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Trip 4

SOUTH SHORE, BIRD ISLAND, SOUTH PLATEAU, & PINE RIDGE TRAILS

LENGTH AND TYPE: 2.6-mile loop

RATING: Easy

TRAIL CONDITION: Well maintained, good for kids

HIGHLIGHTS: Explore cliffside gardens, pebbly beaches, blue-green waters, wave-sculpted archways and coves, and forests of majestic Monterey pines.

TO REACH THE TRAILHEAD: From the entrance station of the park, drive 0.8 mile to the Sea Lion Point parking area, bear left, and follow the road another 0.3 mile toward Little Mound Meadow. A parking area on the right leads to the South Shore Trail. If this lot is full, turn left and drive 100 yards farther to the Piney Woods parking and picnic area. You’ll find picnic tables, water, and restrooms at the trailhead.

TRIP SUMMARY: This scenic loop takes in an array of habitats, from cliffside gardens, coarse pebbly beaches, and wave-sculpted archways and coves to Monterey pine forests and golden grasslands. Watch egrets walk atop dense rafts of floating kelp, listen for barking sea lions, and smell the salt spray. You may spot the fluke of a passing gray whale or surprise grazing black-tailed deer in a wildflower-strewn meadow.

Trip Description

From the parking area, the South Shore Trail leads west toward the typically gentle surf along this rocky shoreline, protected by its southern orientation and wave-thwarting offshore rocks. Low tide exposes pools teeming with unfamiliar life. Pause a moment to peer into a pool. At first you may only notice a few rocks and plants, but the longer you wait, the more alive the pool becomes. Blue-handed hermit crabs scurry nervously along the bottom, while camouflaged sculpin fish dart across the pool to new hiding places. Do be careful where you step—the exposed rocks are covered with slippery seaweed, not to mention tiny tide pool creatures. Check at the information kiosk for daily tide charts.

EBB & FLOOD

Ocean tides have perplexed humans throughout history. One ancient theory stated that a water god swallowed seawater and a few hours later released it, thus creating the tides. Science has since explained the phenomenon. High (or flood) tide is when the water level is at its maximum and the beach is covered. During low (or ebb) tide, the water recedes and the beach is exposed.

The tides are generated when the combined gravitational forces of the moon and sun tug on the planet’s surface against the force of gravity pulling inward toward Earth’s core. Both the sun and moon draw ocean water to positions directly beneath them. High tides are actually bulges that form as water flows toward two regions on the surface—one facing the moon, where gravitational pull is strongest, and the other facing directly away, where gravitational pull is weakest. Low tides represent the corresponding withdrawal of water from regions midway between these bulges. The tides shift as Earth’s daily rotation moves the surface closer or farther from these gravitational pulls.

Onward, the trail turns southeast toward a junction with the Mound Meadow Trail (0.3 mile, 15'), on the left heading northwest. You could take this to the Pine Ridge Trail for a short half-mile loop back to Piney Woods. For a richer visit, continue on the South Shore Trail along the reserve’s exquisite southern boundary, encompassing some of the state’s most beautiful coves and inlets.

The trail meanders within sight of the shore and colorful kelp beds off Weston Beach. These rocky promontories are typical of the Carmelo formation, a mix of water-sculpted rocks, fine sediment, and debris deposited by ancient avalanches that occurred in a narrow underwater canyon. Wave action, erosion, and uplift over the past 39 million years have exposed the formation, leaving a complex pattern of graded beds and pebbly beaches.

Leaving Weston Beach, you may want to duck off the trail and descend a few feet to Hidden Beach (0.4 mile). Look amid the intertidal rocks for feeding shorebirds such as the black oystercatcher, which boasts a red bill and loud whistled yelps.

Past Hidden Beach the South Shore Trail emerges at the southern parking area, where the Bird Island Trail begins (0.6 mile, 25'). If you’re short on time, you could park here and explore China Cove and Bird Island, favorite destinations in the reserve.

The short detour to China Cove leads up a set of stairs to the headland, where another long, steep set of stairs descends to the white sand beach and sparkling waters. This calm, protected cove is a safe place to wade or explore nearby arches. Year-round water temperatures hover in the 50s Fahrenheit, so you may only want to get your feet wet.

Bird Island Trail heads west to a 0.4-mile loop around Pelican Point, passing brittle granite cliffs that do battle with the pounding Pacific. Over time these cliffs crack and fault, forming caves and archways that eventually collapse, leaving spires like Bird Island. Bring your binoculars to scan the thousands of migratory and residential seabirds and shorebirds. In spring and summer the island is a nesting site for hundreds of cormorants, known for their sleek black torsos and snakelike necks. Also keep watch for sea otters floating atop the kelp forests and great blue herons surfing on the thick nearshore kelp rafts. Eventually retrace your steps to the junction with the South Plateau Trail.

As you turn inland along the South Plateau Trail, you’ll soon pass a short spur to Gibson Beach, one of the few wide, protected sandy beaches at Point Lobos. The South Plateau Trail is a nature trail, where numbered markers correspond to a pamphlet in a box at the trailhead near the entrance kiosk. When the trail forks (1.9 miles, 50'), turn left onto the Pine Ridge Trail.

Farther from the sea breeze and salt spray, the Pine Ridge Trail winds through a tall shady grove of Monterey pines—one of only three remaining natural groves on Earth. Similar to the cypress, Monterey pines require heat or fire to release seeds from their cones. Hiking on a carpet of pine needles, you may notice charcoal or basal fire scars on the pines, evidence of controlled burns. In general, natural processes at the reserve are left undisturbed. However, rangers do use fire to promote healthy pine regeneration and to limit wood debris and understory regrowth. Black-tailed deer, white-rumped northern flicker woodpeckers, and western gray squirrels may remind you of the Sierra Nevada. But the ever-present noisy barks of California sea lions carry deep into the grove, a reminder that you’re but a short walk from the fresh, fragrant sea air, salty spray, and soothing waves.

Pristine pocket beaches are nestled under stands of Monterey pine.

As you begin a shady moderate climb, you’ll cross several small plank bridges conveniently placed along the trail over seasonal wet areas. Half a mile later the trail gently descends 0.2 mile to a Y junction. Turn left toward Piney Woods on a level walk, catching ocean glimpses beyond the towering pines. You’ll soon emerge at the parking area. Restrooms, water, and picnic tables are 50 feet farther on your left. If you’re parked along the shore adjacent to the South Shore Trail, continue 100 feet along the paved road.