One of the region’s best parks, Julia Pfeiffer Burns epitomizes the Big Sur experience. The park is located on the rugged coastline and is reached by Highway One, which is carved into the steep hills high above the ocean.

The park has two parts. To the south is the main parking lot with the 5-mile-long Ewoldsen Trail, a picnic area, a nice environmental (undeveloped) campground, and Big Sur’s most popular attraction, McWay Falls, reached by a short trail. To the north, hidden at an unmarked bend in the road, is the 5-mile-long Tan Oak Trail and the popular short trail to Partington Cove. Other than the small campground and picnic area the park has no facilities, in stark contrast to the heavily-developed Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park a half-hour to the north.

More information

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• The Ventana Wild website has user-submitted trail reports for the Ewoldsen Trail and the Tan Bark Trail.