In the Redwood Forest, Take 5 – Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Monterey County, California

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is a state park in Monterey County, California near the area of Big Sur on the state’s Central Coast. It covers approximately 1,006 acres (4.07 km2) of land. The park is centered on the Big Sur River. It has been nicknamed a "mini Yosemite." Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is known for its redwood groves and trail to Pfeiffer Falls. Many of these trails were closed during 2009 due to damage from the Basin Complex Fire, but most are now re-opened. The exception is the Pfeiffer Falls Trial which remains closed due to extensive damage to wooden foot crossings from the 2013 Pfeiffer Fire. The trail is scheduled for restoration work to begin in 2016.

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park is named after John Pfeiffer, who lived in a cabin on the property beginning in 1884. He was the son of Michael Pfeiffer and Barbara Laquet, the Pfeiffer family immigrated from Germany and were amongst the first European settlers in the area. Many features in Big Sur are named for the descendants of the Pfeiffers. In 1930, John Pfeiffer had the opportunity to sell his land to a Los Angeles developer for $210,000. The developer wanted to build a subdivision on the land. Instead, Pfeiffer sold 700 acres (2.8 km2) to the state of California in 1933.

California redwoods are among the oldest living things on Earth. Before commercial logging and clearing began by the 1850s, this massive tree occurred naturally in an estimated 2,100,000 acres (8,500 km2) along much of coastal California (excluding southern California where rainfall is not sufficient) and the southwestern corner of coastal Oregon within the United States. An estimated 95% or more of the original old-growth redwood trees have been cut down.