Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park

Dramatically rugged terrain, panoramic coastline views, and serene natural beauty draw visitors, artists, writers, and photographers from around the world to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. Together, along with the Los Padres National Forest, the park preserves a wildlife corridor of 173,000 contiguous acres for wildlife requiring a wide-range habitat for survival. Visitors wishing to simply take in the scenery need not do anything more than drive the stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway 1 and stop at any of the vista pullouts along the way. For a more involved experience in the park, hike down to Partington Cove for dramatic views of waves crashing along the steep shoreline, or up any of the trails leading up the steep Santa Lucia Mountains for sweeping vistas in all directions. Scuba diving is allowed, by permit only (can be obtained at Big Sur Station), at Partington Cove underwater area. Even with all the beauty mention, the most notable attraction at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is the short ADA accessible trail out to observe McWay Falls, which starts as a creek 3,000 feet up in the mountains and ends in spectacular fashion as a waterfall right on the beach.