However, it was at the end of a particularly vicious Dry Season (yielding California’s deadliest and most damaging wildfires to date statewide) so it had no chance of flowing on this visit. It wasn’t until over 17 years later that I finally had the opportunity to do this hike. Unfortunately, we were neither well-researched nor well-prepared on that trip so we wound up not doing it. As the trail reaches the bottom of the ravine, the vegetation abruptly changes from oak woodland to a lush, deeply-shaded redwood grove the contrast is striking.The Black Swift Falls (or “Ragged Point Waterfall” as we tended to refer to it) was an intermittent waterfall on Young Creek that we had an opportunity to visit on our very first trip to Big Sur back around the late March 2001 time frame. Return to the main trail, which descends back to the Pfeiffer Falls Trail. The grand sweep of the valley, fading into the pale blue distance, makes a spectacular view. Eventually the trail emerges at a viewpoint over the Big Sur Valley, looking toward the ocean. ![]() The trail follows a ridge with views of the imposingly high, scrub-covered mountains and occasional glimpses across the valley. The Valley View spur is less-used and narrower than the main trail, and can get overgrown with poison oak. Continue on the Valley View Trail, which descends by a flight of steps into a dense clump of small redwoods, then climbs an oak-wooded hillide. The trail levels out and contours along the hillside to the waterfall, a thin stream that cascades down a rock face. As the trail climbs, the redwoods get smaller eventually the sound of the waterfall can be heard in the distance. The trail crosses the gorge on a high footbridge and then switchbacks up a steep hillside. The trail climbs several flights of steps, running along the edge of the narrow strip of redwoods that grows in the canyon. There are no obvious signs of the 2008 fires.Ī grove of redwoods near the bottom of the Pfeiffer Falls Trail There’s a patchy light green carpet of sorrel and a few ferns under the dark redwoods. After crossing a service road, the trail enters a scenic and open redwood grove on the banks of a small creek. The well-marked trail to Pfeiffer Falls starts across the main access road and quickly begins climbing. The new trail is also much more lavishly built, with stout fences and steps made from large redwood timbers, and a dramatic footbridge crossing the gorge.įrom the first parking area after the entrance kiosk, take the River Path to the lodge. The views of the redwood-filled canyon make the trail much more scenic than it used to be. While the old trail ran along the bottom of the narrow canyon, the new, much nicer trail is cut into the hillside well above the canyon bottom. In 2021 a new, rerouted trail was finally opened. ![]() The gorge section of the Pfeiffer Falls Trail was closed after two major forest fires in 2008. The trail is by far the most popular hike in Pfeiffer Big Sur and gets very busy expect to see 2–4 groups of people per minute on a nice weekend. Return on the Valley View Trail, which descends an oak-covered hillside with a side trip to a great view of the Big Sur Valley. The Pfeiffer Falls Trail starts at the park lodge and climbs through a scenic redwood-filled gorge to reach a small waterfall.
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