Big Sur River Gorge
Big Sur (Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park) · near Big Sur / Carmel · Central Coast
Swimming & Hot Springs
At a glance
- Temperature
- ~60–68°F (spring-fed, year-round cold)
- Cost
- ~$12 state park day use fee
- Season
- July–October best · Hwy 1 closures may affect access — check Caltrans before going
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
- Safety
- The gorge pool is cold and deep — swimming is for confident swimmers. Trail to the gorge involves some scrambling. Check current Hwy 1 closures before visiting — the Big Sur coast is subject to highway closures from slides and storm damage.
Swimming & Hot Springs detail
- Nickname
- Pfeiffer Big Sur's Secret Swimming Hole
- Type
- swimming-hole
- Temp
- cold
- Clothing optional
- No
- Directions
- Enter Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on Hwy 1 (28 miles south of Carmel). The gorge trail is accessed from within the park campground — day use parking available. About 1.5 miles round trip to the gorge pool. The gorge is at the back of the gorge trail where the canyon walls close in.
- Pools
- A deep, sheltered pool in a narrow granite gorge where the Big Sur River pools against the canyon walls · The gorge walls block wind and amplify the sound of the water · One of California's most atmospheric swimming holes — intimate canyon scale
- Intl tip
- Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park's redwood forest camping is among the most popular in California — summer reservations book months in advance. The day use area is accessible without camping reservations. McWay Falls (10 miles south on Hwy 1) and Pfeiffer Beach (purple sand, worth the side road) are the most photogenic spots in this corridor.
The guide
The Big Sur River flows from the Santa Lucia Mountains through the redwood forest of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park before reachin…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Big Sur River Gorge — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.2487, -121.784