What to Expect When Visiting McWay Falls in Big Sur

McWay Falls is one of the must stops along California’s Pacific Coast Highway. It is one of the rare waterfalls where the water falls on the beach. Just beautiful!

This winter we did a little road trip to the famous Pacific Coast Highway in California. PCH, also known as Highway 1 is a scenic drive along the coast line and the views to the Pacific Ocean are magnificent.

On this trip the weather was on our side; it was nice and sunny, even though it can get pretty windy on the coast. During our drive we did a few stops and one of them was at the beautiful McWay Falls.

JULIA PFEIFFER BURNS STATE PARK

If you are ever searching for photos from Pacific Coast Highway you will most definitely come across some amazing shots of McWay Falls. It is located in the Big Sur area of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.

The waterfall is 80-foot-tall (24 meters high) and it is very special, because it falls straight to a beautiful beach. According to some sources, there are only under 20 year-round waterfalls on beaches in the whole world. Another one of them, also in California, is called Alamere Falls, and there is also one in Big Island of Hawaii.

Unfortunately, there is no access down to the beach, so you will have to admire the falls from far out. Climbing down is both dangerous and illegal. We saw how the cliffs were weakened by erosion, and we knew right away that trying to go down to the beach was out the question.

The park has been named after Julia Pfeiffer Burns, who was a long time resident and a farmer in the area. The Burns family built their house in a spot where they could see both the beach and the waterfall. Just imagine looking at that every morning while having your breakfast!

The house was named as the McWay Waterfall House and it also had a beautiful garden. In 1962, the family donated their farm along with the house to the state. Their wish was that the house would be turned into a museum.

Unfortunately, that never happened, and now there is only ruins left. But the area itself is protected as the state park was established.

There are also other trails in this park that criss-cross around the redwood forests with beautiful coastal scenery.

One of the most popular hikes is the Tin House Trail. Tin House was another house built by the Burns family, but they eventually decided not to move in it. According to a story they only spent one night in the house because they got spooked by all the noises they heard.

There are two popular camping areas in this park, both of which have amazing views of the ocean.

Visiting MCWAY FALLS ON PACIFIC COAST HIGHWAY

McWay Falls has its own entrance and a parking lot in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. The lot is quite small and fills up quickly, so going there early in the morning would be ideal.

When driving this stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway McWay Falls is mid-way, so most people reach it at the same time, around afternoon. But if you stay the night in the Big Sur area you can definitely beat the crowds.

Since the trail is not very long, there seemed to be people coming and going all the time. We had no problems finding parking since there were several cars leaving when we arrived.

The ticket booth by the entrance was not open. Visitors were asked to self-register and leave the entrance fee in a lockbox. The box was at the head of the Waterfall Overlook Trail and honestly, I think many people either didn’t notice it, or just didn’t care.

In the payment envelope there was a receipt that you were suppose to leave under your car window. To avoid a ticket from a park ranger, it is best to pay the fee. So bring some cash with you because that was the only way you were able pay.

The trail to McWay Falls leaves right by the parking lot and is only less than half a mile (about 800 metres) long. There is not much else to see along the trail so it only took us less than an hour to walk both ways, take some photos and stop at the restrooms.

The path is quite easy and can be done with strollers as well. Right before you reach the lookout you will walk through a little tunnel that goes under Pacific Coast Highway. To our kids, that was the funnest part of the trail.

The overlook is very small and they had closed part of it due to danger caused by erosion. We were not able to walk to the McWay Waterfall House for example. But the view was amazing and we were happy that we finally got to see this famous water fall.

Make sure to stay on designated trails only since there has been several tragic deaths in recent years where people have fallen from the cliffs.

There is one other trail leaving from the same parking lot, but it was also closed at this time.

Many of the trails at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park were closed because of erosion or wild fires. As long as they can confirm that the trails are safe to hike, or they are able to fix them, they will reopen. You can find the current list of open trails from the park website.

We were happy at least that the trail to McWay Falls was open and we were able to see it.

NOTE: Highway 1 has been CLOSED to all traffic numerous times in recent years due to landslides. Always check the current conditions before heading out there!

Where to stay the night at Pacific Coast Highway

When you are planning a trip to Pacific Coast Highway make sure to leave enough time for all the little stops you will be making to see beach towns, beaches and everything else. Driving on this twisty and scenic road is often quite slow so it is best to stay a night or two along the way.

When we have driven down from San Francisco Bay Area we have often stayed in San Simeon and Morro Bay. Our favourites there have been the Quality Inn near Hearts Castle and the Hampton Inn Morro Bay.

The other way around I usually recommend either Monterey or Carmel-by-the-Sea. They both should be on your list to visit no matter what. Monterey has many great things to do with kids, the most famous of them being the Monterey Bay Aquarium. It is also the best place to hop on to a whale watching tour.

Monterey is known for its adorable Inns like Victorian Inn and The Jabberwock Bed & Breakfast. There are also some ocean view hotels such as Monterey Bay Inn and Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa. With a budget I would recommend the Holiday Inn Express at Monterey Bay

In Carmel-by-the-Sea we have stayed in Hofsas House Hotel which is a family owned business and is just adorable. It is in a walking distance from both downtown and beach.

🐚🐚🐚

If you like visiting waterfalls then California is great for you. Some of the best ones are the Yosemite Falls, Crystal Creek Falls and our personal favorite; Burney Falls.

Pacific Coast Highway has so many amazing places to visit and McWay Falls is just one them. Make sure to plan what you want to see before heading out there so you will know how much time you need.

If you want to visit for example Hearst Castle that will already take a major portion of your day. Or maybe you want to make a little detour to the most Danish village in California; Solvang or to Paso Robles Wine Country.

However, there are so many things to see along the Pacific Coast Highway but definitely none like the McWay Falls!

Have you been driving on California’s Pacific Coast Highway or is it on your bucketlist? Would you stop here?