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{{short description|Tidefall in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, California, United States}} |
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{{Infobox waterfall |
{{Infobox waterfall |
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| name = McWay Falls |
| name = McWay Falls |
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| photo = McWay Falls Big Sur |
| photo = File:McWay Falls Big Sur September 2012 002.jpg |
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| photo_caption = McWay Falls |
| photo_caption = McWay Falls |
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| location = [[Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park]], |
| location = [[Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park]], California, United States |
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| map = USA California |relief=1 |
| map = USA California |relief=1 |
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| map_caption = Location in California |
| map_caption = Location in California |
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'''McWay Falls''' is an {{convert|80|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} [[waterfall]] on the coast of [[Big Sur]] in central [[California]] that flows year-round from [[McWay Creek]] in [[Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park]], about {{convert|37|mi}} south of [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|Carmel]], into the [[Pacific Ocean]]. |
'''McWay Falls''' is an {{convert|80|ft|m|adj=mid|-tall}} [[waterfall]] on the coast of [[Big Sur]] in central [[California]] that flows year-round from [[McWay Creek]] in [[Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park]], about {{convert|37|mi}} south of [[Carmel-by-the-Sea, California|Carmel]], into the [[Pacific Ocean]]. During high tide, it is a [[List of waterfalls that empty into an ocean|tidefall]], a waterfall that empties directly into the ocean. The only other tidefall in California is [[Alamere Falls]]. |
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==History== |
==History== |
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{{main |
{{main|Lathrop Brown#Big Sur}} |
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===Saddle Rock Ranch=== |
===Saddle Rock Ranch=== |
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In 1924, |
In 1924, wealthy U.S. Congressman [[Lathrop Brown]] and his wife Hélène Hooper Brown visited Big Sur. They bought Saddle Rock Ranch, a {{convert|1600|acre|adj=on}} property that included a seaside promontory known as Saddle Rock that overlooked Saddle Rock Cove, from pioneer [[homestead principle|homesteader]] Christopher McWay. Hélène was a good friend of [[Julia Pfeiffer Burns]] until Julia died in 1928.<ref name=canright>{{cite journal|last1=Canright|first1=Anne|title=Waterfall Trail on Big Sur|url=http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/coast_ocean_archives/1302.pdf|accessdate=28 July 2016|work=California Coast and Ocean|volume=13|number=2|publisher=California Coastal Conservancy and the California Academy of Sciences|date=Summer 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822163800/http://scc.ca.gov/webmaster/coast_ocean_archives/1302.pdf|archive-date=22 August 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> Julia's great-niece Esther Julia Pfeiffer and her husband Hans Ewoldsen were caretakers of the Saddle Rock Ranch for many years.<ref name=norman>''Big Sur: Images of America'', Jeff Norman, Big Sur Historical Society, Arcadia Publishing (2004), 128 pages, {{ISBN|0-7385-2913-3}}</ref> |
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The Browns first built a rough [[redwood]] cabin on a site at the top of the cliffs opposite McWay Falls. They replaced that in 1940 with a modern two-story home named Waterfall House. The entryway was inlaid with an ornamental brass fish, a gold octopus, and a compass rose. The interior was decorated with fine furnishings and classic paintings.<ref name=canright/><ref>{{cite web|title=House with a View|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=68633|website=Historical Marker Database|accessdate=28 July 2016}}</ref> |
The Browns first built a rough [[redwood]] cabin on a site at the top of the cliffs opposite McWay Falls. They replaced that in 1940 with a modern two-story home named Waterfall House. The entryway was inlaid with an ornamental brass fish, a gold octopus, and a compass rose. The interior was decorated with fine furnishings and classic paintings.<ref name=canright/><ref>{{cite web|title=House with a View|url=http://www.hmdb.org/marker.asp?marker=68633|website=Historical Marker Database|accessdate=28 July 2016}}</ref> |
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During |
During construction of [[California State Route 1|Carmel San Simeon Highway]] through Big Sur, Saddle Rock Ranch foreman Hans Ewoldsen worked in the machine shop of the highway construction crew to build a [[Pelton wheel]]. He used hand-split redwood from the canyon and other materials he bought. He installed the wheel on [[McWay Creek]] in 1932. The undershot wheel ran a 32-volt generator and was the first electric power in the Big Sur area. It supplied power to three residences, a blacksmith shop, and a [[funicular railway]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park|url=http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=578|publisher=California Department of Parks and Recreation|accessdate=28 July 2016}}</ref> |
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===Donated to state=== |
===Donated to state=== |
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==Topography== |
==Topography== |
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[[File:McWay Falls 1963.png|thumb|225px|McWay Falls ( |
[[File:McWay Falls 1963.png|thumb|225px|McWay Falls (circa 1963) falling directly into the ocean before mudslides and debris caused a beach to form]] |
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In 1983, Big Sur experienced one of the wettest years on record with {{convert|88.85|in|mm}} of rain. Up to this time, McWay Falls fell directly into the ocean. The huge rainfall resulted in several landslides and mudflows,<ref name=griggs/> including an extremely large mudslide immediately north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on March 1. The mudflow entered the ocean immediately to the north of the falls, and Highway 1 was closed for a year while the road was repaired. Reconstruction deposited nearly {{convert|3,000,000|cuyd|m3|abbr=off}} of landslide material on the coast, at the base of the slope.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hapke|first1=Cheryl J.|first2=Krystal R. |last2= Green|title=Rates of Landsliding and Cliff Retreat Along the Big Sur Coast, California—Measuring a Crucial Baseline|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3099/|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey}}</ref> Wave action then transported some of the debris south to McWay Cove, forming a sandy beach beneath the falls where none had previously existed. Loose material from the slope beneath the road is still contributing sand to the coastal system.<ref name=griggs>{{cite book|last1=Griggs|first1=Gary|last2=Patsch|first2=Kiki|last3=Lauret|first3=Savoy|last4=Flick|first4=Reinhard|last5=Fulton-Bennett|first5=Kim|title=Living with the Changing California Coast|date=2005|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Calif.|isbn=9780520938670|page=320|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q9FGOsG3W6QC&pg=PA320}}</ref> McWay Falls now meets the ocean only when the tide is in, but over time, the beach may wear away so that the falls drop directly into the ocean again.<ref>{{cite web|title=McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park|url=http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/mcway-falls-big-sur/|website=hikespeak.com|publisher=Hikespeak|accessdate=2017-01-05}}</ref> |
In 1983, Big Sur experienced one of the wettest years on record with {{convert|88.85|in|mm}} of rain. Up to this time, McWay Falls fell directly into the ocean. The huge rainfall resulted in several landslides and mudflows,<ref name=griggs/> including an extremely large mudslide immediately north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on March 1. The mudflow entered the ocean immediately to the north of the falls, and Highway 1 was closed for a year while the road was repaired. Reconstruction deposited nearly {{convert|3,000,000|cuyd|m3|abbr=off}} of landslide material on the coast, at the base of the slope.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hapke|first1=Cheryl J.|first2=Krystal R. |last2= Green|title=Rates of Landsliding and Cliff Retreat Along the Big Sur Coast, California—Measuring a Crucial Baseline|url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2004/3099/|publisher=U.S. Geological Survey}}</ref> Wave action then transported some of the debris south to McWay Cove, forming a sandy beach beneath the falls where none had previously existed. Loose material from the slope beneath the road is still contributing sand to the coastal system.<ref name=griggs>{{cite book|last1=Griggs|first1=Gary|last2=Patsch|first2=Kiki|last3=Lauret|first3=Savoy|last4=Flick|first4=Reinhard|last5=Fulton-Bennett|first5=Kim|title=Living with the Changing California Coast|date=2005|publisher=University of California Press|location=Berkeley, Calif.|isbn=9780520938670|page=320|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Q9FGOsG3W6QC&pg=PA320}}</ref> McWay Falls now meets the ocean only when the tide is in, but over time, the beach may wear away so that the falls drop directly into the ocean again.<ref>{{cite web|title=McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park|url=http://www.hikespeak.com/trails/mcway-falls-big-sur/|website=hikespeak.com|publisher=Hikespeak|accessdate=2017-01-05}}</ref> |
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==Current use== |
==Current use== |
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<gallery> |
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{{multiple image |
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File:McWay Falls from PCH Hwy 1.jpg|Falls from the [[California State Route 1|Pacific Coast Highway]] |
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| width = 250 |
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File:Big Sur McWay Falls 06.JPG|Falls and beach |
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File:McWay Falls from the short trail parallel to PCH Hwy 1.jpg|View of falls from the trail |
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File:Big Sur McWay Falls 36.JPG|View of the falls |
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| footer = <center>McWay Falls is visible from the shoulder of Highway 1, but not from the road itself</center> |
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File:McWay Falls Big Sur September 2012 001.jpg|View of the [[cove]] |
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}} |
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File:McWay Falls Aug 2019 3.jpg|View of the falls |
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| ⚫ | Due to the high cliffs surrounding the cove, the beach is inaccessible except by boat, and may be covered by surf at high tide. The outlet of [[McWay Creek]] at the top of McWay Falls is accessible by a {{convert|0.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} trail that starts at a parking area just east of [[California State Route 1|Highway 1]].<ref>{{ cite news |title=Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park offers Big Sur adventure|author=Blauert, Adam |url=http://www.mercedsunstar.com/sports/article48716415.html |newspaper=The Merced Sun-Star |date=8 December 2015 |accessdate=14 April 2016}}</ref><ref name=dot>{{cite web|title=A History of Road Closures Along Highway 1, Big Sur Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California|url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/bigsur/inventory_reports/history_road_closures.pdf|publisher=JRP Historical Consulting Services|accessdate=2 August 2016|date=November 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=McWay Waterfall Trail|url=http://www.hikinginbigsur.com/hikes_mcwayfalls.html|website=HikingBigSur.com}}</ref> From the parking lot, visitors can walk down a dirt path toward the ocean, through a short tunnel under the highway to the overlook.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pelicannetwork.net/bigsur.brown.burns.htm|title=Story of Big Sur's Waterfall Trail, the Browns and Julia Pfeiffer Burns| |
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</gallery> |
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==In popular culture== |
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| ⚫ | Due to the high cliffs surrounding the cove, the beach is inaccessible except by boat, and may be covered by surf at high tide. The outlet of [[McWay Creek]] at the top of McWay Falls is accessible by a {{convert|0.5|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} trail that starts at a parking area just east of [[California State Route 1|Highway 1]].<ref>{{ cite news |title=Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park offers Big Sur adventure|author=Blauert, Adam |url=http://www.mercedsunstar.com/sports/article48716415.html |newspaper=The Merced Sun-Star |date=8 December 2015 |accessdate=14 April 2016}}</ref><ref name=dot>{{cite web|title=A History of Road Closures Along Highway 1, Big Sur Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California|url=http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/projects/bigsur/inventory_reports/history_road_closures.pdf|publisher=JRP Historical Consulting Services|accessdate=2 August 2016|date=November 2001}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=McWay Waterfall Trail|url=http://www.hikinginbigsur.com/hikes_mcwayfalls.html|website=HikingBigSur.com}}</ref> From the parking lot, visitors can walk down a dirt path toward the ocean, through a short tunnel under the highway to the overlook.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pelicannetwork.net/bigsur.brown.burns.htm|title=Story of Big Sur's Waterfall Trail, the Browns and Julia Pfeiffer Burns|access-date=2013-03-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130101143431/http://www.pelicannetwork.net/bigsur.brown.burns.htm|archive-date=2013-01-01|url-status=dead}}</ref> The Waterfall Overlook of McWay Falls was built on the site formerly occupied by the Browns' mansion. Visitors to the site today can view remnants of the home's foundation, landscaping (including palm trees), and the funicular railway. Ewoldsen's original Pelton wheel is displayed in a small building. |
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McWay Falls is featured in the music video for "[[I Need a Doctor]]" by hip-hop artist [[Dr. Dre]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VA770wpLX-Q|title=Dr. Dre - I Need A Doctor (Explicit) ft. Eminem, Skylar Grey|first=|last=DrDreVEVO|date=24 February 2011|publisher=|via=YouTube}}</ref> |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{ |
{{reflist|30em}} |
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{{Big Sur|state=collapsed}} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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Latest revision as of 04:03, 22 February 2024
| McWay Falls | |
|---|---|
 McWay Falls | |
  Location in California | |
 | |
| Location | Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, California, United States |
| Coordinates | 36°09′28.1″N 121°40′19.7″W / 36.157806°N 121.672139°W[1] |
| Type | Plunge tidefall |
| Total height | 80 feet (24 m)[2] |
| Number of drops | 1 |
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.
History
[edit]Saddle Rock Ranch
[edit]In 1924, wealthy U.S. Congressman Lathrop Brown and his wife Hélène Hooper Brown visited Big Sur. They bought Saddle Rock Ranch, a 1,600-acre (650 ha) property that included a seaside promontory known as Saddle Rock that overlooked Saddle Rock Cove, from pioneer homesteader Christopher McWay. Hélène was a good friend of Julia Pfeiffer Burns until Julia died in 1928.[3] Julia's great-niece Esther Julia Pfeiffer and her husband Hans Ewoldsen were caretakers of the Saddle Rock Ranch for many years.[4]
The Browns first built a rough redwood cabin on a site at the top of the cliffs opposite McWay Falls. They replaced that in 1940 with a modern two-story home named Waterfall House. The entryway was inlaid with an ornamental brass fish, a gold octopus, and a compass rose. The interior was decorated with fine furnishings and classic paintings.[3][5]
During construction of Carmel San Simeon Highway through Big Sur, Saddle Rock Ranch foreman Hans Ewoldsen worked in the machine shop of the highway construction crew to build a Pelton wheel. He used hand-split redwood from the canyon and other materials he bought. He installed the wheel on McWay Creek in 1932. The undershot wheel ran a 32-volt generator and was the first electric power in the Big Sur area. It supplied power to three residences, a blacksmith shop, and a funicular railway.[6]
Donated to state
[edit]Lathrop and Hélène Brown left Big Sur for Florida in 1956, where Lathrop died in 1959. In 1961, Hélène Hooper Brown donated the entire property to the state, stipulating that it be used as a park and named for her good friend, Julia Pfeiffer Burns, "a true pioneer". She included the requirement that Waterfall House be converted into a "museum for the custody and display of indigenous Indian relics, flora and fauna of the California coastal area, and historical objects pertaining to the Big Sur country", or otherwise demolished.[3] The museum could not be completed in time for several reasons, including competing museums, shortage of funds, and poor access to the site, and the mansion was demolished in 1965.[7][8] An overlook of McWay Falls was later built on the site of the former home.
Topography
[edit]
In 1983, Big Sur experienced one of the wettest years on record with 88.85 inches (2,257 mm) of rain. Up to this time, McWay Falls fell directly into the ocean. The huge rainfall resulted in several landslides and mudflows,[9] including an extremely large mudslide immediately north of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park on March 1. The mudflow entered the ocean immediately to the north of the falls, and Highway 1 was closed for a year while the road was repaired. Reconstruction deposited nearly 3,000,000 cubic yards (2,300,000 cubic metres) of landslide material on the coast, at the base of the slope.[10] Wave action then transported some of the debris south to McWay Cove, forming a sandy beach beneath the falls where none had previously existed. Loose material from the slope beneath the road is still contributing sand to the coastal system.[9] McWay Falls now meets the ocean only when the tide is in, but over time, the beach may wear away so that the falls drop directly into the ocean again.[11]
Current use
[edit]-
Falls from the Pacific Coast Highway -
Falls and beach -
View of falls from the trail -
View of the falls -
View of the cove -
View of the falls
Due to the high cliffs surrounding the cove, the beach is inaccessible except by boat, and may be covered by surf at high tide. The outlet of McWay Creek at the top of McWay Falls is accessible by a 0.5-mile-long (0.80 km) trail that starts at a parking area just east of Highway 1.[12][13][14] From the parking lot, visitors can walk down a dirt path toward the ocean, through a short tunnel under the highway to the overlook.[15] The Waterfall Overlook of McWay Falls was built on the site formerly occupied by the Browns' mansion. Visitors to the site today can view remnants of the home's foundation, landscaping (including palm trees), and the funicular railway. Ewoldsen's original Pelton wheel is displayed in a small building.
References
[edit]- ^ McWay Falls at wikimapia
- ^ "Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park". California Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved April 14, 2016.
- ^ a b c Canright, Anne (Summer 1997). "Waterfall Trail on Big Sur" (PDF). California Coast and Ocean. 13 (2). California Coastal Conservancy and the California Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 August 2016. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ Big Sur: Images of America, Jeff Norman, Big Sur Historical Society, Arcadia Publishing (2004), 128 pages, ISBN 0-7385-2913-3
- ^ "House with a View". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park". California Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ Grossman, Pam Canfield. "Lathrop Brown, Long After Harvard". The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Foundation. Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ "Lathrop Brown, Political Dilettante". Retrieved 28 July 2016.
- ^ a b Griggs, Gary; Patsch, Kiki; Lauret, Savoy; Flick, Reinhard; Fulton-Bennett, Kim (2005). Living with the Changing California Coast. Berkeley, Calif.: University of California Press. p. 320. ISBN 9780520938670.
- ^ Hapke, Cheryl J.; Green, Krystal R. "Rates of Landsliding and Cliff Retreat Along the Big Sur Coast, California—Measuring a Crucial Baseline". U.S. Geological Survey.
- ^ "McWay Falls in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park". hikespeak.com. Hikespeak. Retrieved 2017-01-05.
- ^ Blauert, Adam (8 December 2015). "Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park offers Big Sur adventure". The Merced Sun-Star. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ^ "A History of Road Closures Along Highway 1, Big Sur Monterey and San Luis Obispo Counties, California" (PDF). JRP Historical Consulting Services. November 2001. Retrieved 2 August 2016.
- ^ "McWay Waterfall Trail". HikingBigSur.com.
- ^ "Story of Big Sur's Waterfall Trail, the Browns and Julia Pfeiffer Burns". Archived from the original on 2013-01-01. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to McWay Falls.