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| Hiking | 6.46 Miles |
1,944 AEG |
| | Hiking | 6.46 Miles | 2 Hrs 17 Mns | | 2.96 mph |
| 1,944 ft AEG | 6 Mns Break | | | |
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| no partners | | Under a typical summer coastal cloud bank we headed up the Soberanes Canyon trail, where I was delighted to immediately encounter a beautiful mountain stream. As we progressed, the canyon narrowed into a densely wooded canopy of poison oak ground cover, shaded by pine, cypress, and a couple of delightful groves of massive redwoods. Dorothy, you are definitely not in Kansas anymore!
As we climbed out of the canyon to the north, the initial 200 feet is a nearly vertical wall of switchbacks and root-stabilized little scrambles. From here, the trail was a rutted, eroded, singletrack that climbed 1200 feet in under a mile, bringing us up into the low clouds which obscured all the surrounding coastal range peaks. The breeze picked up near the ridge and we turned east on the Peak Trail where I noticed that the chumometer read 51.7 degrees. The humidity read 80% but I think it was off by about 20. The marine clouds had everything completely soaked, including me, and I couldn't have been more grateful for not being in the valley of the deathstar. 
Once tagging the high point we headed down the ridge which slowly broke through the low ceiling and provided stunning views of the coast. A few sections of this trail were also more vertical than switchbacky which required a little careful footing, but nothing difficult or dangerous. Just before the trail ended at the highway we took the crossover route back to the Canyon trail where it crossed the creek and dropped us back out on the PCH parking area. Short on time, we skipped the little coastal loop across the street, which is probably where 90% of hikers visiting this park go. It was a nice quick way to knock out 2000 feet right on the coast.
By way of posted signs, the only open trail in this park east of the PCH is the 1.5 mile stretch along the creek. In reality, the whole loop continues to be regularly hiked by those willing to brave the rough and eroded Rocky Ridge Trail. Signage did not seem to indicate any penalty for using the closed trail, but seemed to be only a warning to those to be aware of adverse conditions ahead. |
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| I'm not sure what my spirit animal is, but I'm confident it has rabies. |
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