Barlow Flat Camp is located 7 miles (11.3 km) from the Big Sur Station

Big Sur Station

Big Sur Station is a multiagency visitor center and ranger station operated by Caltrans, the Los Padres National Forest, and California State Parks...

 trailhead

Trailhead

A trailhead is the point at which a trail begins, where the trail is often intended for hiking, biking, horseback riding, or off-road vehicles...

 along the Pine Ridge Trail

Pine Ridge Trail

The Pine Ridge Trail is a popular hiking route in the Ventana Wilderness of the Los Padres National Forest. It can be hiked both ways, but the consensus route is China Camp to Big Sur Station since that is the downhill direction.-Trail Guide:...

. To get to the camp from the Pine Ridge Trail, take a short 1/4 mile spur trail down to the river. The camp is a large flat next to the Big Sur River

Big Sur River

The Big Sur River is a river on the Central Coast of California. The river drains a portion of the Big Sur area, a thinly settled region of the Central California coast where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean...

 and has a swimming hole

Swimming hole

A swimming hole is a place in a river, stream, creek, spring, or similar natural body of water, which is large enough and deep enough for a person to swim in...

and a box latrine to control waste. It is the most spacious camp on the Pine Ridge Trail. Downstream can be found several other large swimming holes, as well as a waterfall.