Julia Pfeiffer Burns Falls

A beautiful small waterfall dropping onto the beach—nature has already perfectly composed the scene, all you need to do is show up and take the photo. Location: Search “Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.” It’s about a 3-hour drive from the Bay Area. Parking: Parking inside the state park costs $10 and must be paid in cash. You can also park for free along the roadside outside the park, but there are only about five available spots. Do you need a long hike? No. It’s about a 10-minute walk from where you park. The trailhead is located next to the payment box. Can you get down to the waterfall? No. You cannot access the beach area; you can only view it from across the cove. Is the trail closed? Yes, the lower section has been closed for over a decade and has not been repaired. However, this does not significantly affect the view. Best time to visit: Go in the afternoon. In the morning, the waterfall is in shadow and doesn’t look as good. How to shoot it: Walk to the trail closure point and take photos from there. The viewpoint is quite close to the waterfall, so a phone is more than enough. A full-frame camera with a 24–70mm lens is also sufficient. Long exposures don’t work well here, and standard tourist shots aren’t particularly impressive either. Still, I ended up helping countless visitors take photos while I was there for about an hour. This spot can be combined with a Big Sur road trip. It’s also a great place for astrophotography, using the waterfall as a foreground element for Milky Way shots.