Whitehouse Ridge is an infrequently visited trail near Ano Nuevo State Park which is famous for its growing elephant seal colony. The trail ascends a steep hillside to the ridge crest and then enters Big Basin State Park. There are two spectacular vistas with views of the Ano Nuevo coastal plain and the San Mateo Coastline. The trail is almost entirely in mature second growth redwood forest. The first part is in a dark and gloomy redwood forest, but once the ridge is gained, the forest becomes extremely pleasant with redwood sorrel. The lower view point is a great vantage for the Pigeon Point Lighthouse and an upper viewpoint 0.5 miles further looks down over Ano Nuevo. It’s only a little over 2 miles roundtrip to the upper viewpoint but continue on for another 1.7 miles to 1,609 ft Chalk Mountain for another fantastic view of the coastline and interior Big Basin. The first part of the addition to Chalk Mountain is on a trail and the last mile is on fire road. Here are some photos from the hike with the complete album here.
Leor Pantilat's Adventures