Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
more gullies fringed with oaks, maples, bays, toyons, and buckeyes, offering shady
respite from the exposed coastal slopes.
Just past a cascading creek, you'll reach an oak-clad minor ridge with impressive
views. Cross another shady gully to a stand of ponderosa pines for views south toward
Piedras Blancas,
near Hearst Castle. Views open up to the north as you climb open
oak and pine woodlands past a dry gully (3.3 miles, 2060'). From here the trail crosses
a typically dry creek past a fence to the signed
Buckeye Camp
entrance at spacious
Buckeye Meadow.
Skirting the oak-rimmed meadow, the trail reaches the main site (3.4 miles,
2060') in the shade of a large bay. This is an ideal spot for a group outing, with
plenty of room for several tents. A reliable spring-fed creek passes just south of camp,
though in summer the shallow murky water may lose its appeal. To reach the smal-
ler second site, continue northwest, threading a pair of valley oaks at meadow's edge.
The site lies just downslope, offering a fire ring, a weathered table, and room for up
to two tents.
You can either return the way you came or loop north on the
Buckeye Trail
to
the
Cruikshank Trailhead
along Highway 1 (refer to
TRIP 71 Highway 1 to Buck-
eye Camp
and follow that trail description in reverse). Be aware that this route may
be overgrown and the tread obscured in places.
