Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Trip 65
CONE PEAK LOOP
LENGTH AND TYPE: 15-mile out-and-back, loop, or point-to-point
RATING: Challenging
TRAIL CONDITION: Passable, poison oak
HIGHLIGHTS: Climb through coastal oak woodlands, pastoral hillsides, and thriving chaparral for tre-
mendous views from 5155-foot Cone Peak.
TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD:
The marked trailhead is on the west side of Cone Peak
Road at Mile 3.7 near a small turnout for up to five cars. There are no facilities or water
at the trailhead.
TRIP SUMMARY:
You can approach this 15-mile loop as either an extremely strenuous
day hike or a more enjoyable yet still strenuous backpacking trip, staying at one or
more of the four camps along the route. Most people hike the 2.2 miles to Vicente Flat
Camp, spend the night, and get a fresh start the following day. The onward route is
slow going, as sections of the Stone Ridge Trail are overgrown with brush with faint,
steep tread. If you do opt for a multiday trek, stay a second or third night at Goat, Ojito,
or Trail Spring Camps. Regardless of your route, don't miss the 0.3-mile spur to the
summit.
Instead of hiking the entire loop, consider day hiking the scenic lower section of
Stone Ridge Trail. This lightly used trail offers tremendous views of surrounding peaks
in the Limekiln drainage. If you're willing to descend from the Hare/Limekiln Creek
divide, the trail plunges into cool redwood- and fern-lined canyons amid Limekiln's
remote headwaters.
This route is best enjoyed in spring, when grassy slopes are cloaked with colorful
lupines, blue-eyed grass, and California poppies. You'll climb from 1500 feet to 5155
feet through lush redwood canyons, yucca-dotted slopes, open grasslands, arid chapar-
ral, and oak woodlands. Use caution on steep, slippery trails along the oak-clad canyon
walls, and watch for hitchhiking ticks amid the encroaching brush. In summer, temper-
atures can be brutal and fog usually obscures coastal views, while fall brings moderate
temperatures and diminished fly, tick, and mosquito populations.
