Blauert on Outdoors: Cone Peak offers great trails and views

Cone Peak offers some of the most dramatic views of one of the wildest parts of California’s coast. With an elevation of 5,155 feet above sea level and only 2.5 miles from the shoreline as the crow flies, there are few places where the mountains rise so steeply from the water.

Separated from other tall peaks in the area, from the top you can see the rugged shoreline of Big Sur, the coastal Santa Lucia Range and several additional interior ranges and valleys.

Highway 1 and the Big Sur coastline is a busy place in the summer. The northern part gets the most attention from visitors due to its proximity to Monterey. It has the most state parks, restaurants and visitor facilities. South of Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, there aren’t as many obvious stops and there just aren’t as many people. There are, however, some great places to explore, including Cone Peak, Limekiln State Park and Sand Dollar Beach. The campgrounds at Limekiln, Kirk Creek and Plaskett Creek are some of the best places to camp along the California coast.

Because of Cone Peak’s remote location along the southern part of the Big Sur Coast, it takes a while to get to the trailhead, but it is worth the work. From Highway 1, look for Nacimiento-Fergusson Road. The turnoff is 4 miles south of the small community of Lucia and about halfway between the Kirk Creek Campground and the Mill Creek picnic area.

Nacimiento-Fergusson is a paved road, but it is windy and often less than a full two lanes wide.

About 7 miles from Highway 1, turn left (north) onto unpaved Cone Peak Road. You can call the Monterey Ranger District (831-385-5434) to check conditions in advance or for any other questions about the trail. The road is usually closed from sometime in November through sometime in May due to winter weather. The first time we tried to hike Cone Peak it was closed through the summer because of extensive damage during the winter of 2010-11.

Follow the road for about 5 miles to the trailhead. The sign is easy to miss, so watch your odometer and look for an obvious parking area. Most of the trail is exposed, and it can be a hot hike if there isn’t any wind. You’ll climb 1,400 feet in about 2.5 miles on a moderate incline without any extremely steep sections. There’s a fair amount of poison oak to watch out for along the lower part of the trail. Views are good through most of the hike, and they improve as you get higher.

On top of the summit is an old fire lookout tower. It’s boarded up, but you can access the balcony for views and the building provides shade on a hot day. It is likely you won’t see many people during the hike, especially on weekdays. We only encountered three other groups of hikers on the mountain.

When we reached the top in the early afternoon, the marine layer was hiding parts of the coast. We spent about an hour on the summit and during that time it burned off, though the views were still impressive even when it was hiding some of the shoreline.

The total hike is 5 miles round trip. No water is available along the trail, so make sure you bring plenty. Although the trail is easy to follow, it is nice to have a map to use to identify major landmarks from the summit such as Junipero Serra Peak, Sand Dollar Beach, Limekiln State Park and Ventana Double Cone. Cone Peak is connected to a network of other trails in the Ventana Wilderness, meaning you can extend your day hike into a multinight backpacking trip if you want to see more of the area.

Although there are few beaches along Big Sur’s rugged coastline, you can find one of the best located just south of Cone Peak. It costs $10 to park at Sand Dollar Beach, but it is well worth it. You can spot Cone Peak if you look north from the bluffs above the beach – a great way to get an appreciation of its height. Getting down to the beach requires following a long staircase. It’s a climb on the way back up, but if you made it to the summit of Cone Peak, these steps shouldn’t be much of a challenge. The ocean is cold and dangerous, but the beach has plenty to offer without having to get in the water.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 7:16 PM with the headline "Blauert on Outdoors: Cone Peak offers great trails and views."