Pfeiffer Beach
Pfeiffer Beach is located in the Big Sur region of California. It lies 19 mi south of Carmel Valley Village. Worth the trip, McWay Falls is 9.8 mi off.
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A beach, 19 mi south of Carmel Valley Village
Plan where you’ll sleep
The nearest town with many places to stay is Carmel Valley Village, 19 miles north. Where to stay ↓
A day trip from San Jose
San Jose is about 73 miles north (straight-line). Where to stay ↓
Best months: Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct and Nov
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November are the mild months, with highs of 63–79°. When to go ↓
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Overture places to stay, Census town figures and Wikipedia.
Highs and lows by month
Plan a visit to Pfeiffer Beach around the weather below.
Pfeiffer Beach
Pfeiffer Beach is located in the Big Sur region of California. It is one of the most popular beaches on the Central Coast and is well known for Keyhole Rock, a popular photography subject. On a limited number of days in December and January each year, photographers crowd the beach to obtain pictures of the setting sun visible through the arch. Due to the steep terrain prevalent along the Big Sur coast, it is one of the few ocean access points within Big Sur
The road and the beach are within the Los Padres National Forest. The road is named for the Western Sycamores that grow along the road and near the beach.
- Type
- Beach
- Wikipedia readers
- 6.6K a year
Staying near Pfeiffer Beach
Rooms are nearest in Monterey (87) and Carmel-by-the-Sea (49).
Monterey
The closest town with somewhere to stay.
28,953 people
25 mi north of Pfeiffer Beach
Compare 8 towns
| Town | From Pfeiffer Beach | Drive | Places to stay | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monterey | 25 mi north | 40 min | 87 56 hotels · 14 motels · 11 inns & B&Bs · 4 lodges & cabins · 1 hostel · 1 RV park | 28,953 | $1,076K | C− |
| Carmel-by-the-Sea 45% vacation homes | 23 mi north | 35 min | 49 22 hotels · 21 inns & B&Bs · 5 lodges & cabins · 1 RV park | 3,105 | $2,000K | — |
| Pacific Grove | 27 mi north | 40 min | 42 19 hotels · 1 motel · 19 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins | 14,659 | $1,190K | B |
| Carmel Valley Village | 19 mi north | 30 min | 11 4 hotels · 2 inns & B&Bs · 3 lodges & cabins · 2 campgrounds | 4,785 | $1,276K | — |
| Seaside | 27 mi north | 40 min | 17 11 hotels · 3 motels · 3 inns & B&Bs | 31,636 | $787K | C |
| Del Monte Forest 37% vacation homes | 25 mi north | 35 min | 10 9 hotels · 1 lodge or cabins | 3,613 | $2,000K | — |
| Sand City | 27 mi north | 40 min | 3 3 hotels | 323 | $1,080K | — |
| Gonzales | 28 mi northeast | 40 min | 1 1 motel | 8,313 | $619K | B− |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Make a day of it near Pfeiffer Beach
You can reach each of these within 53 miles.
Big draw53 mi State parkHearst Castle
127 mi Zoo & aquariumMonterey Bay Aquarium
225 mi MuseumMonterey Museum of Art
40 mi National ParkPinnacles National Park343K visitors a year
310 mi WaterfallMcWay Falls
425 mi Scenic drive17-Mile Drive
38 mi LandmarkFort Hunter Liggett
510 mi State parkJulia Pfeiffer Burns State ParkPhoto credits
Hearst Castle: No machine-readable author provided. Urban~commonswiki assumed (based on copyrig, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Monterey Bay Aquarium: Meij.kobayashi, Public domain · Monterey Museum of Art: Sgerbic, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Pinnacles National Park: Brocken Inaglory, CC BY-SA 3.0 · McWay Falls: King of Hearts, CC BY-SA 3.0 · 17-Mile Drive: Humanoid one, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fort Hunter Liggett: Binksternet, Public domain · Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park: Wordydave, CC BY-SA 3.0
Your questions on Pfeiffer Beach
What town is Pfeiffer Beach near?
Carmel Valley Village, CA, about 19 miles north.
When is the best time to visit Pfeiffer Beach?
January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November, with highs of 63–79°.
How far is Pfeiffer Beach from San Jose?
About 73 miles north of San Jose, as the crow flies.
What is the closest airport to Pfeiffer Beach?
Monterey Regional (MRY), about 24 miles away. The nearest big hub is Mineta San Jose (SJC), about 78 miles.
Where should I stay near Pfeiffer Beach?
Monterey (25 mi, 87 places to stay), Carmel-by-the-Sea (23 mi, 49 places to stay) and Pacific Grove (27 mi, 42 places to stay).
Locals’ advice in Carmel Valley Village
There are no tips yet, so start one in Carmel Valley Village’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.