W6/SC-079 Peak 4092

Joe, N0MAP was in town for a conference and had a day off, so we decided to go for a long hike down in Big Sur. Our goal for the day was two peaks along the North Coast Ridge Trail, 4092 and 4820. We got an early start, leaving the Bay Area at 3:30 and getting to the trailhead by 6:30. The fords on Del Venturi Road were still closed, so we had to take the longer route around them.

Sunrise in the parking lot.

From the large dirt lot, we walked up the road a short distance to a driveway, which we took. The Arroyo Seco trailhead is at the end, near a private hunting club building. A few feet past the trailhead we entered the Ventana Wilderness. The trail initially follows a stream, crossing it after about a quarter mile. We missed the crossing, but quickly realized our mistake. Thankfully we found some logs that we could use to get across while keeping our feet dry.

Stream near the start.

The trail climbs slowly until it reaches a small meadow with a trail junction, then begins to climb out of the canyon. We took the right fork onto the Rodeo Flats Trail. We stopped to turn around and take pictures a lot during this section, as the views got better and better.

Looking back across the valley to Junipero Serra Peak.

It was a long climb, but nothing too difficult. There were some interesting rock formations. Near the ridge the trail got rougher and much more overgrown, but not a bushwhack. Coming up to the crest of the ridge we got our first view of the ocean, and our destination a few miles away.

Peak 4092.

Here we joined the North Coast Ridge Trail for a few miles. This trail was wide and clear. The views into the northern part of the wilderness were excellent, and it was a very nice walk. After a few miles we reached the place where the turnoff for the Bee Camp should be, but were unable to find it. Recent trip reports said there was a cairn marking the trail, but we didn't see it.

Joe looking back at the section we just bushwhacked.

From the same spot, looking at the rest of the bushwhack.

This is also where we stepped of the trail for the bushwhack to the summit. The first part is an old firebreak, and was easy to follow. At the top we had to pick our way down to a clearing with a stream that we could see. The brush was dense, but not as bad as I feared it could be.

Bushwhacking!

On the other side of the small stream, which was still flowing, we found some clearings which made for easy going. At the top we had to fight through more brush until we got to the shoulder, where ther were a number of small openings we could string together to minimize the bushwhacking. We passed some bright rocks that we had seen from the ridge trail, then found ourselves on the clear summit.

Joe working the pileup with Peak 4820, our next destination, in the background.

We both got set up and on the air. There was some very marginal cell service for both our Verizon phones, so I relied on RBNHole for spotting, and Joe used his satellite messenger. We both managed to get our contacts, and then packed up.

Working the pileup with the ocean behind me.

We followed our digital breadcrumbs to get back to the trail. Its a good thing we did, because we found one of Joe's poles that had been snagged out of his pack on the way up. Scratched up, but no worse for the wear, we got back on the trail for the long climb up to Peak 4820.

Trailhead: Santa Lucia Memorial Park. The large dirt lot is on the right where the pavement ends.
Website: SOTA Site.
Maps: AA6XA SOTA Hikes map. GPX from my watch downloadable from the map.
Route: Arroyo Seco Trail, Rodeo Flats Trail, North Coast Ridge Trail. At the turn off for Upper Bee Camp, bushwhack up to the summit. An approach from the end of Cone Peak Road is also reasonable, but the road was closed when we went. For the most up to date trail conditions and accurate gpx of the trails, check out http://bigsurtrailmap.net/
Red Tape: None. The road to the TH does go through Fort Hunter Liggett, but it seems like there are no longer any gates.

One of the bright white rock outcroppings visible from the trail.