Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trip 54
CHURCH CREEK TO PINE VALLEY CAMP
LENGTH AND TYPE: 17-mile out-and-back, 34.2-mile loop, 22.3-mile point-to-point (Los Padres Dam),
or 32.5-mile point-to-point (Arroyo Seco)
RATING: Strenuous to challenging
TRAIL CONDITION: Passable to difficult, poison oak
HIGHLIGHTS: This route leads past ancient sandstone formations deep within Church Creek canyon,
highlighted by vast oaks and ponderosa pines amid grassy slopes and spring wildflowers.
TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD:
To reach the Church Creek Trailhead, drive 5.4 miles past
the China Camp entrance along Tassajara Road. At 5.2 miles you'll pass the Horse
Pasture Trailhead on your left. Continue 0.2 mile farther to a sharp left bend through
a conspicuous gully. Park in the small lot on your right and walk 50 feet back up the
road to the crossing at the Church Creek Trailhead. There are no facilities or water at
the trailhead.
If you miss the trailhead and continue down Tassajara Road, you'll reach another
parking area in 1.1 miles. There, 17.2 miles from the Carmel Valley Road junction, a
dirt road leads to a Zen Buddhist monastery that contains Tassajara Hot Springs.
TRIP SUMMARY:
From the Church Creek Trailhead, hikers can choose from at least
four route options, each featuring a stay at beautiful Pine Valley. Destinations include:
(1) Pine Valley (17 miles out-and-back) via the Church Creek and Carmel River Trails;
(2) Los Padres Dam Trailhead (22.3 miles point-to-point) via Pine Valley, Hiding
Canyon, and the Carmel River; (3) Arroyo Seco Campground (32.5 miles point-to-
point) through Church Creek with a detour to Pine Valley via the Pine Ridge, Carmel
River, Black Cone, and Marble Peak Trails; or (4) the Church Creek Trailhead (34.2
miles out-and-back) with a detour to Pine Valley via the Pine Ridge, Black Cone,
Marble Peak, and Horse Pasture Trails and Tassajara Road. While the last two routes
could bypass the detour to Pine Valley, that 1.7-mile trail leads to one of Ventana's
premier camps. As is the case with most wilderness trails, these routes suffer from
overgrown brush and poison oak, faint tread, fallen snags, and other obstacles.
The out-and-back route along the Church Creek Trail ascends 2070 feet in 6.8
miles to Church Creek Divide, at the junction with the Carmel River Trail to Pine Val-
ley. Though this route to the divide is 3.2 miles longer and gains 670 feet more el-
evation than the Pine Ridge Trail, it offers your only chance to take in Church Creek
canyon's incredible sandstone formations. Remnants of a seafloor formed millions of
