Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the steepest coastal grade in the continental United States. Its bedrock comprises
metamorphic rocks of the Salinian block, among the oldest rocks in the Santa Lucia
Range. Its spectacular cliffs boast marble from an ancient seafloor that was transpor-
ted here from Mexico along northwest-trending faults.
In the late 1800s, entrepreneurs found an overwhelmingly rugged peak that
sheltered a wealth of natural resources. They would extract lumber, lime, tanbark,
and even gold from these slopes and clefts. One company erected four enormous
kilns along Limekiln Creek to purify some of the largest limestone deposits along the
central California coast. The kilns still stand amid the redwoods at Limekiln State
Park, along Cone Peak's western flanks.
Intrigued by the abrupt, distinct climatic zones from sea level to 5155', botanists
came in search of new plant species. Habitats vary from cool, damp redwood forests
to rolling oak savannas and sun-scorched chaparral, each zone hosting dramatically
different flora and fauna. In the 1830s, botanists first described the area's Coulter and
sugar pines and Santa Lucia firs. The latter form an extensive stand on the peak's
northwest slopes. Isolated from Sierra Nevada stands, secluded stands of sugar pines
are limited to the highest peaks of the Santa Lucias.
Onward, you'll reach an unmarked junction (1.2 miles, 4380'), where a spur on
your left leads 100 feet south along the ridge for encompassing views of the Santa
Lucias. To your right, the main route switchbacks down a ridge with scattered views
through the remains of charred trees. The trail veers northwest to the
Cone Peak
Summit Trail junction
(2 miles, 4830'), atop a narrow ridge. If you're bound for
Trail Spring Camp
and the
Gamboa Trail junction,
refer to
TRIP 65 Cone Peak
Loop
and follow that trail description in reverse.
Cone Peak Summit Trail
climbs the remaining 325 feet in 0.3 mile. Start out
southeast past drought-tolerant scrub oaks, manzanitas, sticky monkeyflowers, and
yuccas, which shoot forth stalks of densely clustered, edible white flowers. As the
trail switchbacks to cooler north-facing slopes, the vegetation shifts to a cluster of en-
demic Santa Lucia firs and an isolated stand of sugar pines. The switchbacks soon
lead to a dramatic
ledge
(2.2 miles, 4760') above a sheer rock face inhabited by cliff
swallows, which dart skyward in search of tasty insects.
From the ledge, a final series of short switchbacks leads to the
summit
(5155').
Climb the lookout tower for more encompassing views. Breathe deeply, relax, and
enjoy. Clockwise from the north are the barren peaks of 4853-foot
Ventana Double
Cone
and 3709-foot
Pico Blanco.
To the northeast rises 5862-foot
Junipero Serra,
the highest peak in the Santa Lucia Range. The ancient oak savannas of the
San Anto-
nio and Nacimiento Valleys
stretch south and southeast. From the summit, a 3.2-mile
ridge drops west to the
Pacific,
comprising the steepest coastal slope in the Lower
48—even steeper than the drop from 14,494-foot Mt. Whitney to Owens Valley. On
