Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

The park carries the name of the Pfeiffer family, who arrived on this stretch of coast in 1869 after their ship nearly wrecked offshore. They settled in the river canyon and built a homestead in country so rugged and remote that for decades the only way in was by rough wagon trail. Big Sur was, in those years, one of the loneliest corners of California, and the Pfeiffers were among the very first families to make a home in it.

In 1908 the family opened Pfeiffer's Ranch Resort, the first real lodging on the Big Sur coast, where early travelers could rest among the redwoods after the long, jolting journey down from Monterey. Word spread of the beauty of the place, and when John Pfeiffer decided in the early 1930s to keep his land from being subdivided, he sold roughly seven hundred acres to the state instead. Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park opened in 1933, and the family homestead site nearby went on to become the Big Sur Lodge.

What makes the park special is its old-growth coast redwood forest, protected on the Old-Growth Forest Network as one of the increasingly rare places where these trees still stand as they always have. Coast redwoods are the tallest living things on Earth, and here in the sheltered river canyon they reach great heights, drawing moisture from the coastal fog that pours in off the Pacific. Some of the trees in the park are estimated to be well over a thousand years old, quiet giants that were already ancient when the first people walked beneath them.

Long before the Pfeiffers, the Esselen people lived along this coast, and archaeological evidence of their presence in Big Sur reaches back thousands of years. Walking the trails today, under trees that have stood through all of that human history, is the real draw of the park. Accessible boardwalks and level paths let almost anyone stand among the redwoods, while the river adds its own steady music to the shade.

The park's short trails pack a lot into a small area. The path to Pfeiffer Falls climbs a side canyon to a slender waterfall that runs strongest in the wet season, and a nearby route leads to Valley View, a lookout that opens up a glimpse down the canyon toward the ocean. Longer, steeper trails such as Buzzards Roost and the Oak Grove loop climb the canyon walls for wider views, while the gentle Gorge Trail follows the river itself to swimming holes and sun-warmed rocks.

The Big Sur River is the thread that ties it all together. In summer it slows into clear, cold pools that draw families to wade and swim, and in winter it runs full and loud with mountain rain. Because the park sits in a fire-prone landscape, some trails have closed for stretches after past wildfires and floods, so it is always worth checking which paths are open, but the redwoods and the river are the constant that keep drawing people back.

The park entrance is right on Highway 1 in the middle of the Big Sur valley, an easy turn for anyone driving the coast, with a day-use fee and one of the most popular campgrounds on this stretch of shore. It sits within easy reach of the other Big Sur landmarks, so it works well as the shady, forested half of a day that also takes in the coastal overlooks and beaches.

Give yourself at least a couple of hours to walk among the redwoods, dip your feet in the river, and follow one of the short trails to a falls or a viewpoint. It is the kind of place that rewards slowing down, a cool green pause in the middle of the great open drama of the Big Sur coast, and one of the reasons this stretch of California has drawn travelers for well over a century.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.