Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park reopens Friday after two months as a Timber Fire command post

Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park will reopen to the public on Friday, Oct. 16, California State Parks announced on Oct. 9, ending an extended closure tied to the Timber Fire that began Aug. 8.

Shortly after the fire started, the park became a critical staging ground for the response: it served as a base camp and incident command location for CAL FIRE, the U.S. Forest Service and cooperating agencies throughout the incident. "Over the past two months, the park hosted thousands of firefighters and support personnel from across California and throughout the country as they worked to contain the Timber Fire," State Parks said in its announcement. The Timber Fire burned approximately 517 acres within the park itself, including many of its trails.

Coast redwoods rise over a creekbed inside Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Day-use areas and the campground are among the facilities welcoming visitors back Friday.

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Beginning Friday, visitors can again access day-use areas, the campground, Buzzards Roost Trail, the River Path, the Nature Trail, the Redwood Grove Boardwalk, the Nature Center, the Campfire Center and Big Sur Lodge, according to the agency.

Several trails will remain closed until further notice for assessment and recovery work: the Pfeiffer Falls Trail, Valley View Trail, Oak Grove Trail, Mt. Manuel Trail, Big Sur River Gorge Trail and Pine Ridge Trail. State Parks warned that burned areas still present hazards such as unstable trees, falling rocks and debris, and the potential for debris flows and flash flooding during storms, and said visitors entering closed trails or burned areas will be cited.

The Big Sur River seen from the bridge on Pfeiffer Big Sur Road. The River Path and Nature Trail reopen Friday; the Big Sur River Gorge Trail stays closed.

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"The reopening of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park marks an important step in the recovery of the Big Sur area following the Timber Fire," the announcement said.

The fire has burned 25,352 acres, and containment figures reported Oct. 9 differ slightly between outlets: 94 percent in The Californian's Cal Fire update and 97 percent in the New York Post's, a moving number through a fire day. Highway 1 remains fully open through Big Sur, though motorists should expect intermittent delays and one-way traffic controls near Rocky Creek, Ventana and Mud Creek from ongoing road and bridge work.

John Pfeiffer's cabin stands among the trees at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. The park burned across about 517 acres of its own grounds during the Timber Fire.

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