W6/SC-416 Blue Rock Ridge

This peak had been on my radar for a few weeks, and I finally got a chance to go down and activate it. I left home early to avoid the Friday morning traffic, and got to the Los Padres Dam around 8:30. There was no one else there, and I didn't see anyone until I got back to the dam that afternoon.

There is a scary looking fence at the end of the parking lot, but hikers are allowed through.

I had a bit of trouble finding the right path to take to get across the spillway and dam, but once I found the bridge I was all set. The first part of the hike is on dirt fire roads, which make for easy and fast hiking. The lower areas here weren't burned in the Soberanes Fire a few years ago.

End of the road.

At the first intersection I turned off the Carmel River Trail and onto the Big Pines Trail. There were plenty of warnings about overgrown trails and burned areas, but I was prepared for both. The Big Pines Trail climbs up onto the ridge. It is well graded with enough switchbacks. The trail was easily passable, with only some grass growing into the tread.

Starting to get some views through the trees.

As I climbed, the trees began to thin out some, revealing some nice views. When I reached the ridge, the views got much better. I had assumed that there would be excellent 360 views, but I hadn't looked closely at a topo map. There were higher mountains in most directions, limiting the views.

Looking into the Ventana Wilderness, up the Carmel River valley.

On the ridge the trail follows a fire break. The trail goes around most of the small bumps on the ridge. There was plenty of poison oak in the shady areas, and it looks like the area is recovering well after the big fire. There is one junction, and the sign had been replaced by a metal one.

Pinyon Peak was clearly visible to the north west.

Walking along the ridge, it looked like the summit was far away, but it is much closer and less impressive that you'd think. I got to the top much earlier than I expected, after about 2 hours of hiking. I thought the trails would be overgrown and difficult, but they were in very good shape.

The high point is the unimpressive, forested peak in the foreground.

I tagged the high point, then backtracked to the sub-peak to the east. I setup near a small fire ring someone had built. This location probably gave me better takeoff angle to the east and north. I had decent service on top, so sent out a spot. I quickly got plenty of contacts on 30, 20, and 40 meters. I wasn't hopeful for VHF, but I called anyway. Someone answered on 70, which was the only VHF of the day.

On my way back.

It was getting hot sitting in the sun, so I started my hike back. The trail was easy to follow in this direction, and I made good time back to the car. I was back early enough that I avoided the worst of the rush hour traffic on my way home.

Last panorama before dropping off the ridge.

Trailhead: Los Padres Dam, end of Nason Road.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map. For the latest trail conditions, check http://bigsurtrailmap.net/ and http://www.ventanawild.org/trails. Be a good person and submit your report afterwards too.
Route: Hike up across the dam. Take the Carmel River Trail to the Big Pines Trail. Big Pines goes over the summit.
Red Tape: None, but there are some extra rules around the dam.