Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
covered in coyote brush. Stop to catch your breath and admire the rugged foothills
and folds of the Santa Lucia Range.
Hidden Trail climbs the spine of
Pfeiffer Ridge
to the
Ridge Trail junction
(1.5
miles, 720'). On a clear day you'll see
Point Sur,
which rises from broad marine ter-
races 10 miles north. Turn right onto the Ridge Trail and head west toward
Molera
Point.
The trail slopes gently 1.1 miles down Pfeiffer Ridge (aka
Molera Ridge
) to-
ward
Molera Beach
and the Creamery Meadow Trail. Hit the beach to stroll barefoot
in the sand and wonder at the sculpted driftwood before turning right (northeast) on
the Creamery Meadow Trail.
The trail skirts a mile of
Creamery Meadow,
a former pasture that once suppor-
ted cattle raised to produced Monterey Jack cheese. Recent restoration efforts have
attracted abundant wildlife. Watch for grazing black-tailed deer, elusive coyotes and
bobcats, hundreds of small songbirds, and soaring raptors overhead. Just past the
meadow is the familiar River Trail junction. Head left to recross the Big Sur on the
footbridge (or ford in the wet season).
