Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Campground

Camped with family over Memorial Day weekend. Park was busy , but amazing. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. Our camp neighbors were awesome. Bathroom and showers clean. We camp here at least twice a year. Can’t wait to come back.

I know we all rant here about how, “if you can go outside school holidays, you’re in for a real treat!” The most popular places, like Pfeiffer, can be nuts in the high season, although socially, that can be fun, too. 

However, I have had the nicest times in the Winter here, truly. Christmas, Thanksgiving, special moments. The winter sun and sunsets are extraordinary. The Big Sur community, chill and awesome without all the tourist pressure. 

Another fun fact… sometimes, when I have come back from a backpacking trip in the area, I will book a day or night, even if I don’t SPEND the whole night, because the showers are SO GOOD. And you know what’s it like to want a decent shower after you’ve been in the muck a few days.

I first stayed in this campground in 1975 while on break from collage. 49 years later it is still just a beautiful as I remember, even though they were recovering from some very heavy rains, most all of the campsites were open.

Great location to base out of when exploring the central coast. If you are coming from the south be sure to check that Highway 1 (PCH) is open, otherwise you will have to backtrack inland.

Friendly staff, general store, lots of things to do.

This is our second camping trip here. We made a reservation months in advance to secure a riverfront site. It’s fantastic that you can access the river from this campsite in a very short walking distance. If you’re a light sleeper, be cautious choosing camping near the river because you definitely can hear the sound from it at night! It was still quite  warm during daytime when we visited in the first week of September. Flies and other flying insects were a bit annoying during daytime (around 11am -4pm). Will definitely com back at this campsite with more nights in Fall.

If you are looking for great car camping, the campground in the park is a great place. It does get a little crowded and you will need to book a few months in advance. But there are plenty of hikes in the park and you are pretty much right there. We saw a lot of wildlife and shooting stars on the clear nights. Most campsites are reasonable size and the campground is huge

We stay at campsite #168 for one night in 10/2022. We had great experience of our first camping trip here. The campground is in the redwoods with plenty of shade. Hot shower available with token. Restroom is very clean. Campsite #168 is a bit small and quite close to the neaby campsite that you can even hear snoring from other campers… Will definitely come back to this campground with more nights at a different campsite!

Stayed in site 185 for five days in April. As working full-timers, this site suited our biggest need: clear sky for Starlink and solar. We got consistently good speeds with Dishy on a flagpole, and with 400w on the roof, we almost made it five days without a generator at all. (Lots of furnace use overnight is what got us!) Like all sites, this one was tight for a 27' trailer and full-size truck, but it wasn't awful. A few of the nearby sites are much, much harder to get into, as they're diagonal in the wrong direction w/r/t the one-way road. I'd recommend checking your spot on Google Maps satellite view before booking.

The campground itself was gorgeous. Big old redwoods everywhere, the Big Sur River running fast, and a nice little nature center that's open a few hours each week. I read there that the current Main Campground is being phased out—these might be your last years to camp in the redwood trees here.

Happy with the clean showers and bathrooms. Showers were $1 for 5 mins. Our campsite was located at the very end. Quite quiet area vs the front campsites which I prefer.

My gf and I stayed at camp 166. Beautiful redwoods and rivers flowing all around you. They have a store and market down the street with the best blue cheese I’ve ever tryed. The ocean drive will stay in my mind for years to come. We will definitely be coming back…

We were lucky and got the last spot for the night. Very friendly Rangers, big campground that doesn't feel big with lots of trees and shade. We went on a few nice hikes and enjoyed a short swim in the quite cold river.

Stayed in the hiker/biker campsite. Plenty of spots for campers. They had showers, flushing toilets, and sinks. Deep sink outside of bathroom to wash clothes. Outlets outside of bathroom to charge you things. It’s solid.

Sites were large and level. Ours was a river site and we very much enjoyed being able to step back and explore the river right from our base. Bathrooms were busy but quite clean and the camp host was an absolute wealth of information about the area. Loved it here!

Great location, great service, clean facilities, hassle free. They sell firewood and have a little store on site. There are also gas and small grocery stores close by. You can even get Verizon service in a few pullouts along the road, less than 1 mile south.

We stayed for two nights in this clean, quiet and beautiful campground. The bathrooms were clean, the water was hat and the river was spectacular.

Big Sur is arguably one of the most beautiful places on our planet. Pfieffer is located in the heart of it. I have been backpacking in the Ventana wilderness for 36 years and have countless memories. This was my first RV trip to Big Sur. I arrived without a reservation and the campground was completely full. The rangers accommodated me in the overflow area in the parking lot of the day use area. It was actually pretty nice. There were only two other RV’s there. The next night there were able to get me a site in the park. It’s a beautiful park. However, there is no wifi and no cell service. As a full-timer I depend on these to stay in communication and plan the next phase of my trip. I had to drive to the post office every day to pick up a weak signal. This is why I only rated this a four. I also had an incident with a ranger that was unsettling. He was carrying a gun and seemed very impressed with himself. I was aroused early in the morning by loud banging on my door. He was confrontational. I had left my recycling including a beer can on the bumper of the RV so that I could take it to the bin in the morning. A couple of items had fallen to the ground. He suggested I may have been driving with an open beer can in the truck. WTF? I nicknamed the guy Bungalo Bill. BTW I never drink and drive.

Nice campground, some spots are a little tight backing in so if you got a buddy send em to spot.

I was able to only reserve one night about two weeks prior to my stay. On my way out I asked if they take walk ins and they do at $ 35. If we wanted to we would have been able to stay a second night, but we ended up driving North. We saw three deer, river, trees that have been there for several years. Clean bathrooms with soap. Dogs not allowed on trails.

This is an amazing campground on the big sur river. The Rangers do a pretty good job keeping the place up. Fishing is not allowed in the river but not practical anyway because people are swimming in it all the time. I'm a single guy with a truck camper. This is a great spot for families.

I have been on a cross country trip and this is by far the most beautiful, quiet and peaceful site I’ve been to. The creek is beautiful, the air smells like cedar and juniper, and it’s truly such a wonderful place. I would stay here for a week if I could. Definitely camp here!

I rented an Escape camper van. Perfect lodging as it was riverside and torrential downpour forced many tent campers to leave. 

I was cozy! I brought my propane fire pit as there was a fire ban. Most trails were closed due to mud. So many sites to see around the area. Gorgeous trees and water.

Gorgeous, quite and peaceful. This place felt half empty on Memorial Weekend. No mosquitos or ticks which was unusual. The river is running very low but it’s still gorgeous. We had a premium river site and a larger open site. I would stay closer to the river or in an open meadow for sunshine. The sites furthest from the river tucked in on the opposite side were small, dark and freezing cold. Super clean showers. ($1 per 5 minutes - a steal!). Two camp stores nearby + soft serve ice cream for the kids. 1 mile from Andrew Molera Beach (free entry if you are staying at Pfieffer). That breach is cold and cloudy most of the year and an easy flat 1 mile hike in, but it’s beautiful for sure.

We stayed in the main campground for 5 days and this place is one of the quietest most relaxing campgrounds I’ve ever been to. Cell service was weak which actually made it better. Bathrooms are clean with showers. Great place!

This campground is open but you need to reserve a site 48hrs ahead of time or snag a first-come-first-serve site (which we did!). I think it's a California State Park and Covid thing right now. There is some construction going on but it didn't effect our stay at all. We had a river site. It was tight maneuvering the roads of the campground with the trailer but the site was if enough for our 20ft trailer. Beautiful place and so much to do near by. Staff was helpful and very friendly!

We came here in February and it was the first day they were allowing campers with reservations back. It was lovely because there was almost no one in the campsites. However, we star park staff were working and it’s obvious that they are working on much of the campground.

There are over 180 campsites. I think the river sites are totally worth the money but honestly if you get any site, you will have a great time.

Plenty of bathrooms, showers etc. Facilities were always clean and there was fresh water and flush toilets.

The park is beautiful and lush. We stayed in campsite 72 and it was large and got a lot of direct sunlight since it was in a clearing. Most of the campsites were huge and had a fire pit with grill and a picnic table.

When we were there it rained a little bit but honestly we did not mind since the campsite was so great. The Big Sur river runs through the site and it was great to bring some chairs and sit along the bank.

My only word of caution: We were able to walk through the entire campsite and my only recommendation would be to avoid the sites in the upper campground that are the farthest away from the river, along the hill. Numbers 110-80. Most of those sites are on a hill and have a pretty steep slant.

I camped here most recently in August of 2019 with my family in Site 137. The campsite is at the end of the main loop before the road continues on to the other section of the campground. The site is quiet and has privacy on 3 sides. There is a site next to this site but there is some distance between the two sites. There is lots of room for large tents. We were able to place two large tents behind the trees in the back of the campsite. The stream is directly across from the campsite but there is a lot of plant growth preventing easy access. There is also plenty of shade in this site. 

The parking pad has space for only two vehicles side by side and it is a tight fit. 

There is a water spigot on the road between the two sites so water is not an issue. There are two flush toilets' one campsite away, but since the sites are large it is not as close as you would think. If you want to take a shower you can buy tokens for hot water, but you will need to walk to the next closest bathroom that has the showers.

There are two stores near by. One at the lodge which is open later and also has an ice cream shop and another small store in the campground in the farther loop that also sells ice and firewood. The camp store also has a laundry facility.

The only drawback to the site was bugs during the day time.

SWOON. So beautiful & lots of campsites for bike and hike in. These spots are close enough to the restrooms and the campsite has a cabinet for protecting gear/food. There’s a restaurant too if you’re feeling fancy or if you need a hot meal.

We went for Thanksgiving. It rained and rained. Trees were coming down left and right. We were evacuated due to the weather. Bathrooms were nice. Sites were big. It was gloomy and cold. There is some hiking areas. Only one way down to the ocean down a one lane road that is very busy and crowded and not close to town.

Camped three nights in the south campground in a tent.  Coin operated showers and indoor plumbing in the bathrooms was nice.  Had the feel of camping in a national park (near coffee but still in nature, near world class vistas). 4 stars because a nearby hiking trail was closed, there was very little sun to get through canopy so kinda chilly during the day, and I had to book it six months out.

Drove in Saturday night in January to find maybe the last spot so book ahead of you can! Found a great spot Sunday once it cleared up which was on the river, premium spots are $50 and regular is $35. Hot showers and a great little lodge store with hot coffee ice and snacks. Can’t wait to go back!

Lovely narrow canyon with towering Redwoods. Most sites are in the forest including the river sites which generally appear to be worth the upgrade. Plenty of space between many sites but site location is important. Showers were okay.