48 Miller Canyon & Pine Valley Loop
50 Hiding Canyon & Round Rock Camps
51 Ventana Double Cone via Pine Valley
52 Pine Ridge, Sykes Hot Springs, & Big Sur
53 Black Cone Trail to Arroyo Seco
54 Church Creek to Pine Valley Camp
56 Willow Springs & Strawberry Camps
60 Highway 1 to Terrace Creek Camp
61 Highway 1 to Coast Ridge Road
CHAPTER 20 Silver Peak Wilderness
68 Alder Creek Camp to Villa Creek Camp
69 Highway 1 to Villa Creek Camp
72 Salmon Creek Station to Buckeye Camp
73 Salmon Creek Trail to Spruce Creek & Estrella Camps
74 Dutra Flat & San Carpoforo Camps
Trips by Theme
Solitude overlooking a vast ocean at the edge of our continent
CHAPTER one
Introducing Big Sur
BIG SUR. THE NAME EVOKES IMAGES of a wild and rugged coast. In the mid-1800s, a handful of independent and adventurous homesteaders, fur traders, ranchers, and entrepreneurs settled the area along steep, narrow wagon roads. But Big Sur would remain remote until Highway 1 was completed in 1938. Modern-day visitors are struck by the drama of this two-lane roller coaster, which twists and winds through blankets of fog along sheer cliffs hundreds of feet above the Pacific.
Just where Big Sur begins and ends has long been a matter of debate. Historically, early Spanish explorers named the vague unexplored wilderness south of Monterey El Sur Grande (“The Big South”). Today, the region encompasses a 90-mile coastal stretch between Carmel to the north and San Simeon to the south, flanked on one side by the high peaks of the Santa Lucia Range and on the other by the jagged coast and broad Pacific Ocean.
While Big Sur is widely renowned for its exceptional beauty, few people venture beyond Highway 1. In addition, few roads cross the Santa Lucia Range, making it one of the largest roadless areas along the continental US coast. The result? A vast, remote wilderness waits to be explored.
About This Book
IN THIS BOOK, trips in Big Sur country are described in two parts: Part I, State & Federal Lands of the Big Sur Coast, and Part II, Ventana & Silver Peak Wildernesses.
Trips in Part I list day hikes only, as state and federal lands are limited to day use. While some state parks offer campgrounds, backcountry camping is forbidden. In contrast, the wilderness areas described in Part
