Located on a remote stretch of California's scenic Highway 1, Big Sur offers visitors the opportunity to backpack among towering redwoods, clear creeks and breathtaking coastal views. The main attraction for backpackers is the 285,000-acre Ventana Region of Los Padres National Forest, which contains the Ventana Wilderness and Silver Peak Wilderness. Cone Peak--the tallest coastal mountain in the continental U.S.--is in the Ventana Wilderness and reaches nearly a mile above the Pacific Ocean. Among backpackers, The Pine Ridge Trail is the most popular in the Big Sur area.
Aquire a stove permit at Big Sur Station if you plan on using a camp stove. As of September 2010, open fires are not allowed in Ventana Wilderness.
Big Sur Station #1
Big Sur, CA 93920
831-667-2315
Pay $5 per night, as of 2010, to park your car in the paved lot at the Pine Ridge Trailhead.
Hike into the Ventana Wilderness along the Pine Ridge Trail. In the valley below, you will see and hear the Big Sur River.
Camp at Terrace Creek, Barlow Flat or Sykes campgrounds. Expect primitive campsites with no facilities. Be advised that mornings can be chilly due to the steep canyon walls and moist coastal air.
Soak in Sykes Hot Springs--10 miles from the trailhead near Sykes camp--on the bank of the Big Sur River. This natural hot spring is popular with day-hikers as well as backpackers and may be crowded on summer weekends.
Find solitude by hiking further into Ventana Wilderness on the less-traveled trail to Pine Valley. You will pass Pine Ridge and Bear Basin campsites along the way.
Hike back out along the Pine Ridge Trail, allowing yourself a second chance to relax in Sykes Hot Springs. Celebrate your arrival back to civilization with a glass of wine or dessert at Big Sur Bakery, a few miles south on Highway 1.
Big Sur Bakery
Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
831-667-0520
