Every Trail Tells a Story
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Because some places really do live up to the postcards.
Because waterfalls into the sea are rare and magical.
Because, at least once in your life, you deserve to stand on the bluff, hand in hand with someone you love (or at least with your camera), and let the drama of land meeting ocean wash over you.
Every hiker has their “wow” moment, and McWay Falls is one of mine. Imagine this: a 100-foot ribbon of water tumbling from granite cliffs directly into the Pacific, framed by turquoise surf and the rugged Big Sur coast. If that doesn’t land it on The Trailmaster’s List of Top Ten Romantic Hikes in California, I don’t know what does. It’s the kind of scene where couples propose, poets pause mid-sentence, and photographers feel they’ve died and gone to heaven.
For most travelers, “Big Sur” means Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, but ten miles south lies this smaller jewel-Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Don’t skip it. In just over four square miles, you’ll find a redwood grove, dramatic headlands, secluded coves, and coastal views that make you shake your head in disbelief. And of course, that waterfall.
The park honors Julia Pfeiffer Burns, a Big Sur pioneer who ran cattle with her husband, John Burns, on steep mountain slopes that today seem fit only for condors and mountain lions. She was remembered for her grit, her kindness, and her fierce devotion to the Big Sur backcountry. Her name lives on here, thanks in part to the wealthy Lathrop and Helen Brown, who built a home (Waterfall House) on this land in the 1940s, then donated it to the state with the wish that the park be named after Julia.
From the park’s day-use lot, you can sample two short trails: the famed McWay Falls Trail and, just up the road, the Partington Cove Trail, where a narrow tunnel leads to a rocky inlet once used by smugglers and later by loggers to load redwood lumber onto schooners. Together, they offer a compact but unforgettable taste of Big Sur’s wild spirit. Winter brings the added thrill of spotting migrating gray whales from the overlooks-an experience Julia Pfeiffer herself would have cherished.
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is located at 52801 Highway 1 in Big Sur, 12 miles south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Turn inland into the park and proceed to the day-use lot (parking is limited, so arrive early).
From the lot, follow the signed trail toward Scenic Overlook. You’ll walk beside McWay Creek, where eucalyptus grow alongside native redwoods-an odd but striking pairing. In spring, ceanothus and dogwood splash color along the way.
The path ducks through a tunnel beneath Highway 1 and delivers you to sweeping Big Sur vistas. Within minutes, you’re at the overlook. And there it is: McWay Falls, dropping like a silver thread into the surf of McWay Cove, as unforgettable a sight as you’ll find on the California coast.
On your way back, consider a side stroll toward the environmental campsites shaded by Monterey cypress, perched on the old Waterfall House site. Stay a while, breathe deeply, and count yourself lucky-few hikes deliver this much grandeur for so little effort.