Pfeiffer Fall and Valley View Trail

After parking in the nearby parking lot, head towards the trailhead which is clearly marked. It is about 0.7 miles to the base of Pfeiffer Fall and mostly uphill.

After almost 0.5 miles into the hike you will arrive at an intersection with trails in each direction. Pfeiffer Fall is about 0.2 miles further to the right and the trail is flat with some downhill near the end.

To the left is the Valley View Trail which leads about 0.3 miles uphill to views of the Big Sur valley.

Pfeiffer Fall may not be an extremely impressive waterfall by some standards but it is definitely worth the short scenic hike. The 35ft waterfall comes off Redwood Creek and is relatively low in volume, which means that timing can make a huge differente. Hike this trail after a large rainstorm to see the waterfall at its fullest. In the dry seasons you may not see much here, but the journey is worthwhile by itself.

Here you will find a wooden bench where you can enjoy the nice view of the valley while you recover from the uphill climb.

At the end of the valley view trail there is a small open area where you can enjoy the view of the valley below. There is also a bench here where you can sit to recover from your uphill hike, although it may already be occupied on a busy day because this trail is one of the park's more popular hikes (after the trail to Pfeiffer Fall).

To the right you can see all the way to Point Sur on a clear day with Hwy 1 winding through the trees below and visible in a few distinct spots. When you are ready to head back, hike down the way you came up, turning right at the junction about half way down.