Parking
Start at Day Use Lot 3, the named visitor parking access for the Gorge Trail. The campground trailhead near sites 111 and 112 has no day-use parking.
Overview
About Big Sur River Gorge Trail
Why go
- A short paved route from Day Use Lot 3 to the river gorge.
Heads up
- The swimming-hole scramble begins beyond the maintained trail and is hazardous.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Pfeiffer Big Sur map
Full mapElevation262–374 ft
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
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
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Pfeiffer Big Sur Tour Guide
Your drive to Big Sur River Gorge Trail, 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 trailhead
Big Sur River Gorge: Beyond the Paved Path0:00 / 0:31
“You're approaching Day Use Lot Three, the starting point for the Big Sur River Gorge Trail. The paved half-mile round trip takes twenty to thirty minutes, ending where the undeveloped gorge begins.”
Plays as you drive up to this trailhead in the Parkwolf Pfeiffer Big Sur Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Colonial Tree and the Riverside Picnic Areas
- Pfeiffer Big Sur Campground and Camp Store
- Mount Manuel Trail: A Full Day Above the Gorge
- 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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Big Sur River Gorge Trail
A quick walk to the gorgeBig Sur River Gorge Trail is a paved out-and-back from Day Use Lot 3 to the entrance of the Big…
Big Sur River Gorge Trail is a paved out-and-back from Day Use Lot 3 to the entrance of the Big Sur River Gorge. It is 0.5 mile round trip; allow about 20 to 30 minutes for the short up-and-down walk and a look at the river. Choose it for a quick visit to the gorge. The swimming-hole scramble is a separate, unmaintained extension.
Stop at the end of the paved routeFollow the Gorge Trail from Day Use Lot 3 and turn around where the maintained path reaches the…
Follow the Gorge Trail from Day Use Lot 3 and turn around where the maintained path reaches the undeveloped gorge. That is the end of this mapped hike. For a photo, frame the river with the boulders and leafy canopy; there is no need to climb onto the rocks for a closer angle.
The pool is a separate extensionSome visitors continue upstream toward the swimming pool by wading and climbing over boulders…
Some visitors continue upstream toward the swimming pool by wading and climbing over boulders and logs. That is outside this trail. The park warns of loose rocks, slippery surfaces, and unstable soil, and calls those conditions extremely hazardous. If you are not prepared for river travel, turn around where the maintained path ends.
Protect the riverThe park asks visitors to protect fish nests and not move rocks, branches, or other river…
The park asks visitors to protect fish nests and not move rocks, branches, or other river material. Pets are not allowed on hiking trails, apart from service animals.
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.
