Soberanes Point - Whale Peak
2.6 miles     500 ft
30 May 2011
Summary

An awesome hike meandering along jagged Pacific coastline in Big Sur.

Location: Garrapata State Park

Elevation Profile
Trip Planning

Trail Maps

» Official Trail Map: Decent map showing all the trails. Mileage information is missing.

Route

The route is drawn in the Inset Map in Official Trail Map for Garrapata. From Gate #8, go towards the Pacific Ocean and explore the trail that runs along the periphery of a rocky promontory. Many times, it is possible to go off trail and scramble along the rocky projections jutting into the sea. When you return to the trail parallel to Highway 1, make a side trip to Whale Peak, which offers really great views of the jagged Big Sur coastline in the north and the south.

Notes: There are no signs at any junction in Garrapata on the west of Highway 1.

Trailhead

Location: along Highway 1, about 6.8 miles south of the shopping complex at Rio Rd and Highway 1 in Carmel, CA . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: Garrapata State Park has 19 entrances along Highway 1. Signs for the park are not prominent, so it is easy to miss these entrances when driving on Highway 1. Study the trail map and Google Maps carefully to locate these entrances, especially Entrance #8 which has a shaded roadside parking amid cypresses. Entrance #8 is shown in an inset map in the Official Trail Map.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: May 2011)

Capacity: About 10 to 12 cars.

Latitude: 36.454489     Longitude: -121.924016

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