prewitt ridge – Leor Pantilat's Adventures

Boronda and Prewitt Lupine Bloom

pantilat — Thu, 26 Jun 2014 01:37:14 +0000

The mother of lupine blooms! Around Mother’s Day of this year a prolific and memorable bloom of lupine peaked along the Big Sur coast. Locals told me that the last time the hillsides were covered with such density of lupine was back 1999, fifteen years prior. Perhaps the amazing display can be explained by the unprecedented weather conditions of the past year. A record dry 2013 was followed by an extremely dry January and February of this year. Hills that typically sprout with green grass by January remained golden well into February. In late February an impressive storm system dropped over a foot of rain along the Big Sur Coast. This storm only put a small dent in the ongoing exceptional drought conditions, but was enough to enable the lupine plants to sprout en masse. My hypothesis is the antecedent dry conditions prevented grasses from germinating and when the heavy rains arrived in late February the lupine were able to proliferate without being crowded out by other grasses which were unable to take hold over the winter. Additional rainfall in late March provided just enough water to keep the lupine growing and by early May entire hillsides were covered with amazingly dense gardens of lupine.

The lupine bloom was not specific to a particular location along the coast as we enjoyed spectacular displays at Prewitt Ridge, Boronda Ridge and Dolan Ridge (Dolan lupine photos here). The meadows were generally found between 800 feet to 2,000 feet in elevation. Prewitt Ridge was unique in that the lupine fields were interspersed with yellow poppies creating a fascinating mixture of colors in the foreground with Cone Peak, the King of the Big Sur Coast, looming in the background. Boronda Ridge featured perhaps the most impressive display with homogeneous, lush and dense lupine covering the spectacularly steep relief to the Pacific Ocean. The bloom was so prolific that the scent of lupine could be identified several hundred meters away from the flowers, a smell that became more pungent as one neared the meadows. This lupine bloom was an amazing sight to see and these photos are unaltered from what my camera captured.

Prewitt Ridge & South Coast Ridge

pantilat — Mon, 12 May 2014 23:42:06 +0000

Prewitt Ridge is another striking ridge that I visited over the winter and it was nice to return in the spring as flowers were starting to come out and the grass was turning green. As I mentioned in the prior post, Prewitt Ridge takes the award for the most outstanding views along the Big Sur Coast. The route features an unparalleled vantage of the Cone Peak region to the north and Pacific Valley to the south. The easiest way to reach the ridge is to take the Prewitt Loop Trail for around 1 mile up a series of switchbacks to a junction with the Prewitt Ridge use path. This first mile has great views of the sea stacks at Pacific Valley Bluff and is fairly brush-free. The use path starts by ascending in low coastal chaparral with vistas back to Sand Dollar Beach, Jade Cove and down the southern Big Sur coast. The route emerges from the chaparral onto gorgeous grassy slopes and at a small knoll at around ~1,500 ft Cone Peak reveals itself for the first time. The views continue to improve as the path climbs with another classic vista from a rock outcropping at ~1,800 ft (aka “Prewitt Stonehenge”). At 2,000 ft the route passes by some old sycamores and a spring with a water trough.

The next section is the highlight you’re right on top of a grassy ridge with numerous heritage oaks and views in all directions, including deep into the north and south canyons of Prewitt Creek. Cone Peak, the King of the Big Sur coast, rises imperially above the grassy ridges with no ridge more regal than Stone Ridge, which can be viewed from top to bottom in all its glory. After passing through a small forest section, the final portion becomes steeper once again through grassland and patches of pine trees. The route tops out at ~3,100 ft at a magnificent vista point on the South Coast Ridge Road. In all, it’s a little over 4 miles from Pacific Valley to the top at the South Coast Ridge Road vista (8 miles roundtrip). On this day I continued beyond the vista for an out-and-back run along the South Coast Ridge Road. Unlike the Coast Ridge Road to the north, which is well-graded, the South Coast Ridge Road is rolling with a fair amount of cumulative elevation gain. The road generally ascends to a junction with Plaskett Ridge Road and afterwards descends to a broad saddle at the headwaters of Willow Creek. I ran to a point just beyond this broad saddle, which had great views looking into the enormous Willow Creek drainage, but you can continue on for several more miles around the shoulder of Alder Peak and beyond to Lion Peak and Three Peaks. The first part of the road from Prewitt Ridge to Plaskett Ridge Road has many pine trees but the road becomes increasingly devoid of trees and exposed to the sun beyond. There is also no easily accessible water along the road so make sure to carry plenty of water. Upon your return to the trailhead, Sand Dollar Beach and Pacific Valley Bluffs are both nearby; excellent spots to spend an afternoon relaxing after the trip up Prewitt Ridge and beyond. Stay tuned for an additional post in a few weeks with photos of Prewitt Ridge and Boronda Ridge at the height of the lupine bloom, the most prolific display since 1999. GPS route here.

Shouey-Plaskett Loop

pantilat — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:45:56 +0000

The Shouey-Plaskett Loop is one of the best short loops (<15 miles) on the Big Sur Coast with excellent variety including a lush redwood forest, expansive coastal vistas, picturesque grassy ridges, and oceanside views of rugged beaches and sea stacks. In fact, I enjoyed this loop so much that I returned here a couple weeks later with Erica (stay tuned for photos from that outing). The loop originates in Pacific Valley, one of my favorite spots on the coast, and comes in around 12 miles with nearly 4,000 feet of gain.

The route starts at the South Prewitt Trailhead behind the Pacific Valley Fire Station. The South Prewitt begins with some climbing on an old road and less than a mile up the trail, the Prewitt Loop veers to the left while the Willett Trail (here an old road) continues straight. The Willett Trail (aka Mansfield Ravine Trail) soon narrows into single track and switchbacks up a steep hillside amid a lush setting of redwoods with sustained elevation gain. There is some encroaching poison oak and brush in spots, but otherwise the trail is in good condition. At ~1,800 feet it is best to leave the trail and ascend a spur of Shouey Ridge. This is open forest at first and after a few minutes of climbing you pop out into grassland with marvelous views of Pacific Valley below. Continuing up the spur ridge, the views open up further, including the familiar craggy face of Cone Peak, the King of the Big Sur Coast. The spur ridge joins Shouey Ridge proper at ~2,200 ft, where a more defined use path can be found heading uphill along Shouey Ridge.Before heading up the ridge, I recommend first going down to a spectacular vista at 1,700 ft. The trail peters out on this lower portion of the ridge, but travel is easy through the grassy meadows. The vista at 1,700 ft is perched over Pacific Valley with a breathtaking panorama from Cape San Martin all the way to Lopez Point, including Sand Dollar Beach, Pacific Valley Bluffs, Limekiln, Stone Ridge, Prewitt Ridge, Cone Peak and Twin Peak.

Heading back up Shouey Ridge, the amazing views never abate on the exposed ridge crest. There are some particularly photogenic Coulter and Ponderosa pines lining the ridge. After a short steeper section between 2,400-2,800 ft, the use path begins to traverse the hillside at ~2,800 ft below private property with excellent views of Plaskett Creek canyon. The use path ends at Plaskett Ridge Road, which seems to only be used by the two residents who live up there. Head downhill along the road and find more amazing views along the way; one of the prettiest roads I have ever been on! There are numerous side paths along the road that can be taken to viewpoints. Of particular interest is a series of paths that head down a spur of Plaskett Ridge to a great view of the Willow Creek drainage (we explored this area two weeks later). After a bend in the road at 2,400 feet, take another use path that follows the spine of lower Plaskett Ridge. This use path provides more stellar views before entering a pine forest and ultimately popping out on Plaskett Ridge Road for the last 1.5 miles back to Hwy 1. The views keep coming with excellent views to Sand Dollar Beach on the run down the dirt road. After a couple hundred meters on the highway, enter the Sand Dollar recreation area. A short diversion down a staircase leads to the beautiful Sand Dollar Beach (surfing, swimming, beach walking), otherwise a use trail heads north along Pacific Valley Bluffs. Exploration abounds as there are numerous interesting rock formations and beaches tucked into the seascape. Find an inspirational spot and enjoy the beautiful setting before heading back to the parking area at the Pacific Valley Fire Station. Strava GPS route here.

Prewitt Ridge

pantilat — Tue, 28 Jan 2014 22:24:47 +0000

If Stone Ridge is the most striking, prominent ridge along the Big Sur Coast, and Boronda Ridge is the most elegant, Prewitt Ridge takes the award for the most outstanding views. The route features an unparalleled vantage of the Cone Peak region to the north and Pacific Valley to the south. We started by taking the north end of the Prewitt Loop Trail for around 1 mile up a series of switchbacks to a junction with the Prewitt Ridge use path. This first mile has great views of the sea stacks at Pacific Valley Bluff and was brush-free. The use path starts by ascending in low coastal chaparral with vistas back to Sand Dollar Beach, Jade Cove and down the southern Big Sur coast. The route emerges from the chaparral onto gorgeous grassy slopes and at a small knoll at around ~1,500 ft Cone Peak reveals itself for the first time. The views continue to improve as the path climbs with another classic vista from a rock outcropping at ~1,800 ft. At 2,000 ft the route passes by some old sycamores and a spring with a water trough.

The next section is my favorite as you’re right on top of a grassy ridge with numerous heritage oaks and views in all directions, including deep into the north and south canyons of Prewitt Creek. Cone Peak, the King of the coast, rises imperially above the grassy ridges with no ridge more impressive than Stone Ridge, which can be viewed from top to bottom in all its glory. After passing through a small forest section, the final portion becomes steep once again through grassland and patches of pine trees. The route tops out at ~3,100 ft at a magnificent vista point on the South Coast Ridge Road. On this spectacular winter day there was a group of para gliders and hang gliders taking off from this point. Prewitt Ridge is apparently a legendary spot for para gliding and hang gliding and for good reason with the outrageous scenery and relatively easy access for crews. It was fun to watch them throughout the hike and we would later see their landing spot at Pacific Valley. After a snack and some exploration at the top, we returned the way we came with plenty more photography and admiration of nature’s beauty. In all, it’s a little over 4 miles from Pacific Valley to the top at the South Coast Ridge Road (8 miles roundtrip). Sand Dollar Beach and Pacific Valley Bluffs are nearby, both excellent spots to spend an afternoon relaxing after the trip up Prewitt Ridge. It was a magical day on the Big Sur coast with outstanding clarity and deep blue skies to match the azure waters of the Pacific. The views far exceeded my expectations and I look forward to returning soon. I have several adventure ideas to link-up various ridges along this southern part of the Big Sur coast so stay tuned! Strava route here.

A 360 panorama from Prewitt Ridge: