Doud Peak
6.2 miles     2200 ft
30 May 2011
Summary

Awesome hike through a redwood canyon, chaparral filled ridges and views of jagged Big Sur coastline.

Location: Garrapata State Park

Elevation Profile
Trip Planning

Trail Maps

» RedwoodHikes Map of Garrapata: Awesome contoured map by Dave Baselt showing all the trails clearly

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

Route

Route in Brief: Soberanes Canyon Trail (1.7 miles) → Rocky Ridge Trail (0.9 miles) → Peak Trail (0.7 miles) to Doud Peak. Return via Peak Trail (0.7 miles) → Rocky Ridge Trail (2.2 miles).

Details: The hike is described in detail in a RedwoodHikes article. Soberanes Canyon Trail follows Soberanes Creek up a redwood filled canyon and crosses it seven times before meeting a side trail (called North Fork Trail on official trail map — no signs at junction). It then starts climbing up steeply along Rocky Ridge Trail, most of which is in chaparral filled hills offering panoramic valley views. At an unmarked junction with Peak Trail, turn right to climb up a hill which offers good views of valleys lying to the east. Return by Peak Trail followed by Rocky Ridge Trail.

Notes: Trail signs are generally absent. The only signs are near the traihead.

Trailhead

Location: along Highway 1, about 6.7 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 #7 which has a shaded roadside parking amid cypresses. Entrance #7 is shown in an inset map in the Official Trail Map.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: May 2011)

Capacity: About 5 to 6 cars along the shoulder of Highway 1.

Latitude: 36.456429     Longitude: -121.924016

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