Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
CHAPTER
twelve
Limekiln State Park
C
RUISING
H
IGHWAY 1
, most visitors overlook Limekiln State Park. Yet the sheer,
jagged cliffs that make coastal access so difficult along most of the Big Sur coast are
not an issue at Limekiln, where you can step a few yards from a shady redwood canyon
for a barefoot stroll on the beach.
Once exploited and then forgotten, the park boasts a rich history of homesteaders
and entrepreneurs who tramped down the lonely, isolated coast in the late 1800s in
search of opportunity. Today, hikers stroll in peaceful solitude amid forests that once
supported timber harvesting and limestone extraction and a beach that once flanked a
busy shipping port.
Added to the state park system in 1995, Limekiln comprises 716 acres and offers
three short hiking trails that follow Limekiln Creek through redwood-lined canyons to
a spectacular waterfall and historic limekilns that lend the park its name. The park is
open for day use and overnight camping.
