Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
hikers mistakenly think Pat Spring is along the Ventana Trail, which is how it appears
on US Forest Service maps. To continue on the Ventana Trail, you'll turn left past
the junction and climb northeast toward a minor ridge. The trail to
Pat Spring Camp
branches right.
SIDE TRIP
Pat Spring Camp is among the most scenic in the Ventana Wilderness. From the
Ventana Trail junction, turn right on the
Pat Spring Camp Trail
and climb west
along a minor ridge. Within 50 feet you'll reach the first campsite on your left, while
the second site (9.8 miles, 3880') lies atop a minor summit with views of marble-
capped
Pico Blanco
and the Pacific. Past the second site, a narrow trail leads 0.1 mile
farther to a dramatic outcrop overlooking the Little Sur watershed.
To obtain water, return to the Ventana Trail junction, turn right on the eastbound
Pat Spring Trail,
and continue downhill 100 yards to the spring—a reliable water
source in all but the driest years.
Fifteen feet past the four-way junction, the Ventana Trail veers left on a moderate
climb to a
ridge
(7.6 miles, 4180') topped with ponderosa pines, madrones, and live
oaks, where you'll catch glimpses north across Carmel Valley to the
Sierra de Sali-
nas.
A gradual climb leads southeast to a
saddle
(8.4 miles, 3940') that offers views
southwest across the Little Sur drainage to Pico Blanco, which splits the river's south
and main forks. Beyond lies the broad Pacific.
It's a moderate climb from the saddle to
Little Pines
summit (9.1 miles, 4189'),
beyond which lies the
Little Pines Camp Trail junction
(9.4 miles, 3970'). This eas-
ily missed unmarked spur branches left 100 feet to the camp, a dry, undesirable spot
that's littered with multiple fallen snags.
Past this spur, you'll cross open pine, oak, and madrone woodland, then descend
grassy slopes along the western flank of
Uncle Sam Mountain,
which boasts stun-
ning views south toward Ventana Double Cone and its unnamed 4653-foot neighbor.
Onward 0.3 mile, the trail crosses the first of four ephemeral creeklets (9.7 miles,
3720'), which typically only flow in wet season.
Past the fourth creeklet (10.3 miles, 3620'), the trail descends to the signed
Puerto Suelo Trail junction
(11.2 miles, 3520'). The only major saddle along this
ridge, Puerto Suelo lies along the fractured path of
Church Creek Fault,
which runs
northwest out to sea. The Puerto Suelo Trail descends southeast 2.6 miles to
Hiding
Canyon Camp,
along the
Carmel River Trail.
Continue along the Ventana Trail, which climbs 0.2 mile to a westbound switch-
back on your right. (If you miss the switchback, you'll wind up descending a granite-
lined gully on a rapidly diminishing deer trail.) Beyond the switchback, the well-
graded trail climbs a 4366-foot ridge, crosses a southeast ridge, and gradually des-
