Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
during the wet season (November through April), your last chance for water for an-
other 8.5 miles.
Continue climbing past redwood-shaded gullies, sprawling oaks, and dense cean-
othus thickets. From the first major gully, the steadily deteriorating route climbs a
series of well-graded switchbacks, rising 900 feet in the next 1.1 miles on a trail that
more closely resembles a deer path. Overgrown brush obscures views of
Cabezo Pri-
eto
ridge and allows only occasional brief glimpses of Post Summit and Manuel Peak.
You'll climb almost to the top of Cabezo Prieto (3554'), then battle through 0.1 mile
of heavily overgrown sections to a narrow crest that offers the first of several spectac-
ular 360-degree views.
Head south along the crest for a mile past dense stands of ceanothus, scrub oak,
manzanita, and yerba santa. Check your clothing for ticks during the wet season
(November through April). Also watch for poison oak. The trail crosses several bull-
dozed sections that make passage difficult. Just past the first saddle, the trail widens
and the brush thins out somewhat.
You'll climb to a minor point, then descend to a minor saddle near a dense stand
of Coulter pines, which offer welcome shade. Just past a conspicuous, yet camou-
flaged reflector is the spur to the
Manuel Peak viewpoint
(12.7 miles, 3379'). See
TRIP 20 Manuel Peak Trail
for a description of the summit and the remaining 5.4
miles to Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park.
