Trip 11

BEACH & CREAMERY MEADOW TRAILS LOOP

LENGTH AND TYPE: 1.8-mile loop

RATING: Easy

TRAIL CONDITION: Well maintained, poison oak, good for kids

HIGHLIGHTS: A barefoot stroll across windswept, driftwood-strewn Molera Beach

TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD: From the park’s entrance kiosk, continue straight to the picnic area. The route begins at the bridge across the Big Sur.

TRIP SUMMARY: Adjacent to the Big Sur River, Creamery Meadow is lined with dense riparian woodland. You’ll stroll past twisted sycamores, head-high yellow bush lupines, and gnarled redwoods. Once a cattle pasture, today it boasts some of the best bird-watching in California.

Trip Description

From the picnic area, cross the Big Sur River on the narrow footbridge. In winter the bridge is removed so steelhead trout can migrate upstream—expect a knee- to waist-high wade. After heavy winter storms, the river may be too swift to cross. If you prefer to stay dry or cannot cross, take the Trail Camp Trail to the beach.

Once across the Big Sur, turn right and head west on the Beach Trail alongside Creamery Meadow, a turn-of-the-century pasture for cows that produced Monterey Jack cheese. Park officials are replanting and slowly restoring the area to a beautiful open meadow dotted with willows, cottonwoods, red alders, sycamores, and a few scraggly, salt-stunted redwoods. Abundant wildlife includes coyotes, bobcats, and deer along the trails; lizards, mice, and rabbits in the high grass; and white-tailed kites, kestrels, and red-shouldered hawks soaring overhead.

Views from Molera Beach lead toward the triangular marble-topped Pico Blanco.

Closer to the beach, the wind and salt spray have taken a toll on vegetation. As you turn north toward the river, notice the contorted redwood to your left across the meadow. Farther down the trail you’ll pass the rocky end of a bluff midway to the surf. During large swells, waves surge halfway up this stretch, stranding massive logs and driftwood. On your left, just before you reach the beach, you’ll pass the Bluffs Trail (1.1 miles, 10'), which heads southeast along the edge of a marine terrace.

Before heading back toward the Creamery Trail, stroll windswept Molera Beach. You’ll likely spot sea otters, sea lions, and harbor seals feeding in the nearshore kelp forests. Notice the low bluffs of deformed rocks, part of the Franciscan complex, a mix of sedimentary rocks and basalt slices from the seafloor. The San Andreas Fault and associated faults continually wrench this region and metamorphose the gray, tan, and brown sandstone, and shale. Look closely to spot almandite, a rare mineral that tints the sand purple and pink.

Stroll farther to escape the crowds and find an isolated cove all to yourself. Keep in mind, though, that your hike is tide-dependent—the beach can be impassable or even dangerous in places during high tides. Tide tables are posted on the information sign in the parking lot, or you can check at Big Sur Station, 4.2 miles south of the park entrance road on Highway 1.

PERFECT PEELING WAVES

As you stroll Molera Beach, you may notice surfers paddling past marine mammals to greet perfect peeling waves on the north end of the beach. In fact, this stretch is one of Big Sur’s most reliable surf spots. The beach is ringed in from all directions except west, in a semi-point setup. The water sculpts and sustains a gravelly sandbar, and prevailing northwest winds create fast right-hand lanes on days that are blown out elsewhere. Access the break by walking nearly a mile from the park entrance. Though the walk deters some surfers, expect a crowded lineup during big west or south swells.

Heading back up the Beach Trail, you’ll pass thick patches of toxic poison oak amid colorful flowering plants. Many of the latter display vibrant yellow blossoms, including bush lupine, seaside wooly sunflower, sedum, Dudleya, and yellow sand verbena. A tenth of a mile from Molera Beach, you’ll reach the Creamery Trail junction. Turn right on this wide trail to take in the opposite side of Creamery Meadow. In the meadow you’ll spot coyote brush, poison hemlock, California poppies, and more lupines, while large coast live oaks, sycamores, and bay trees line the ridge to your right. The trail gradually bends northeast to rejoin the Beach Trail at the footbridge over the Big Sur (1.8 miles, 40').