Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
After a strenuous hike, the respite of the refreshing emerald swimming pool at the end of
Pico Blanco Camp is not to be missed.
Trip Description
From the trailhead gate (290'), descend the lightly used
Little Sur Trail
through red-
wood groves to the
South Fork
of the
Little Sur River.
You'll follow its banks up-
stream 1.5 miles past small unofficial campsites nestled beneath the lush riparian and
redwood forest. During the wet season (November through April), fragile wildflower
blooms paint the trail. Redwood sorrel, western starflower, Douglas' iris, and So-
lomon's seal thrive in the cool, damp understory and continue to bloom through June.
A vigorous secondary forest rises above the stumps of redwoods that inhabited these
banks for thousands of years.
You may also notice several downed and dying tanbark oaks, victims of sudden
oak death. Hikers toting heavy packs will find these fallen oaks a particular nuisance,
as they must clamber over or crouch to get through the tangle.
TREE KILLER
Responsible for killing California oaks in epidemic proportions, sudden oak death is
caused by the fungus-like pathogen
Phytophthora ramorum.
Since it first appeared
