[4] The Browns first built a rough redwood cabin on a site at the top of the cliffs opposite McWay Falls.

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.

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.

[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.

[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.

Visitors to the site today can view remnants of the home's foundation, landscaping (including palm trees), and the funicular railway.