Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A mature forest of gnarled live oaks and wind-sculpted Monterey pines shades the trail
along San Simeon Creek.
Your only major climb begins and ends in 0.2 mile at the next unmarked junction
(1 mile, 180'). The right branch leads 0.3 mile to an open grassy knoll that offers
views of the shore inland to the
Santa Lucia Range
. Your route continues along the
left branch, descending 100 feet and then climbing 120 feet to a bench and overlook
adjacent to the
vernal pools
and
mima mounds.
VERNAL POOLS & MIMA MOUNDS
The uplands of San Simeon State Park contain small puddles called vernal pools
amid scattered humps of soil called mima mounds—one of few places they occur
together. At first glance, these pools and mounds may look like little more than stag-
nant water in a muddy field. But this landscape teems with life in winter and supports
rings of brilliant wildflowers in spring.
When rain falls, the ground absorbs some water, while the rest flows overland
as runoff. In a vernal pool grassland, this runoff accumulates in shallow depressions
atop the hardpan, a layer of impermeable clay or minerals. The hardpan contains the
water like a bathtub. The only way for vernal pools to empty is by evaporation, a pro-
