McWay Falls Trail

McWay Falls Trail in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is a short, paved walk along the Big Sur coastline of California, delivering one of the most photographed viewpoints on the entire Pacific Coast. The trail leads to an overlook of McWay Falls, an 80-foot waterfall that drops directly onto an isolated cove beach. Depending on the tide, the falls land on the sand itself — one of the few tidefall waterfalls on the US Pacific coast — or flow directly into the ocean at high water.

The trailhead is located at the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park day-use parking area directly off Highway 1, approximately 37 miles south of Carmel. State park day-use fees apply per vehicle. The parking area is small and fills quickly, particularly on weekends and in summer. The park's location on Highway 1 in Big Sur means access depends on road conditions — the highway is subject to periodic closures due to landslides and storm damage, and current status should be verified before visiting.

From the parking area, the trail descends briefly through a pedestrian underpass beneath Highway 1 before emerging on the coastal bluff. The paved path then follows the clifftop for approximately 0.3 miles, providing constant views of the Pacific and the dramatic sea cliffs characteristic of Big Sur, before reaching the overlook platform above McWay Cove. The cove and beach below are closed to public access; the clifftop overlook is the only vantage point from which the falls can be viewed.

McWay Falls runs year-round, fed by McWay Creek draining the Santa Lucia Range slopes above. Flow is highest in winter and spring following rainfall. In late summer, flow may reduce to a thin ribbon but remains visually striking against the turquoise water and pale sand of the sheltered cove. An additional short interpretive walk, the Pelton Water Wheel Trail, is accessible from the same parking area.