Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Manuel Peak Trail junction leads to remote and isolated areas of Ventana Wilderness.
Trip Description
See
TRIP 39 Little Sur & Jackson Camps
for the first 4 miles of this route to the
Little
Sur Trail junction.
Assuming you're not headed to Jackson Camp, you'll turn right and head west-
bound on the
Little Sur Trail,
climbing through a dense forest dominated by tanoaks,
madrones, and redwoods. Fondly referred to as “Cardiac Hill,” the following steep
1350-foot ascent to the top of
Launtz Ridge
over less than a mile ends at a minor
2194-foot crest. Pause to rest and take in impressive views of the Little Sur drainage.
From here the trail forks. The faint trail to the right leads to an unofficial campsite
atop a grassy knoll. Branch left on the Little Sur Trail, which descends gradually from
the crest into dense woodland. You'll soon arrive at the signed
Manuel Peak Trail
junction
(5.3 miles, 2090').
Branch right at this junction and continue west on the Little Sur Trail. The next
0.3 mile drops steeply into
Duveneck's Hole,
a dilapidated group of hunting huts
amid a shady redwood canyon. Skirt the north edge of the canyon beyond the shacks
for your first foreboding glimpse of
Pico Blanco
's marble-strewn south face. The
cool redwood and tanoak canopy abruptly changes to dry scrubby oaks and chapar-
ral, which is replaced in turn by arid, yucca-studded grassy slopes—a stark contrast
brought on by the peak's mineral composition.
Pico Blanco
's marble and limestone
slopes drain water quickly, leaving only plants adapted to such dry conditions.
The trail switchbacks three times across the lower slopes before turning south-
west for a quarter-mile descent. Consider wearing long pants for this stretch, as the
narrow trail is choked with poison oak, coyote brush, and yucca. Stop every few hun-
dred feet and check for ticks, a factor in all but the driest months.
The trail forks again at the
Pico Blanco Camp Trail junction
(7.3 miles, 1385').
The right branch leads 5.9 miles west to
Coast Road
(see
TRIP 40 Coast Road to Pico
Blanco Camp
). Head down the left branch 0.1 mile southeast to
Pico Blanco Camp
(7.4 miles, 1300'). Just upstream from camp is a scenic waterfall oasis and swimming
hole, the perfect spot for a refreshing dip. (For details about the camp and swimming
hole, see
TRIP 40 Coast Road to Pico Blanco Camp
.)
