I started out my day a lot later than I had planned, and I was worried about having to hike back in the dark, but fortunately, that didn’t happen.

I started at the Stinson Beach trailhead, there was a dirt parking lot that still had spots open even at 10am, which was exciting! (And took away a big part of my worries for starting so late!)

The trail started off as a nice ascent through some coastal brush and lots of wildflowers. The weather was really nice on the day I went, not too cold and not too hot either.

Eventually, the trail curled into a forest and there were (seemingly) 1000s of steps to go up.

 

This trail wandered through many different landscapes! Rolling hills, redwood forests, walking along rivers, you name it!

 

There were a few challenging spots, and some spots where it was fairly easy to get turned around or take the wrong trail, but overall the entire area is pretty much a loop!

 

I did actually turn the wrong way at one point, but I looked at my map and realized that the trail connected a bit further down, so I headed on. I added a few miles to my trip overall, but I got some great veiws, so I think it was worth it.

I was very happy to see a lot of running water and greenery as I hiked. It is so refreshing to see after years of drought in California. This is a great start, but we’re not out of the woods just yet! (No pun intended, plus…if I had my way, I’d never be out of the woods!)

My little dino pal got in on the great views as well!

 

I always like to find the surveyors marks when I summit!

 

There were some really gorgeous views along the coast as I went up! You can see all the way to Mt. Diablo and further on a good day!

 

Check out my trail stats below, and at ramblr.com!

Thanks for reading!

Happy trails,

Pepper