Trip 8

SOBERANES POINT TRAILS

LENGTH AND TYPE: 2-mile loop

RATING: Easy

TRAIL CONDITION: Clear, poison oak, good for kids

HIGHLIGHTS: Roam the bluffs along one of California’s most dramatic coastlines.

TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD: The Soberanes Point Trails are accessible via Highway 1 turnouts 7 through 11. The trail description that follows starts on the west side of the highway at turnout 7.

TRIP SUMMARY: From turnout 7, the trail meanders south past uninhabited coves toward Soberanes Point. Along the way, watch pelicans skim wave crests in formation, peer down as surf surges into narrow inlets and coves, and maybe spot migrating whales. Some spurs lead to spectacular overlooks, while others descend to the beach for a barefoot stroll.

Point Sur Lighthouse stands as a sentinel of the bygone era of dangerous marine travel.

Trip Description

From turnout 7, the trail quickly reaches Soberanes Creek and a junction with a short spur down to the water’s edge. Veer left across the creek through a dense stand of Monterey cypress between turnouts 8 and 9, where you’ll find a portable toilet. If you parked at the Rocky Ridge and Soberanes Canyon Trailhead (turnout 8), your hike will begin here.

A few steps south of the cypress grove, you’ll pass a junction with a trail to the left that skirts Highway 1. Those taking the 2-mile loop will return along this trail. Stay right and you’ll soon reach a fork. Veer right to explore the dramatic shoreline that leads to rocky Soberanes Point. The route crosses bluffs covered with California sagebrush, bush lupine, coyote brush, coffeeberry, and other coastal scrub plants.

Beyond the point, the trail curls east and then north past the western flanks of Whale Peak to the junction between gates 8 and 9. If you parked at turnout 7, retrace your steps north across Soberanes Creek.

BIG SUR ROCKS

Big Sur’s coastal topography is a stunning blend of clear, cobalt water and the rugged granitic rocks of the Santa Lucia Range. Geologists believe these rocks originated in the southern Sierra in present-day Mexico and moved northwest hundreds of miles along the San Andreas Fault. These hard, crystalline rocks of the Salinian block also comprise many of the prominent high peaks of the range, such as Ventana Double Cone and Pico Blanco.

Deep underground, the molten rock slowly cooled, forming large crystals that glisten in the sun, lending the stone a grayish, salt-and-pepper appearance in the surf zone and a weathered rusty orange farther up the bluffs. As they slowly erode in the pounding surf, these durable rocks produce coarse-grained particles that sink quickly to the bottom, leaving little sediment to cloud the water.

Point Sur State Historic Park

THE CENTERPIECE OF THIS historic park is Point Sur Lighthouse, perched 270 feet atop an isolated volcanic rock at the mouth of the Little Sur River. Built in 1889, the light provided invaluable warning to thousands of ships that plied this treacherous coast. Life for keepers and their families was lonely and isolated until the completion of Highway 1 in 1937. Then, in the 1960s, the U.S. Coast Guard began automating lighthouses. The last keeper left Point Sur in 1974. Year-round guided walking tours feature the lighthouse and supporting structures.

DIRECTIONS: The park is on the west side of Highway 1, 19 miles south of Carmel and a quarter mile north of the Point Sur Naval Facility.

VISITOR CENTER: Big Sur Station: (831) 667-2315. The station is on Highway 1, 18 miles south of Garrapata State Park and just south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park. Open daily 8 a.m.–6 p.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day, 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m. the rest of the year.

NEAREST CAMPGROUND: The nearest developed state campground is at Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park (see for details). The nearest walk-in campground is at Andrew Molera State Park (see for details).

INFORMATION: Closed to public except by guided tour. Docents lead three-hour tours year-round: Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m., Wednesdays at 1 p.m. The summer schedule includes Wednesday tours at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. (April through October) and Thursday tours at 10 a.m. (July and August). Moonlight tours vary. Arrive early, as tickets are first come, first served. Admission: adults $12; ages 6–17, $5; children age 5 and under, free. Groups of 10 or more must call in advance. Groups of up to 40 people may also arrange private tours (minimum $200 charge). Visitors with disabilities should contact the park in advance to discuss access. No pets (even if left in car), picnicking, RVs or campers, strollers or baby carriages, beach access, or smoking.

PHONE: (831) 625-4419 or (831) 667-0528 (disabled access)

WEBSITES: pointsur.org or parks.ca.gov