Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Named after the farmer who first planted artichokes in California, this oft-overlooked park
is a trail-laced pastiche of grassy meadows, ocean bluffs and rugged sandy beaches offer-
ing excellent wildlife watching. Look for the entrance just a little more than 8 miles south
of Bixby Bridge.
South of the parking lot, you can learn all about endangered California condors inside
discovery_center/
; 10am-4pm Sat & Sun late-May-early Sep; )
. At the bird-banding lab in-
side a small shed, naturalists carry out long-term species monitoring programs.
From the main parking lot, a short walk along the beach-bound trail passes through a
first-come, first-served campground, from where a gentle spur trail leads to the 1861 red-
wood
Cooper Cabin
, Big Sur's oldest building. Keep hiking on the main trail out toward
a wild beach where the Big Sur River runs into the ocean; condors may be spotted circling
overhead and migrating whales sometimes cruise by offshore.
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
PARK
831-667-2315;
www.parks.ca.gov
; 47225 Hwy 1; per car $10;
30min be-
fore sunrise-30min after sunset; )
Named after Big Sur's first European settlers who arrived in 1869, this is Big Sur's largest
state park, where hiking trails loop through stately redwood groves. The most popular hike
- to 60ft-high
Pfeiffer Falls
, a delicate cascade hidden in the forest, which usually runs
from December to May - is a 2-mile round-trip. Built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conser-
vation Corps (CCC), rustic Big Sur Lodge stands near the park entrance, about 13 miles
south of Bixby Bridge.
Pfeiffer Beach
BEACH
9am-8pm; )
This phenomenal, crescent-shaped and dog-friendly beach is known for its huge double
rock formation, through which waves crash with life-affirming power. It's often windy,
and the surf is too dangerous for swimming. But dig down into the wet sand - it's purple!
That's because manganese garnet washes down from the craggy hillsides above. To get
here from Hwy 1, make a sharp right onto Sycamore Canyon Rd, marked by a small yel-
low sign that says 'narrow road' at the top.
