Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park

EXPERIENCE DESCRIPTION

The Big Sur River gorge cuts through a narrow canyon where old-growth coast redwoods close the canopy overhead and the light turns amber and green. The air is cool and the river is audible throughout, loud in winter and spring, quieter in summer. Trails wind along the river and deeper into the forest, with routes ranging from flat canyon walks to ridge climbs that open onto views of the valley floor below. The canyon stays cool even when the coast is warm, a welcome relief on the warmer afternoons that the Big Sur Valley sees in summer and fall.

OPERATOR STORY

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is managed by California State Parks and protects the heart of the Big Sur Valley, one of the most intact remaining old-growth coast redwood groves on the Central Coast south of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The park was established in 1934 and has served as the primary public access point to the Big Sur River gorge and its surrounding redwood forest ever since.