101 Hikes in Northern California. Matt Heid
soon switchbacks past a seasonal creek and reaches a rocky viewpoint (0.3/760') overlooking the lower Salmon Creek drainage.
Notice the diverse plant life and dramatic shift in vegetation in the surrounding canyon. A lush riparian forest of alders, maples, and bays lines the ravine’s floor but quickly transitions to a drier coastal scrub zone of sagebrush, sticky monkeyflower, and coffeeberry bushes. Higher up, a rocky arid zone is populated by hardy succulents such as Our Lord’s candle, a yucca that dies soon after sprouting its large stalk of cream-colored blossoms.
Onward, the trail switchbacks past a conspicuous mound of light green, slippery serpentine (0.5/760'), California’s state rock. Formed atop ancient seafloors that tectonic activity later smashed into Big Sur, serpentine produces nutrient-poor soils that are inhospitable to most plant life. A few “serpentine endemics” have adapted, however, including California poppies, yucca, and other tenacious succulents.
The trail passes several unobstructed ocean views as it climbs the north-facing slopes, winding through dense coastal shrub and beneath shady live oaks and bays. Fragrant black sage and sagebrush thickets line the trail, as do mats of hedge nettles boasting deep lavender blossoms in spring. Just past a dry creek bed, you reach a crest (1.5/1,050') then gradually descend past groves of Douglas-fir, tan oak, and bay amid dense huckleberry bushes. The trail contours along the south canyon wall, hopping across two seasonal creeks. Fifty feet past the last creek, you reach the signed junction for Spruce Creek Trail (1.8/1,010').
Bear left to continue on Salmon Creek Trail as it heads steadily downslope past large old-growth Douglas-firs and vine-like poison oak. You soon reach Spruce Creek Camp (2.0/750'), where three idyllic campsites line the confluence of Salmon and Spruce Creeks.
Past the camp, the hike begins a moderate climb of the north-facing slopes in the shade of young Douglas-firs, bays, oaks, and ceanothus, which fills the spring air with a lilac aroma from profuse blue flowers. The trail skirts high above the creek past small rapids and swirling emerald pools; a few small washouts require careful footing.
To reach Upper Salmon Creek Falls, watch for a steep spur on your left, just before a bend in the trail (2.6/1,140'). More reminiscent of a deer trail, the steep and precarious path drops 150 feet over loose rock and past poison oak to reach the base of the falls, a refreshing grotto of mist and spray that is well worth the effort. After a refreshing dip, retrace your steps to the trailhead. Alternatively, you can continue another 0.6 mile along Salmon Creek Trail and ascend 300 feet to Estrella Camp, where two pleasant campsites perch along the banks of Estrella Creek.
Nearest Visitor Centers Big Sur Station, 831-667-2315, just south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park on Hwy. 1, is open daily 9 a.m.–4 p.m. Memorial Day–Labor Day; the rest of the year it’s open intermittently depending on staffing availability. Also try King City Ranger Station, 831-385-5434, at 406 S. Mildred Ave. in King City; take the Canal off-ramp from Hwy. 101, go east on Canal, right on Division, and left on Mildred. It’s open Monday–Friday 8 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Backpacking Information Spruce Creek and Estrella Camp are both ideally situated for an overnight trip. Several sites feature picnic tables and fire rings. A valid campfire permit is required.
Nearest Campground Plaskett Creek Campground (43 sites, $22) is 4 miles north of Gorda along Hwy. 1. Eighty percent of the sites are reservable year-round; visit recreation.gov or call 877-444-6777.
Additional Information www.fs.usda.gov/lpnf
HIKE 2 Vicente Flat
Highlights Golden coastal bluffs and ancient redwoods
Distance 10.4 miles round-trip
Total Elevation Gain/Loss 2,000'/2,000'
Hiking Time 6–10 hours
Recommended Maps A Guide to Ventana & Silver Peak Wilderness by the US Forest Service, Big Sur and Ventana Wilderness by Wilderness Press, USGS 7.5-min. Cone Peak and Lopez Pointi
Best Times Year-round
Agency Ventana Wilderness, Los Padres National Forest
Difficulty
EXTREME TOPOGRAPHY defines the coastal flanks of Cone Peak, where soaring ridges and chasmic valleys crease the mountainside. The area is also known for its exceptional bio-diversity, from wildflower-painted grasslands to yucca-studded chaparral, fluttering oak woodland to towering old-growth redwood forest. And don’t forget the sweeping ocean views, which look out for miles across a glittering aquamarine sea.
The Hike ascends nearly 2,000 feet above the wave-swept coast and then traverses inland to reach Vicente Flat along redwood-lined Hare Creek. Open terrain allows dramatic coastal and canyon vistas as the trail initially climbs the grassy slopes, then heads inland through an increasingly lush forest to reach Vicente Flat, which offers campsites in a sun-drenched meadow or beneath old-growth trees. Spring welcomes a profusion of wildflowers to the otherwise golden slopes. Summer brings view-shrouding fog and the majority of visiting hikers. At other times of the year, you may have the trail entirely to yourself. Water is available near the trailhead in adjacent Kirk Creek Campground.
Old-growth dreams: an ancient redwood tree at Vicente Flat
To Reach the Trailhead Take Hwy. 1 to Kirk Creek Campground, 38 miles south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park and 36 miles north of Hearst Castle. The trailhead is on the east side of Hwy. 1, across the road from the campground.
Description From Hwy. 1 (0.0/190'), Vicente Flat Trail quickly climbs a series of switchbacks past coastal scrub. Flowering lupines, poppies, sticky monkeyflowers, and sagebrush highlight the hillside in spring. In 0.3 mile you cross a minor gully, head toward a minor saddle, then turn north across rolling grasslands and coastal chaparral. After crossing a gully choked with invasive blackberry and broom species, listen for water trickling from a nearby spring (0.9/700').
The grade steepens as the trail passes scattered yuccas, spiny testaments to the aridity of these exposed slopes. You next reach a ridge (1.4/1,000') offering spectacular views of the convergence of land and sea. Continuing, the trail quickly enters the Ventana Wilderness and reaches shade beneath a canopy of oaks, madrones, and bays. You follow the ridgeline through four gullies and past a dense band of redwoods, then climb steeply to a prominent ridge (2.9/1,610'), where exceptional views entice you to linger. To the east, 5,155-foot Cone Peak (Hike 3) and its neighbor, double-notched Twin Peak, loom over Hare and Limekiln creeks. Hare Canyon is one of the state’s deepest gorges; Limekiln Canyon boasts the steepest coastal slope in the Lower 48.
The trail now descends off the ridge, veering northeast through varied microclimates that support a range of drought-tolerant and moisture-loving plants. The contrast is stark—yuccas dot the arid slopes, while moisture-reliant redwoods cluster nearby in damp gullies. You next reach a short spur to Espinosa Camp (3.4/1,660'), marked by a large fallen redwood 100 yards past a major gully.
The spur leads 100 feet to several small campsites atop a minor ridge in the shade of live oaks, bays, redwoods, and rare, endemic Santa Lucia firs. Rock outcrops offer unobstructed views toward the coast. This is an excellent picnic or overnight spot, though the nearby gully is usually dry. The continuing hike contours inland along the slopes, rounds a prominent ridge, and reaches the first reliable water source, a creeklet cascading past redwoods and ferns. Open grassy slopes return as the trail tops out at 1,860 feet and begins a gentle descent to Vicente Flat.
You cross three rubble-strewn gullies (4.1/1,800'), their adjacent marble faces misted in winter