Julia Pfeiffer Burns Environmental Sites
Big Sur coast · near Big Sur · Central Coast
Camping
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Elevation
- 200
- Campsites
- 2 walk-in sites
- Season
- Year-round
- Fee
- Varies
Permits and booking
- Reservation required
- Yes
- How to reserve
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia (6 months ahead). Just TWO hike-in environmental sites on a bluff above the ocean — extraordinarily hard to book. A short walk in; no water, vault toilet. Near the famous McWay Falls.
What is here
- Setting
- beach
- Amenities
- Just 2 bluff-top hike-in sites · Above the iconic McWay Falls · Ocean all around, no crowds · One of California's most special camps
- Best for
- Just 2 bluff-top hike-in sites
- Features
- Just 2 bluff-top hike-in sites · Above the iconic McWay Falls · Ocean all around, no crowds · One of California's most special camps
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Camping detail
- Camp type
- walk-in
- Intl tip
- Reserve on ReserveCalifornia 6 months ahead — only 2 sites, so it's extremely hard to get. Short walk in; pack all water. The McWay Falls overlook is a 5-minute walk. Combine with the whole Big Sur coast. A once-in-a-lifetime primitive coastal camp for the lucky and persistent.
The guide
The two environmental campsites at Julia Pfeiffer Burns are among the most magical — and hardest to book — in California: a pai…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Julia Pfeiffer Burns Environmental Sites — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.158, -121.669