Categories: Big Sur

McWay Falls: Photo of the Year for 2023 — Happy New Year!

This amazing photo was taken by Tim Huntington (of Condor fame). “It was taken at 11:20 on Thursday 12/28 – one can see the falls to the left of the photo, totally being dwarfed by the waves crashing on the rocks.”

From Wikipedia: “McWay Falls is an 80-foot-tall (24 m) waterfall on the coast of Big Sur in central California that flows year-round from McWay Creek in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, about 37 miles (60 km) south of Carmel, into the Pacific Ocean. During high tide, it is a tidefall, a waterfall that empties directly into the ocean. The only other tidefall in California is Alamere Falls.” Does that make that huge wave 160+ feet?

bigsurkate

Appointed appellate counsel for indigent defendants (retired.) I have lived in Big Sur since 1984, first on the north coast, and on the South Coast since 1989.

View Comments

  • I'm such a fair-weather Californian, both as visitor and former inhabitant, that the dramatic storm photos are a novelty for me. Very exciting and refreshing as coastal views, though I'm glad to be indoors now.

  • Amazing. I’ve slept out on that outer rock. It’s hard to even imagine it like this, but now I do!

  • This confirms my suspicion that, barring any major damage to the highway, that wintertime might actually be a great time to visit Big Sur. I visited once in late January, 13 years ago, though just for the day. The weather couldn't be more different than this; the skies were super clear all day. I'd love to spend a few days in the area when conditions are like this, though!

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