One of the most popular beaches on the Central Coast and is well known for Keyhole Rock, a popular photography subject
General Information
$30 per van
$50 per bus
Cash preferred; credit cards accepted when kiosk is staffed
Must remain on leash no longer than 6 feet and wear current tags
Carmel-by-the-Sea (29 mi)
Monterey (36 mi)
How to Get There
From Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA (29 mi): Take CA-1 south for 29 miles, turn right onto Sycamore Canyon Road, and follow it 2 miles to reach Pfeiffer Beach.
Overview
Pfeiffer Beach is located in the Big Sur region of California. It is one of the most popular beaches on the Central Coast and is well known for Keyhole Rock, a popular photography subject. On a limited number of days in December and January each year, photographers crowd the beach to obtain pictures of the setting sun visible through the arch. Due to the steep terrain prevalent along the Big Sur coast, it one of the few ocean access points within Big Sur.
The entrance to Sycamore Canyon Road, a single-lane, 2.2 miles (3.5 km) long access road, can be difficult to find. The road and the beach are within the Los Padres National Forest. The road is named for the Western Sycamores that grow along the road and near the beach. Because it is so narrow, pedestrians and recreational vehicles are not permitted on the road. The Forest Service has a superior easement on the road. There are only five spots along the road where two vehicles can pass each other. Visitor traffic along the road is seven to ten times that of local traffic.
The parking lot accommodates 65 vehicles and is usually full on summer and holiday weekends. During the summer, a shuttle operates from the US Forest Service headquarters at Big Sur Station to the beach. It is a short walk from the parking lot to the beach. The wide sandy beach is sometimes confused with Julia Pfeiffer Burns Park and the beach at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park to the south.
The 1 mile (1.6 km) long beach is known for purple patches of sand that are occasionally visible, especially after rain. The purple color is caused by Manganese garnet that is eroded down from nearby hillsides.
No camping or fires are permitted. There are four picnic tables available. Swimming can be hazardous due to the cold water, rocks, and strong currents. The weather from June to August can be foggy and cold, known locally as "June Gloom".
p class="third-party-img">This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Pfeiffer Beach", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
