Yes

No, we were unable to get down to the beach unfortunately

I have always pay my entry fees which is good all day for all other state parks. I am guessing you can park somewhere on the side of the road then walk in to avoid paying. But, check to see if there is a sign saying no parking. The walk is about 1/8-1/4 of a mile which includes a tunnel that goes under the highway to the falls. I cannot remember if there is a specific sign saying, McWay Falls." I do not think so just the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park sign.

Hi. When we there a lad was flying a drone, but somebody told him he wasn't allowed and could get a ticket. I don't think he was an official. No access to the waterfall. Good view though from the road.

Hi, Using Mapquest, the drive from Sacramento to San Diego would take over 8 hours going on the most direct route- Interstate 5. I am guessing you would add another 2-3 hours if you are to take Highway 1 to see the sights you wanted to see. Without stopping, you are looking at 10-11 hours of driving. I do not recommend doing this especially you have young kids. In other words, you do not have time to stop to see all those sights.You really need to add another day. As for the order, you almost have it right. Pfieffer beach would be in front of McWay falls. Safe travels.

Well, I live in the Monterey Bay area so the air quality has been bad such that I have stopped jogging. Monterey half marathon was cancelled. The smoke is from the Camp fire( Paradise). Personally, I have not gone south to Big Sur so I cannot give any assessment. We are going to have significant rain on 11/21 and 23. Hopefully, the rain will suppress the fires. And may blow the smoke away. Maybe someone on Tripadvisor who lives in Big Sur can give you a definite answer to your question.

You could not walk down to the falls on July 2018.

I didn’t see any lane closures from Pfeiffer to McWay, but you can always check the local traffic or CA state park websites before you go.

I was there in Feb and the trail was open. I am sort of local as I live north of the park. I have not heard any news about Mcfalls on local news. No news is good news. The only issue is getting there. Approaching from the south( LA- Santa Barbara-San Luis Obispo) areas ) is not possible. Highway 1 suffered a massive mud slide where Cal-Trans is trying to re-open the highway by the end of 2018. The only other option to avoid going all the way around from the north is coming from the east. There is a small road called Nacimiento-Fergusson which goes from Fort Hunter Liggett( King City) to Highway 1 BUT is essentially an one lane road with blind curves so you have to go slow. It takes about one hour to cross over the mountain pass from the east vs three or more hours coming in from north; assuming you start from Highway 101 in King City. Good luck and safe travels

Trail is half closed July 2018. Better views from the road.