How to Get a Pfeiffer Campground Permit
189 sites strung along the Big Sur River under redwoods - the largest campground on the Big Sur coast, and it fills six months out.
Check Pfeiffer Campground permit availability$50 per night standard site, $60 premium riverfront, $10 second vehicle; $10 per vehicle day use
Permit Cost
1-7 nights
Duration
easy
Difficulty
About Pfeiffer Campground
Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park's main campground has 189 RV and tent sites on or near the Big Sur River, under redwoods in the middle of the Big Sur valley. No site has hookups, but fresh water, hot showers and toilets are spread through the campground, and every site has a parking area, fire pit and picnic table. Each site takes a maximum of six people and two vehicles. Booking is the hard part. Reservations run through ReserveCalifornia and the park says sites fill six months in advance - the full rolling window. You cannot reserve inside the 48 hours before arrival, so late plans mean showing up in person: the park releases day-of sites only through the entrance kiosk, and tells you to check after 3 p.m. on the day you want to camp. Rates are $50 for a standard site and $60 for a premium riverfront site, plus $10 for a second vehicle. Day use is $10 per vehicle and firewood is $12 a bundle at the entrance kiosk. Showers are token-operated at $1 for five minutes.
Highway 1 has almost nowhere to legally sleep. Pfeiffer Big Sur is the biggest reservable campground on the coast, sits at the center of the Big Sur valley, and is the difference between a Big Sur trip and a long drive. That is why every site is gone the day the six-month window opens.
The Experience
You wake up under second-growth redwoods with the Big Sur River twenty feet away and fog in the canopy that usually burns off by midday. It is not wilderness - there are hot showers, a lodge, and a softball field - and that is exactly the point. It is a basecamp inside the most crowded stretch of coastline in California.
The campground runs three loops along the river, and which one you draw changes the trip. South Camp holds sites 1-78 at the downstream end. Weyland Camp covers 79-130 in the middle. Main Camp has 131-188 nearest the entrance, the Nature Center and the trailheads. From camp, the Valley View and Pfeiffer Falls trail is a 2-mile round trip that climbs 200 feet to a fork - right to a 60-foot waterfall, left another 300 feet to the Valley View overlook. Buzzard's Roost is the harder option at 3 miles round trip and 750 feet of gain, crossing the river and climbing through redwoods to a ridge with ocean views. Around June 15 the park installs two seasonal footbridges over the Big Sur River; they come out around October 31, which quietly changes what is walkable from your site.
What to Expect
189 RV and tent sites on or near the Big Sur River, split across three loops
No hookups at any site; fresh water, hot showers and toilets throughout the campground
Six people and two vehicles maximum per site
Token showers - $1 buys five minutes, tokens sold at the entrance kiosk and select bathrooms
A dump station with potable water for freshwater fills, free to campers with reservations and en route campers
Summer mornings start in fog that usually burns off by midday
Two seasonal footbridges over the river, installed around June 15 and removed around October 31
Get Pfeiffer Campground Alerts
Be first to know when cancellations happen.
Permit Requirements
Maximum 6 people and 2 vehicles per campsite
Quiet hours are 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.; generator hours are 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Fires are allowed only in the provided metal fire rings, and firewood must be purchased rather than collected
Peak-season stay limit is 7 consecutive nights, with a 30-day limit per calendar year
Campsites cannot be reserved inside the 48 hours before arrival
Except for service animals, pets may not use trails, the river or other natural areas, and all animals must be on a six-foot leash
Diving head or feet first into the Big Sur River is not permitted, and moving rocks or building dams is prohibited to protect steelhead habitat
Gear & Preparation
Required Gear
- •Shower tokens or cash for them - $1 per five minutes at the kiosk
- •A lighter and fire starter; firewood is $12 a bundle at the entrance kiosk
- •Layers for coastal fog: winter overnights run 30s-50s and summer overnights 50s-70s
- •A headlamp - the redwood canopy makes camp dark early
- •Water containers if you want to fill at the dump station rather than walk to a spigot
Hazards & Safety
The Big Sur River has shallow, rocky stretches - the park bans head-first and feet-first diving outright
Highway 1 access is fragile: landslides and closures have repeatedly cut the Big Sur coast
Fire history is real here - the 2008 Basin Complex Fire burned more than 160,000 acres along this coast and parts of the park are still recovering
Poison oak is throughout the park; stay on trails
Steep drop-offs past the paved end of the Big Sur River Gorge trail
Best Time to Visit
Fall is the sweet spot - the fog thins, the crowds drop after Labor Day, and daytime temperatures stay in the 70s and 80s. Winter is the quietest and cheapest-feeling time to be here, with daytime highs from the low 50s to the mid 70s, but it is also when Highway 1 is most likely to close. Summer books out the instant the six-month window opens.
Pro Tips
Set an alarm for exactly six months before your arrival date. The park states outright that sites fill six months ahead.
If you missed the window, drive in and ask at the entrance kiosk after 3 p.m. - that is the only way day-of sites are released.
Riverfront sites cost $10 more and are the first gone; a standard site 30 seconds further from the water is a far easier target for a cancellation watch.
Buy shower tokens at the entrance kiosk when you check in rather than hunting for them later.
If you are visiting between mid-June and the end of October, the two seasonal footbridges are in - that opens river crossings that simply do not exist in winter.
Bring cash or card for firewood at the kiosk; collecting wood in the park is prohibited.
Check Highway 1 conditions before you drive, especially November through March.
100+ wilderness permits, extensive backcountry experience
This guide is based on personal experience obtaining wilderness permits and is regularly updated to reflect current policies and strategies.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a Pfeiffer Campground permit?
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Pfeiffer Campground permits require advance reservations. Book online as soon as reservations open for your desired dates.
When is the best time to visit Pfeiffer Campground?
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Fall is the sweet spot - the fog thins, the crowds drop after Labor Day, and daytime temperatures stay in the 70s and 80s. Winter is the quietest and cheapest-feeling time to be here, with daytime highs from the low 50s to the mid 70s, but it is also when Highway 1 is most likely to close. Summer books out the instant the six-month window opens.
How difficult is Pfeiffer Campground?
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Anyone who wants to sleep in Big Sur without a backcountry permit. You drive to the site, there are hot showers, and the trailheads start in camp.
What gear do I need for Pfeiffer Campground?
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Essential gear includes: Shower tokens or cash for them - $1 per five minutes at the kiosk, A lighter and fire starter; firewood is $12 a bundle at the entrance kiosk, Layers for coastal fog: winter overnights run 30s-50s and summer overnights 50s-70s, A headlamp - the redwood canopy makes camp dark early, Water containers if you want to fill at the dump station rather than walk to a spigot.
Don't Miss Your Pfeiffer Campground Permit
Cancellations happen every day. PermitSnag monitors Pfeiffer Campground availability 24/7 and alerts you the moment a spot opens up.
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