Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trip 36
SAN SIMEON NATURE TRAIL
LENGTH AND TYPE: 3.2-mile loop
RATING: Easy
TRAIL CONDITION: Well maintained, poison oak, good for kids
HIGHLIGHTS: A rural landscape wedged between the sheer Santa Lucia Range and the mighty Pacific
TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD:
Choose between two trailheads. The northern trailhead is
in Washburn Campground, across from Site 213 at the end of Washburn Campground
Road. The southern trailhead is 0.1 mile east of the Washburn Day-Use Area, beside
a footbridge over San Simeon Creek. Water and restrooms are available at both trail-
heads.
TRIP SUMMARY:
San Simeon Creek ripples through a rolling landscape that's lush
green after winter rains, blanketed with wildflowers in spring, and studded with
gnarled coast live oaks and wind-sculpted Monterey pines year-round. Diverse habitats
shelter a range of wildlife, including woodpeckers, elusive bobcats, coyotes, wintering
golden eagles, and wild turkeys. Interpretive signs describe the seasonal wetlands, ver-
nal pools, an 1800s ranch site, and prehistoric cultural sites of the Chumash and Salini-
an peoples.
Trip Description
From the southern trailhead at the
Washburn Day-Use Area
(30'), a raised wooden
boardwalk leads east amid seasonal wetlands, home to endangered Southwestern pond
turtles and red-legged frogs. You'll soon cross
Washburn Campground Road
(0.1
mile, 40') and skirt the road for 0.4 mile before reaching an unmarked junction (0.5
mile, 80'). Turn left and hike past eucalyptus trees to the
Whitaker Homesite
(0.8
mile, 40'), an 1800s ranch. A spur to your right leads 0.2 mile to
Washburn Camp-
ground.
Instead, bear left along the trail, which gradually descends to
Whitaker Flats
through introduced Australian bluegum eucalypti amid a thick understory of German
ivy from South Africa. These exotic plants invade woodlands throughout California
and choke out native plants, threatening the natural ecosystem.
