Pfeiffer Falls & Valley View
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park · near Big Sur · Central Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- easy
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 2 miles
- Elevation gain
- 400 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round (falls best winter–spring)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No permit; state park day-use fee. Reopened in 2021 after fire and flood damage with a rebuilt trail and bridges. Check park status, as Big Sur trails and Highway 1 close periodically.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- 60-foot redwood-canyon waterfall · Coast redwood grove · Valley View overlook · Rebuilt post-fire trail
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Combine the falls with the Valley View spur for the best of both worlds — waterfall and ocean view — in a two-mile outing. The falls are far more impressive in winter and spring; by late summer they can slow to a trickle. Big Sur's Highway 1 is prone to closures; confirm access before making the drive.
The guide
In the heart of Big Sur, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park offers a short, lovely loop to a 60-foot waterfall tucked in a redwood can…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Pfeiffer Falls & Valley View — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.249, -121.782