1 active Pfeiffer Big Sur alert
- ClosurePfeiffer Big Sur State Park closed for fire impactsPfeiffer Big Sur State Park is currently closed; do not enter.Official details
Overview
About Buzzard's Roost Viewpoint
Why stop
- A redwood-to-ridge hike above Sycamore Canyon and the coast.
Heads up
- The sustained uphill can feel like a lot if fog hides the view.
Map
Where it is
Loading the Pfeiffer Big Sur map
Full mapPlan your stop
Before you go
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Pfeiffer Big Sur Tour Guide
Your drive to Buzzard's Roost Viewpoint, narrated.
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Big Sur Lodge and Redwood Deck0:00 / 0:30
“Up ahead is the Big Sur Lodge area, with Redwood Deck nearby for a close look at the trees without a strenuous hike. These coast redwoods are near the southern edge of their natural range.”
Plays as you drive up to Buzzard's Roost Viewpoint in the Parkwolf Pfeiffer Big Sur Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Big Sur Station: Gateway to Pine Ridge
- Ewoldsen Nature Center: Fly Like a Condor
- Pfeiffer Falls: The Redwood Ravine
- Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground and Camp Store
- 10 audio storiesacross Pfeiffer Big Sur’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor California Condor, Wild Turkey, Mule Deer, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 11 trails, 20 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
More about Buzzard's Roost Viewpoint
It’s a hike, not a pulloutBuzzard’s Roost is the exposed ridge viewpoint on Pfeiffer Big Sur’s loop, known for its sweep…
Buzzard’s Roost is the exposed ridge viewpoint on Pfeiffer Big Sur’s loop, known for its sweep over the ocean, Sycamore Canyon, and the Santa Lucia Mountains. The loop is 3 miles round trip with about 750 feet of gain and is rated moderate to strenuous. It starts across the Big Sur River from Redwood Deck, so treat this as a trail destination rather than a drive-up lookout. No food or drinking-water service is documented at the ridge, so bring water; dogs aren’t allowed on this trail. The wheelchair- and stroller-accessible River/Warden loop is a separate 0.6-mile outing.
From redwoods to ridgeThe route starts by the river in redwood shade, then keeps climbing until the forest opens onto…
The route starts by the river in redwood shade, then keeps climbing until the forest opens onto a sunny, exposed ridge. Expect sustained uphill and little flat walking; the climb is part of the visit, not a short approach to a roadside view.
Give the coast a clear windowFrom the ridge, the panorama takes in the ocean, Sycamore Canyon, and the Santa Lucia Mountains.
From the ridge, the panorama takes in the ocean, Sycamore Canyon, and the Santa Lucia Mountains. Fog can hide the coast, so go for the walk as well as the view. When visibility is good, frame down the canyon and let its folded ridgelines lead toward the ocean.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Pfeiffer Big Sur
10 sightingsCalifornia CondorMost seen around 1 PMSighting map
55 sightingsWild TurkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
100 sightingsMule DeerMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
36 sightingsTurkey VultureMost seen around 1 PMSighting map
46 sightingsAcorn WoodpeckerMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
11 sightingsGray FoxMost seen around 6 PMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Pfeiffer Big Sur. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
