Roughly a half mile south of Big Sur village, Pfeiffer–Big Sur State Park is the region’s main event, an 810-acre riverside forest that’s one of the most pleasant (and popular) parks in the state. Besides offering a full range of visitor services—restaurant, lodge, campground, and grocery store—the park includes one of Big Sur’s best short hikes, a two-mile loop on the Valley View trail that takes in stately redwoods as well as oak and madrone groves, a 40-foot waterfall, and a grand vista down the Big Sur valley to the coast. Campsites cost $15–20 (800/444-7275); for cabins or rooms at the lodge, call 831/667-3100.
The park also has the main ranger station (831/667-2315) for all the state parks in the Big Sur area. Just south of the park entrance, a USFS ranger station (831/667-2423) on the east side of Hwy-1 has information on hiking and camping opportunities in the mountains above Big Sur, including the isolated (but poison oak–ridden) Ventana Wilderness.
