The road through Big Sur in California is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. The road winds through the middle of California cities, high atop curving mountains and through valleys with lush green jungles. And then there’s the beautiful Purple Beach.
The best part about the Pacific Coast Highway is that it passes through some of the most famous destinations in Big Sur like Keyhole Arch, Bixby Creek Bridge and McWay Falls. These beautiful and unique landscapes are what make Big Sur such an alluring destination for adventure seekers and nature lovers.
Purple Beach is one of those incredibly beautiful destinations that draws people from all over the world to Los Padres National Park.
Since the beach is amidst Los Padres National Park it is kept really clean and only those with brave hearts dare to venture here. This makes it the perfect spot to chill and have a picnic on your drive.
What can you expect at Pfeiffer Beach
Pfeiffer Beach is a purple sand beach that is surrounded by mountains on all sides. The water at Purple Beach, part of the Pacific Ocean, tends to be cold throughout the year. During the day in summers the water is a good temperature to cool off. The water is also much cleaner than near the big cities of LA and San Diego.
There are lots of places to take really interesting pictures. The Keyhole Arch is famous amongst all levels of professionals to take pictures where the sun rays disperse through the hole in the arch.
The rock formations along the beach are perfect for exploring. They sometimes even make rock pools on the beach after the tide has gone low. The walk along the beach is peaceful and reminds you of all there is good in life.
Why is the sand purple at Pfeiffer Beach
Everyone always wonders why purple sand beaches even exist. Most people only assume that there is only white sand at beaches but there are purple, black and even pink beaches around the world.
Purple sand is caused by the presence of a large amount of Almandine-Pyrope Garnet or other purple minerals like Manganese or Rose Quartz. In white sand beaches the main mineral is Quartz. The purple sand at Pfeiffer Beach is because of the Manganese Garnet that existed in the nearby mountains has mixed with the white sand on the beach due to water that has run off the mountains after any rains.
The purple cannot be seen in all seasons. After rainfall when the Manganese Garnet from the mountain has run off with the water and has mixed with the sand is the color most prominent.
Essential facts
- Address: Sycamore Canyon Road, Big Sur, California.
- Google maps: LINK
- Parking: $12 cash only fees.
- Hours: 10am – 9pm. No overnight parking.
- Dogs: Dogs are allowed on leash.
- Accessibility: Accessible parking and restrooms available at Purple Beach.
Keyhole Arch at Pfeiffer Purple Beach
The most famous natural formation at Purple Beach is the Keyhole Arch. You must have seen this arch in many pictures from this beach. Essentially any picture from the beach has the Keyhole Arch in it.
The best pictures of the arch are taken when the sun is directly between the hole in the arch and shines through it. The best time to visit the Keyhole Arch so you can see the sun shining through the hole is from November to January.
Be aware that there will be lots of other people trying to get the same shot and rarely will you find this beach empty.
How to get to Purple Beach
Major airports
Big Sur is on California Highway 1 or the Pacific California Highway. It can be reached by any international airport in California all the way from San Francisco to San Diego. Some of the closest airports to Pfeiffer Beach and Big Sur are as below.
- San Francisco International Airport
- LAX International Airport
Renting a car for Big Sur
You can rent a car from any of the airports. All of the airports have cars for rental from companies like Enterprise or Hertz. If you wish to book a car in advance check out rentacar.com and book your car today.
Directions to Purple Beach from Highway 1
The road to get to this beach is not really prominent so you will have to keep a lookout so you don’t miss it.
After you have entered Big Sur, drive down one mile on Sycamore Canyon Road. There will be a yellow sign with the words “Narrow Road” on Sycamore Canyon Road which is this section of Highway 1.
Once you turn on the road you will need to drive 2 miles to get to the coast from Highway 1. Make sure to not take your RVs or bigger vehicles with you on this road because the road is small and not big enough to accommodate bigger vehicles.
After you reach the parking lot you can park your car in one of the empty spaces. The beach is just a short walk away from the parking lot.
There is limited parking which is very strictly enforced by the park rangers. Since this is a national park they do not allow cards to loiter at the entrance. If the parking lot is full you will have to turn back and come another day.
If the parking lot is full try waiting nearby and if you see a few cars leaving that means some spots might have opened up and you can go try your luck again. Visiting in the off season is the best way to not have to do these shenanigans to get a parking space.
When to visit Pfeiffer Purple Beach
You have to consider multiple factors when determining when to visit Purple Beach. The first one being the weather during your visit. Central California tends to get really cold in the winter. It is impossible to go into the water without freezing your toes off.
I would recommend doing this trip during the summer months when the temperature during the day is hot and the water feels cool on your toes. Unfortunately this is also the time that most people also do this trip and the parking lot at Purple Beach might be full.
To get easy parking you will have to visit in off season during winters. November to February is a good time to visit Purple Beach because the Keyhole Arc is positioned perfectly so that the rays of the sun fall directly through the hole in the arch.
Depending on your priorities you can choose either summer or winter to go to Purple Beach.
What to bring to Pfeiffer Purple Beach
Since you are doing a trip to a beach that is inside Los Padres National Park which has very few facilities and certainly none at Purple Beach you want to bring all of the necessities. For a day trip to the beach this includes water, food, some beach clothes, sun protection, water shoes if you plan on going in the water, a camera and some binoculars if you are an avid birder like me.
- Water
- Food
- Beach gear
- Sun protection
- Water shoes
- Camera
- Binoculars
Where to stay near Purple Beach
To accommodate all of the people that come to Big Sur either for road trips or to camp near here a few really nice lodges and inns have come up in the area below. I have noted down some of the ones that are known for providing good hospitality.
- Alila Ventana Big Sur
- Big Sur Lodge
- Big Sur River Inn
- Big Sur Campgrounds & Cabins
Tips for your visit
Arrive early for easy parking
Arrive early to easily get a parking spot so that you don’t get turned away at the parking. The rangers enforce the parking really strictly and if you don’t find parking you have to come back another time. They don’t allow anyone to wait around for a parking spot to open up. The best time to visit is really really early in the morning or late in the evening after everybody has left.
Download directions for offline use
You might lose connectivity inside Los Padres National Park and you don’t want to get lost while looking for the directions to Purple Beach. The beach is already very hard to find. To eliminate the margin of error for finding the beach, print out directions and download them to your phone before your cell service goes out of coverage.
Check the tides schedule
High tide at the beach makes the sandy part very small. Make sure you go during the part of the day when the tide is low so you can have a longer beach and more chances of seeing the purple sand.
Give yourself enough time
Allow yourself enough time to drive your car through the one way road from Highway 1 to the beach parking. You will then also want a couple hours to take pictures in front of Keyhole Arch, to enjoy the beach and drive your car to Highway 1 back again. You should keep approximately 5 hours to do all of this which means an entire day might be spent at Purple Beach.
Carry extra winter clothes
California tends to be cold anytime of the year, especially during sunrise and sunset. Since you’ll be inside a forest region it will be much colder than usual.
Bring cash for the entrance fee
The entrance fee at Purple Beach is $12. Make sure you keep this amount in cash as cards are not accepted at the entrance.
Restaurants near Purple Beach
There are not many options to eat around Purple Beach but there are two options where you can find good food anytime of the day.
- The Big Sur Deli
- Homestead Restaurant
- Restaurant at River Inn
- The Big Sur Bakery and Restaurant
Things to do at Purple Beach
The reason that I have recommended keeping at least one full day for Purple Beach is because there are so many things to do around this area that it will take you a full day to enjoy yourself.
- Keyhole Arch. This is the famous natural stone formation of a hole cut out in a rock next to the beach. You will see the Keyhole Arch in any picture that you Google off Purple Beach. Amateur photographers and professionals alike come here during the months of November, December and January when the sun rays fall directly through the hole of the Keyhole Arch.
- Purple Beach Sunset. Purple Beach sunsets are known for being magnificent especially because the beach faces west and the sun goes down over the ocean. Having seen many Californian sunsets I can truly say that they are the most colorful and beautiful sunsets that you will ever witness anywhere in the world.
- Explore tide pools and sea caves. The natural formations around the beach are incredibly interesting to explore. There are tide pools and sea caves around the rocks and mountains near Purple Beach. You can spend at least an hour climbing over the rocks.
- Swimming at Purple Beach. If you are accustomed to swimming in ocean waters then you can definitely go in until waist deep. The water is really calming and clear. There’s no trash here and none of the city sewage falls into the ocean anywhere nearby.
- Take a stroll along the beach. If you’re looking to spot purple sand then take a stroll along the beach. The beach is also very beautiful and you will want to walk along the beach and enjoy it.
Other attractions
If you plan on coming to Pfeiffer Beach or doing a California road trip then I recommend checking out the places below since they are close by and also famous tourist destinations. Big Sur State Park is of course on the world map for being amongst the most beautiful state parks in the United States.
- Big Sur State Park
- Julia Purple Burns State Park & McWay Falls
- Los Angeles
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Monterey
- Santa Cruz
Conclusion
Pfeiffer Beach with purple sand and the Keyhole Arch are two really pretty natural formations that deserve to be visited. I strongly urge everyone to visit Pfeiffer Beach inside the beautiful Los Padres National Forest.
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