Garrapata
California State park
Directions: From Monterey, take Highway 1 south to the Soberanes Point area. The park is not marked but parking is under a row of trees on the east side of Highway 1. There are supposed to be 19 numbered turnouts on the ocean side of the highway. Look for numbered gates 18 and 19. The hike started at Gate 8.
Parking Fee: free
Facilities: Pit toilets
Heading up the Rocky Ridge Trail
Coastal Views from the Rocky Ridge Trail
Color and texture on the Rocky Ridge Trail
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Lunch stop in the rain
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Rocky Ridge Trail heading down
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Soberanes Canyon Trail
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Whale Peak
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Garrapata parking along Highway 1
Highway 1 south from Whale Peak
GPS Stats
Distance hiked: 7.9 miles
Total ascent: 2585 ft
Trailhead Elevation: 125 ft
Max Elevation: 1977 ft
Moving time: 4 hrs 5 min
Moving Average: 1.9 mph
Overall average: 1.3 mph
Time stopped: 1 hrs 55 min
Personal stats
Dates Hiked:
22-Sep-2007
Start time: 10:00 AM
Weather: We started the hike in a light rain that pretty well soaked us. Then it cleared up later and gave us a cool sunny day.
Water consumed: 1.2 liters
plus 600 ml Gatorade
Finish time: 4:00 PM
Total time: 6 hours 0 min
Beauty: Garrapata is a hike of contrasts, from brush covered hills of texture and color with mountain top coastal views to the serenity of a quiet redwood canyon. It is as pretty as it gets.
Wildlife seen: Some lizards, birds, and the usual stuff in the tidal pools.
Difficulty: This hike gave a stiff climb up and then back down the hill over some rather steep terrain where the trail briefly hit over 30% grades climbing or dropping 200 feet in 0.1 mile. In many places, old steps were washed out and could pose a tripping hazard. Hike carefully!
National Geographic TOPO! software website:
Downsides: Obvious numerous car break-ins as apparent from multiple piles of broken car window glass in the ground around parking areas.
I have lived in California all my life. I grew in Salinas and have lived in the Bay Area since I got my first job out of college in 1977. In all that time have been up and down Highway 1 to Big Sur and I never knew of this little jewel of a park until I met a couple of hikers at Garland Ranch a few months ago. They raved about it and described it as one of the best hikes around. And so I put this one on my radar figuring I would make it down to check it out eventually and when “V” announced a hike there, it became an instant no brainer, all other priorities rescindent.
The drive down takes a good 90+ minutes and when you get there, the park is not marked. As you drive south on Highway 1, there is a section on your left where the road is lined by trees with obvious room for off-road parking. There are no signs and I would have driven past it if I had not seen “V” parked there and out getting ready for the hike. So I pulled in, stopped, and got ready myself.
We started this hike in some light rain heading up the Rocky Ridge Trail. This trail climbs a steep open trail up the hills towering over Highway 1 and offers fabulous views up and down the coast and out to sea. But the trail is steep and though I climbed it with a few short breaks on the way up, it sure had me huffing and puffing and sweating in the rain.
Once we get to the top we caught the Peak Trail and took it to our highest point near where we stopped to have lunch in the rain. Since we weren’t working so hard at the point, most of us put on our raincoats and I put on my poncho to keep dryer and warmer. I was already soaking wet but the poncho sure helped cut the wind and I felt warmer and more comfortable.
Up on top though we sure had some nice views inland with fog shrouded ridge lines and valleys that could offer their own photographic opportunities. After lunch we headed on back to the Rocky Ridge Trail and looped on over and down towards the Soberanes Canyon Trail. The hike down was pretty and offered some interesting colors and contrasts in the plant life but the trail was also steep and potentially treacherous. There were spots where there were once nice steps that have since eroded out and now present more of a hazard than a help. They may not be as dangerous heading up but if you are going downhill and you trip or slide, you could injure yourself or worse. Be careful!
But once you get down to the bottom and connect in with the Soberanes Canyon Trail, you are really rewarded with a treat. The Soberanes Canyon is one beautiful jewel of a canyon with redwood trees and a running creek and other plants that make it perhaps the most beautiful I have seen. The Soberanes Canyon Trail also has eroded out steps in some treacherous places where a fall could prove fatal but as long as you are careful, this canyon is as pretty as you will find.
Eventually the trail brings you back out into the open where you will also see hillsides covered in prickly pear cactus, a rather strange contrast next to redwoods.
After finishing the basic hike we stepped across Highway 1 to the ocean side and did another short loop hike on the Soberanes Point Trails. After taking a diversion down to a little beach area with tidal pools, we did the short climb up to Whale Peak for a stop to sit and just enjoy the view. Then it was back to our cars and off to Canary Row for dinner before heading back to the Bay Area. All in all, another great hike and another great day out. And let me tell you, hiking in the rain can offer its own rewards as well. And now lets see the pictures.
