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Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, Big Sur, CA

Photo: Wordydave, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

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Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Look down on McWay Falls, an 80-foot waterfall that drops onto a Big Sur beach, from a trail above the cove.

Highway 1, 37 miles south of Carmel · Big Sur, CA

About Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park sits on Highway 1, 37 miles south of Carmel, and runs from the Big Sur coastline up to 3,000-foot ridges. It is known for McWay Falls, an 80-foot waterfall that spills onto a beach you can view only from above, since there is no beach or ocean access. You can also walk through a tunnel blasted through rock to Partington Cove, once a tanbark shipping port. The park is named for a pioneer woman of the Big Sur country.

  • #state park
  • #waterfall
  • #big sur
  • #coastal views
  • #redwoods

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Stay
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    Big Sur Lodge

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    A lodge inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park with guest cottages, a restaurant, a cafe and a grocery store beside the park's trails.

    9.2 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Tours
    Family Favorite

    Princess Monterey Whale Watching

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    Narrated whale watching and wildlife cruises on Monterey Bay aboard two large heated vessels departing from Old Fisherman's Wharf.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Outdoor Adventure

    Discovery Whale Watch

    $50+

    Narrated whale watching cruises departing daily from Monterey's Fisherman's Wharf.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Tours
    Family Favorite

    Little Mermaid Glass Bottom Boat Tours

    Under $25

    Cruise Monterey Harbor on a glass bottom boat to spot sea otters, seals, and kelp forest life.

    16 mi awaySwitch it up: Tours

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Point Lobos State Natural Reserve

    Under $25

    Coastal state reserve on the Monterey Peninsula known for headlands, coves, meadows, and a rich offshore marine habitat.

    29 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    Outdoor Adventure

    Pinnacles National Park

    $25–$50

    Hike among volcanic rock spires, scramble through talus caves and watch for California condors overhead.

    36 mi awayMore like this

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