Leave around 8:00 am on Saturday morning from the Embassy Suite parking lot at Monterey. Sightsee - day hikes along the Coast Highway, until we reach Lucia, From there we will 4-wheel drive up the adjacent coastal mountain range for approximately 12 miles. From the drop off point, we will backpack approximately 2 miles down to the campsite at Vincente Flat. Most likely all of us will 4-wheel up. The hike up is straight up and arduous, estimated time - 4 hrs. Hikers would have to hit the trailhead by noon.
Sunday morning we will day hike some of the trails around Vincente Flat, Break camp, hike back to the vehicles, and 4-wheel to the base of Cone Peak, Climb Cone Peak and enjoy the view. 4-Wheel off the mountain and return home. Along the way back there are lots of exciting places left to visit as we amble back home.
Possible areas we will visit on the drive down:
A great overview of some of the major areas with a good writeup
http://www.thetrailmaster.com/HikingBigSurCoast.html
I will have suite(s) at the Embassy Suite in Monterey for those who want to drive up Friday night after work. Otherwise plan on leaving the Bay Area around 6:00 am to meet us at 8:00 at the Embassy Suite. Also, you could depart at what every time you want, and meet us around 5:00 pm or later at Lucia, for the drive up the mountain.
Excepts of description of trails and campsite:
“…In fact, the land here is reputedly some of the most rugged in the state, and Cone Peak at 5,155 feet is the Lower 48's highest coastal mountain.
The view from Cone Peak sweeps in a vast chunk of the Central California coast, including the better part of Big Sur and on very clear days the southern Sierra.
Big Sur / Central Coast Area - Today, Big Sur is a coastal wilderness. It is as pristine as could be imagined for its 200,000 acres and 90 miles of premium California coast. A highway was constructed in the 1930's just to see this boldly beautiful natural setting.
Below are listing and information on some of the sites we visited on our backpacking trip to Big Sur in June.
Your loving trail boss :-D
/s/ Whiskey Jin
By clicking on them you will bring up links to the various sites.
Pfeiffer Beach - Big Sur's most popular coastal access point, Pfeiffer Beach is hard to find if you've never been to it before. Cliffs tower above this breathtaking stretch of sand, and a large arch-shaped rock formation just off-shore makes for some dazzling sunsets.
"...Pfeiffer Beach, with its hazardous surf and gusty winds, cannot be said to be a comfortable stretch of coastline; it is, however, a magnificent one. Los Padres is one of only three national forests in America with ocean frontage. Named for the pioneer Pfeiffer family, this secluded white sand beach faces the turbulent sea which sends awesome waves crashing through blowholes in the rocks. A short (3/4-mile round trip) walk through cypress trees bring you to the beach. Marvel at the sea stacks, blowholes and caves, and try to find a place out of the wind to eat your lunch. The more ambitious may pick their way over rocks northward for a mile around a point to a second crescent-shaped beach."
McWay Falls Overlook - After Yosemite Falls and Bridalveil Fall, McWay Falls is probably the waterfall that appears most often on family snapshots of California vacation. Its image is unforgettable; an 80-foot waterfall leaping off a rugged ocean bluff and pouring gracefully into the Pacific. Should remind those that were on the Pt. Reyes trip of Alameda Falls.
"...McWay Falls, in Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, is the only major California waterfall to spill into the Pacific. Take the signed trail toward Scenic Overlook. The path leads through a tunnel under Coast Highway and emerges to offer the walker grand panoramas of the Big Sur coast.
You'll soon reach the overlook, where you can observe slender, but dramatic McWay Falls tumbling a hundred feet from the granite cliffs into McWay Cove. In winter, migrating California gray whales can be seen from the park's coastal overlooks."
Wonder why they don't remember Alamere Falls at Pt. Reyes????? - JKJ
Partington Point - A great natural trail hike along the beach and have a seat on a rock and look for sea otters, sea lions, and pelicans. Cross over the highway through a tunnel and another short hike up the mountain for some great view of the coastline.
Cone Peak Lookout Trail - The 2-mile climb to Cone Peak is a classic Ventana Wilderness adventure, You get almost nonstop dramatic coastal views as your car chugs its way uphill. But that nothing compared to the views you get at the fire lookout on Cone Peak at 5,155 feet above sea level. The link below will show a dynamic 360 degree view from the top of Cone Peak
Limekiln Trail - The Limekiln Trail leads from the inland campground into a gorgeous redwood forest. A spur trail off the main route leads to Limekiln Falls, a spectacular 100-foot waterfall that drops over limestone face. This State Park is located approximately 1/2 mile from our turn off on Nacimiento Road.
Nacimiento Road - Our backroad to our campsite on top of the mountain, The Link below offers great insights into the trip. We will travel about 7 miles up to the junction with the Central Coast Road(backroad). Then 4 miles on a one-lane dirt road to our trailhead for the hike down the mountainside.