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 Main Day Use Picnic Area
Why stop
- Shaded tables and charcoal grills make this an easy place for a meal between park stops.
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 Main Day Use Picnic Area, 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
Ewoldsen Nature Center: Fly Like a Condor0:00 / 0:29
“You're nearing the day-use area for Ewoldsen Memorial Nature Center, across the river along Warden's Path. The digital condor flight station lets you try flying like a condor, using actual flight patterns from Big Sur.”
Plays as you drive up to Main Day Use Picnic Area in the Parkwolf Pfeiffer Big Sur Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Pfeiffer Falls: The Redwood Ravine
- Mount Manuel Trail: A Full Day Above the Gorge
- Big Sur Lodge and Redwood Deck
- Big Sur Station: Gateway to Pine Ridge
- 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 Main Day Use Picnic Area
A shady pause, not a destinationThis is Pfeiffer Big Sur’s main day-use picnic area, the wooded table cluster around Lots 1 and…
This is Pfeiffer Big Sur’s main day-use picnic area, the wooded table cluster around Lots #1 and #2 near the entrance kiosk. It’s an easy place to stop for a meal if you’re already in the park; on its own, it’s a practical break rather than a reason to detour.
A useful setupThe main day-use area has accessible tables, parking, restrooms, and paths connecting its…
The main day-use area has accessible tables, parking, restrooms, and paths connecting its facilities. Charcoal grills are available in the park’s picnic areas, so bring food if you want to cook. The Big Sur Lodge café and store are separate options nearby, not services at these tables.
Close to the riverThe picnic area sits near the Big Sur River, though it’s a table setting rather than a formal…
The picnic area sits near the Big Sur River, though it’s a table setting rather than a formal overlook, and a river view depends on where you sit. Dogs are allowed in picnic day-use areas on leash; they aren’t allowed on park trails.
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.
