McWay Creek Falls

One for the list

Is it plungeworthy?

—feet tall

A waterfall on McWay Creek.

Scale12/60

Documentation15/20

Character8/20

The details

Watercourse: McWay Creek
Coordinates: 36.1578, -121.6721

Get directions →

About McWay Creek Falls

McWay Creek Falls is a waterfall in California, on McWay Creek.

Fed largely by snowmelt, it runs hardest in late spring and early summer and can thin to a trickle by late season.

Plungeworthy rates McWay Creek Falls 3.5/10 — one for the list. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

An 80-foot tidefall pouring off a granite bluff straight toward a turquoise cove and a beach no one is allowed to touch — the single most photographed scene in Big Sur. One of only a couple of waterfalls in California that meet the ocean.

Current reality: the Overlook Trail and its tunnel viewpoint are closed indefinitely for retaining-wall repairs, so the view right now is from the signed pullout on the Highway 1 shoulder. Still worth stopping; know before you build a day around it.

Getting there

Trailhead: Overlook Trail, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (CLOSED for construction as of mid-2026 — roadside viewing meanwhile)
Parking: Small park lot plus Highway 1 shoulder; both jam on weekends
Road: Paved — and Highway 1 through Big Sur is fully reopened end-to-end (the Regent's Slide repair finished January 2026). Slides recur; glance at Caltrans QuickMap.
Hike: 0.5 mi round trip, 20 ft of climb (easy)
Heads up: The cove and beach below are permanently off-limits — boat access only, unstable cliffs.

When to go

Year-round — it's creek-fed, not snowmelt, so the ribbon persists in September when the Sierra falls quit. Clear afternoons light the cove its full unreal blue-green.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: $10/vehicle park day-use when the park lot/trail are open; the shoulder view is free
Dogs: Not permitted anywhere in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park
Hours: 8am to sunset
Camping: Two hike-in environmental sites in the park (book ~6 months out); Pfeiffer Big Sur, Kirk Creek, and Limekiln campgrounds along the highway
Warnings: Never attempt the cove. Watch traffic when viewing from the shoulder — it's an active highway.

Researched from CA State Parks — Julia Pfeiffer Burns · CA State Parks — trail status · Governor's office — Hwy 1 reopening. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to McWay Creek Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.