned by Lathrop and Helen Hooper Brown in the 1940s. The waterfall is fed from underground springs on McWay Creek, and the waterfall thus has constant flow throughout the year (though of course, the flow is stronger in the spring). The great thing about McWay Falls is that it flows year-round. The view is stunning, and the waterfall is alluring and out of reach. I think, though, if it were possible to get down to the beach, this waterfall would lose something of its grandeur and mystique. Unfortunately, you cannot get down onto the scenic beach (legally), as the cliffs are too crumbly and dangerous to descend (and if you try it, be prepared to receive a very hefty fine). The overlook view of the cove where the waterfall drops, is stunning to say the least. off a cliff onto the beach nestled in a pretty little cove. McWay Falls is an incredibly scenic waterfall. Location: Big Sur, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Monterey Countyĭirections:Along Hwy #1 at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, 13 miles south of Big Sur (37 miles south of Carmel).
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