There are several vantage points along the path, typically with a photographer located at each one. You can pull into the park to see more beauty (like Canyon Falls in the creek above McWay Falls). Worth a peak if you’ve never seen. Here, you'll see a wonderful view north up the coast, and behind you up the hill, the ruins of the old "Waterfall House" built by Lathrop and Helen Brown. We were invited to tour the property and the house.

In December and January, you can often see gray whales migrating south from this point, and they return in March and April to the north Pacific where they feed during summer.Park is still closed to get to the trail, but you can park on the side of the road and still have the same view.

... 3-hour Electric Bike tour, 17 Mile Drive, Monterey Bay Coastal Rec Trail. If you get there at a good time, real early, you can avoid the crowds of people.

You’ll pay a day use fee to park here, but the Falls Trail goes under Pacific Coast Highway via a tunnel, making it a safer option than jockeying for a parking spot along busy Highway 1.Once you pass through the tunnel, you wind your way along the top of the bluff to the right. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Mcway falls in one of them . Otherwise very beautiful and still worth the walk out there! Highly recommend!Entire Park closed due to Covid and can’t enter on foot either.

The Pelton wheel was used by the Browns to power their home and a small rail car that ran up and down the mountain to the house. Waterfalls. With a majestic fairy tale like cove, an 80 foot waterfall plunging off vertical granite cliffs, and steep canyons filled with ancient, 2,500 year old, 300 foot redwood trees, this California state park is one of the most visited parks along the Pacific Coast Highway.We had seen a glimpse of McWay falls as we drove past In our giant adventure mobile (Brian’s truck) parking can be a bit tough and we really didn’t want to try and squeeze into a arrow space on the side of the road, so we drove past the entrance twice and on the second pass, saw an open spot, and pulled in.

There was only a bed in the room and a nightstand with a plastic radio on it and a lamp. The best part of this trail is closed but I snuck through and enjoyed this paradise all to myself for about an hour. My goal? WATERFALL OVERLOOK TRAIL/MCWAY FALLS ** CLOSED **.6 miles roundtrip * Note that, when open, the McWay Falls Overlook Trail is closed at the halfway point due to trail erosion that has caused dangerous conditions. The waterfall is tucked inside a cove with sparkling turquoise blue waters and a pristine sandy beach that is protected by rocky outcroppings. Saw a picture of the area at a motel in South Lake Tahoe.

California Condors are often seen in the Eucalyptus trees here.

Reader Dennis Hanshew sent in his recollection about the Waterfall House: Also, because the parking lot fill up so quickly, and because a lot of people don’t want to pay the $10/car state park fee, there are also cars parked on both sides of Highway 1 in both directions.It’s a madhouse, because in every car is a group of people who all want to see McWay Falls. Quick, flat walk to the overlook. Lathrop Brown was a Congressman from New York and reportedly a close pal of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in the 1930s. It is still open, but you really can't see the falls from the trail until it is reopened.

I personally hike each trail to create these guides, sharing practical advice on gear and outdoor skills. We were told that they had to be covered over in bad weather to prevent shattering. Lots of people. Don’t forget to pay for your parking! On weekends it may get quite full, but be patient because the hike is short and people will return soon to open up a parking spot.Start along the path leading towards the ocean. The McWay Falls Transformation McWay Falls used to be a coastal waterfall or a tidefalls that emptied directly into the ocean, but in 1983 a massive fire and landslide just north of the park changed everything. The view is pretty.Outside of the trail being closed it was one of the most beautiful gifts from God I’ve seen! McWay Falls is on the west side of Highway 1, across from most of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.