Usually, there's a loop hike that takes in the Valley View Overlook (of Big Sur Valley) as well as the waterfall itself totalling about 3 miles. However, on our most recent trip, fire damage from 2009 wiped out the shorter less-than-one-mile round trip trail from the lodging area to the falls and back. So we had to take the longer more hilly Valley View Overlook trail, which is about 1.6 miles round trip if you're just doing the waterfall (not counting the spur trail to the Valley View Overlook itself). Fire damage has also affected the viewing area immediately at the falls itself as the adjacent hillsides have been de-stabilized and there's no longer the wooden viewing platforms that were here when we last came here some 9 years or so ago.

Still, with all that said about the fires that affected this area, there is quite a bit of infrastructure, facilities, and amenities not to mention staff (from fee collectors to rescue workers to trail maintenance) so perhaps the day use fee ($10 when we went in 2010 up from $7 when we went back in 2001) is being put to good use.

One thing to note while on the trail is that there's a significant amount of poison oak along the trail so you definitely want to stay on the trail and be careful to limit the amount of rubbing against the plant's toxic oils as best you can.