Iconic California state park with waterfall onto beach closed by storm damage

Storm damage has closed a Big Sur state park famous for its spectacular views of a waterfall onto the beach, California officials say.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park along Highway 1 will remain closed until further notice “due to storm damage and unsafe conditions,” state parks officials said.

Fallen trees and landslides have damaged trails in the park, including a half-mile walk to an overlook of McWay Falls, which plunges 80 feet down a cliff to the beach below.

The park also is known for hiking trails climbing more than 3,000 feet, redwood groves and scuba diving.

The park’s environmental campsites reopened January 25th for reservation holders, officials said.

Parts of Highway 1 remain closed or have traffic controls after rockslides caused by a series of storms known as an “atmospheric river” that battered the state, the California Department of Transportation reported.

The park is named for a “well-respected pioneer woman” in the Big Sur area, according to state parks officials.

This story was originally published January 29, 2023 at 10:03 AM with the headline "Iconic California state park with waterfall onto beach closed by storm damage."