Big Sur is a sparsely populated region of the central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean.
The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el
sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur",
"the big country of the south". The terrain offers stunning views,
making Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak
is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending
nearly a mile (5,155 feet/1571 m) above sea level, only three miles
(4.8 km) from the ocean.
Although Big Sur has no specific boundaries, many definitions of the
area include the 90 miles (145 km) of coastline between the Carmel River and San Carpoforo Creek, and extend about 20 miles (32 km) inland to the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucias. Other sources limit the eastern border to the coastal flanks of these mountains, only three to 12 miles (4.8–19 km) inland.
The northern end of Big Sur is about 120 miles (193 km) south of San Francisco, and the southern end is approximately 245 miles (394 km) northwest of Los Angeles.
The name "Big Sur" is derived from the original Spanish-language "el
sur grande", meaning "the big south", or from "el país grande del sur",
"the big country of the south". The terrain offers stunning views,
making Big Sur a popular tourist destination. Big Sur's Cone Peak
is the highest coastal mountain in the contiguous 48 states, ascending
nearly a mile (5,155 feet/1571 m) above sea level, only three miles
(4.8 km) from the ocean.
Although Big Sur has no specific boundaries, many definitions of the
area include the 90 miles (145 km) of coastline between the Carmel River and San Carpoforo Creek, and extend about 20 miles (32 km) inland to the eastern foothills of the Santa Lucias. Other sources limit the eastern border to the coastal flanks of these mountains, only three to 12 miles (4.8–19 km) inland.
The northern end of Big Sur is about 120 miles (193 km) south of San Francisco, and the southern end is approximately 245 miles (394 km) northwest of Los Angeles.
Trails
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Nature Trail at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park
A short self-guided nature trail to explore the native plans and surrounding habitat of Pfeiffer Big Sur
A short self-guided nature trail to explore the native plans and surrounding habitat of Pfeiffer Big Sur
Easy
0.3 mi
0.5 km
0.5 km
Pfeiffer Fall and Valley View Trail
Take a nice hike through the redwoods to Pfeiffer Fall followed by a walk to a stunning view of the Big Sur valley below
Take a nice hike through the redwoods to Pfeiffer Fall followed by a walk to a stunning view of the Big Sur valley below
Easy
2.0 mi
3.2 km
3.2 km
Pine Ridge Trail to Sykes Hot Springs
A popular 10-mile hike through the Big Sur wilderness with a relaxing finish
A popular 10-mile hike through the Big Sur wilderness with a relaxing finish
Difficult
20.0 mi
32.2 km
32.2 km
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Summary
Difficulty
Distance
Overlook Trail to McWay Falls
A short hike with amazing views of the Big Sur coast with a stunning waterfall falling to the sandy beach below
A short hike with amazing views of the Big Sur coast with a stunning waterfall falling to the sandy beach below
Easy
0.5 mi
0.8 km
0.8 km
Tanbark Trail
A strenuous loop into the hills above Big Sur with amazing views along the coast as far as the eye can see
A strenuous loop into the hills above Big Sur with amazing views along the coast as far as the eye can see
Difficult
6.4 mi
10.3 km
10.3 km
Guides
A popular 10-mile hike through the Big Sur wilderness with a relaxing finish
Take a nice hike through the redwoods to Pfeiffer Fall followed by a walk to a stunning view of the Big Sur valley below
A short hike with amazing views of the Big Sur coast with a stunning waterfall falling to the sandy beach below
A strenuous loop into the hills above Big Sur with amazing views along the coast as far as the eye can see
A short self-guided nature trail to explore the native plans and surrounding habitat of Pfeiffer Big Sur
11.3 mile trail near Greenfield, California
Community Trips
David and I were ready to try some snow camping in Yosemite this weekend, but the weather report had other plans. It was set to rain on the first day in Yosemite, and we decided that camping in snow while being rained on did not sound like a good use of a weekend (hopefully we will get some clear skies soon!). Since we had psyched ourselves up for a backpacking trip for...
Day hike along the Tan Bark trail. It was 3.2 miles up to "The tin house" which was abandoned and have amazing views of the coast line. We then decided to hike down to the water and walk along the rocks for a bit.
Pine Valley in Ventana Wilderness is a great place for both dayhiking and backpacking. The valley is filled with large pine trees and rock that remind you more of Sierra meadows than typical coastal ranges. There is a 5 acre parcel of private property in the valley belonging to Jack English, a friendly and welcoming 90+ year old man who will invite you in and tell you the amazing stories of his...
Just a short little walk to the cliffs above the water in Big Sur. Great views of the little cove and a waterfall.
Pfeiffer Fall and Valley View Trail
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, California, United States
2.0 miles
2.0 miles
This short hike combined two of the more popular trails in Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park: Pfieffer Falls and Valley View. Unfortunately, due to fire damage from 2008, part of the Pfeiffer Falls loop was closed for rehabilitation and reconstruction, but luckily the waterfall was still reachable.When I got to Peiffer Fall the water was barely trickling down, and my guess is that late spring may be a better time for this...
A fun little adventure that started at midnight when we started hiking 14mi down Indians Rd to Escondido campground. There we had a chance to sleep for a couple of hours before starting the Arroyo Seco river adventure. The Arroyo Seco water level varied from the trecherous ankle deep to full on swimming. We deveoped new techniques for swimming with a backpack on, such as the "bicycle" and the "crawdad".The highlight of the hike was definitely...
A hike up Pine Ridge to Terrace Creek, then to the top of the ridge and down the Coast Ridge Road to Ventana Inn. A scenic loop hike that takes in the highlites of Big Sur, California.
It is a trip that in summer month will challenge your sanity for hiking 10 miles to hot springs when during the hike all you can think of is a cold bath.It is a medium to strenuous hike with views to kill for. There are a lot of signs of 2008 fire but also amazing examples of rebirth. We made frequent stops to soak our feet in cold creeks and enjoy the...
Over the long 4th of July weekend David, Josh and I were looking for a backpacking trip. Unfortunately, literally everything in the Sierra's was either full or covered in snow, and we decided to stay a bit closer to home.We eventually decided on Big Sur and left Friday after work to spend the night in Monterey to get an early jump on the next day. The jump was most of a slow...
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