The Big Sur coastline in central California is known throughout the world for its confluence of massive redwood trees, dramatic coastal cliffs, waterfalls, and beautiful beaches. There are numerous great RV campgrounds along this stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway, and one of the most popular is Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, one hour south of Monterey. Visitors to this park will find hiking trails paralleling a cool river, thick forests, wildlife, waterfalls, and overall peacefulness, despite the park’s popularity.

The land that is now Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park started as a 160-acre homestead in the late 19th century, after this part of California was ceded to the United States from Mexico. John Pfeiffer later had some lucrative offers from urban developers for this land, but he instead sold it to the state of California for a park. The current park is now just over 1,000 acres and includes an infrastructure of trails and buildings constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s and 40s. Archeological evidence also shows signs of native peoples inhabiting this land 8,000 years before John Pfeiffer settled here, some of which can be seen in the visitors center.