This was a rare day at the idyllic waterfall. In spring the setting sun shoots through the opening in the tiny bay illuminating the falls and it’s surrounding rock formation with a brilliant orange glow. McWay Falls is one of only two falls that are close enough to the ocean to be refered to as “tide falls”
The falls, feeder creek and canyon are named after Christopher McWay, an early settler and farmer from New York state who arrived in the area with his son Christopher Jr. around 1874. The park itself is named after Julia Pfeiffer Burns (1868-1928), a local and legendary early pioneer and resident.