Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is a state park in Monterey County, California. The nearest town is Big Sur, about 16.8 km (10.4 mi) away (Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park lies SE of town).
Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park is a state park in California, 12 miles south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on California's Pacific coast. A main feature of the park is McWay Falls, which drops over a cliff of 80 feet (24 m) into the Pacific Ocean. The park is also home to 300-foot (90 m) redwoods which are over 2,500 years old. The park is named after Julia Pfeiffer Burns, a respected resident and rancher in the Big Sur region in the early 20th century, who lived in the area for much of her life until her death in 1928. The 6-square-mile (16-square-kilometer) park was established in 1962.From the Wikipedia article “Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 60° (ENE) at the June solstice and 119° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 300° (WNW) in June to 241° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 77° in summer but only 30° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:11 AM | 90° E | 7:19 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 08m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 5:51 AM | 60° ENE | 8:28 PM | 300° WNW | 77° | 14h 37m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 6:55 AM | 89° E | 7:05 PM | 271° W | 54° | 12h 10m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 119° ESE | 4:56 PM | 241° WSW | 30° | 9h 42m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
State parks often protect a signature feature — a gorge, lake or overlook — that is best in early morning before visitors and harsh light arrive.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:50 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:56 AM | 4:37 PM | 5:16 PM | 5:44 PM | 9h 58m |
| February | 6:29 AM | 6:55 AM | 7:31 AM | 5:13 PM | 5:48 PM | 6:15 PM | 10h 53m |
| March | 6:53 AM | 7:18 AM | 7:52 AM | 6:41 PM | 7:15 PM | 7:40 PM | 11h 56m |
| April | 6:07 AM | 6:34 AM | 7:08 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:41 PM | 8:07 PM | 13h 07m |
| May | 5:33 AM | 6:01 AM | 6:38 AM | 7:30 PM | 8:06 PM | 8:35 PM | 14h 05m |
| June | 5:19 AM | 5:50 AM | 6:28 AM | 7:48 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:57 PM | 14h 36m |
| July | 5:32 AM | 6:02 AM | 6:39 AM | 7:47 PM | 8:25 PM | 8:54 PM | 14h 23m |
| August | 5:58 AM | 6:26 AM | 7:01 AM | 7:23 PM | 7:58 PM | 8:26 PM | 13h 33m |
| September | 6:24 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:24 AM | 6:42 PM | 7:16 PM | 7:41 PM | 12h 26m |
| October | 6:48 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:49 AM | 5:57 PM | 6:32 PM | 6:58 PM | 11h 18m |
| November | 6:17 AM | 6:44 AM | 7:22 AM | 4:22 PM | 5:00 PM | 5:27 PM | 10h 16m |
| December | 6:43 AM | 7:11 AM | 7:51 AM | 4:14 PM | 4:54 PM | 5:23 PM | 9h 43m |
Local time (America/Los Angeles), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 5.7 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 25° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 3 (rural sky), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 0° | — |
| February | 4:55 AM – 5:25 AM | 0.5 | 14° | SE → SE |
| March | 4:10 AM – 5:50 AM | 1.7 | 22° | SE → SSE |
| April | 2:02 AM – 4:52 AM | 2.8 | 25° | SE → S |
| May | 12:08 AM – 4:18 AM | 4.2 | 25° | SE → SSW |
| June | 10:17 PM – 3:57 AM | 5.7 | 25° | SE → SW |
| July | 10:11 PM – 2:31 AM | 4.3 | 25° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:34 PM – 12:24 AM | 2.8 | 25° | S → SW |
| September | 8:43 PM – 10:23 PM | 1.7 | 22° | SSW → SW |
| October | 7:58 PM – 8:28 PM | 0.5 | 15° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 1° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -19° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 3 Bortle 3 — Rural sky. Some light domes sit on the horizon, but the Milky Way still looks complex overhead. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 21.51 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show June as the clearest month (about 26% average cloud cover) and December as the cloudiest (49%). July is the warmest month and December the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 80 | 77 | 83 | 92 | 103 | 108 | 113 | 110 | 113 | 102 | 90 | 77 |
| Low °F | 20 | 26 | 28 | 30 | 37 | 42 | 47 | 48 | 44 | 36 | 27 | 24 |
| Precip. (in) | 3.4 | 3.7 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 4.1 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this state park
- Day-use fees or passes are common; buy them online before arriving.
- Check park hours: many state parks close at dusk, which affects sunset and night shooting.
- Ask rangers about photography permits for commercial work, models or drones.
- Weekday mornings are the least crowded at popular viewpoints.
- Shoot RAW to keep the most latitude for high-contrast sunrise and sunset scenes.
Season: Spring wildflowers and autumn color are peak seasons in most parks.
Suggested gear: Versatile zoom lens, Tripod, Park pass. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Drones: Drone rules in state parks vary by state and even by park — many require a permit or ban recreational drone flights. Check the park's rules and the FAA B4UFLY app before flying.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 40 km of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, closest first.
Waterfall
Scenic Viewpoint
Canyon
Hot Spring
Wilderness Area
Hot Spring
State Park
WaterfallWaterfallCampgrounds nearby (Recreation.gov)
- Escondido Campground16.2 km (10.0 mi) · reservable
- China Camp Campground16.9 km (10.5 mi) · reservable
- Arroyo Seco Group Campground18.0 km (11.2 mi)
- Arroyo Seco18.9 km (11.8 mi) · reservable
- Memorial Campground19.5 km (12.1 mi) · reservable
FAQ
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Sources
Location data: Wikidata, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.