Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trip 6
ROCKY RIDGE TRAIL
LENGTH AND TYPE: 6-mile out-and-back or 4.6-mile loop
RATING: Strenuous
TRAIL CONDITION: Well maintained, poison oak
HIGHLIGHTS: Breathtaking views from mountains that rise dramatically beside a craggy coast
TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD: Both the Rocky Ridge and Soberanes Canyon Trails start
from turnout 8, amid a strip of Monterey cypress on the east side of Highway 1, 7.1
miles south of Carmel Valley Road (County Road G16) and 14 miles north of Andrew
Molera State Park. The trailheads lie beyond the numbered gate adjacent to a dilapid-
ated barn. There are no facilities or water at the trailhead.
TRIP SUMMARY: You can approach this hike either as a 6-mile out-and-back along the
Rocky Ridge Trail or as a 4.6-mile loop trip through Soberanes Canyon via the Sober-
anes Canyon Trail. Both routes are strenuous. The Rocky Ridge Trail drops abruptly
from a 1435-foot ridge to 400-foot Soberanes Creek. Although the loop is 1.4 miles
shorter, it's along a steeper, more strenuous grade, plunging 1000 feet to the canyon
bottom in less than 0.7 mile.
The 3-mile Rocky Ridge Trail climbs past creekside willows and fragrant coastal
scrub along a ridge of arid, boulder-strewn golden grasslands to a promontory more
than 1600 feet above the sea. You'll enjoy 360-degree views, stretching from Point
Sur to the Monterey Peninsula and the Santa Cruz Mountains to the Pacific. The topo-
graphy is so sheer that despite a long climb, you'll still hear barking sea lions less than
a mile away. Its difficulty keeps crowds at bay, though hikers, joggers, and bicyclists
do flock here in summer. The best time to visit is in spring when coastal scrub is in
bloom, migrating gray whales pass just offshore, and fog rarely encroaches inland.
Trip Description
From turnout 8, the trail begins a gentle climb up a closed road past the barn, soon
crossing Soberanes Creek. Thirty yards beyond the creek, the trail meets the Sober-
anes Canyon Trail junction (0.1 mile, 120'), which branches right. Keep left and head
north. Fifty yards farther, the trail passes a spur on the left, which descends some 130
yards to turnout 12 (parking here would shave 0.2 mile off your hike). A minute
farther north, the trail leaves the canyon and passes the first sign for the Rocky Ridge
Trail (0.3 mile, 180').
Search WWH ::




Custom Search