Mike Splain
Just like most of Big Sur, Pfeiffer Beach used to be a nice place to get away from civilization. Unfortunately, it's now so crowded (thanks social media!) that merely driving Sycamore Canyon Road to get there can be life-threatening. If you must go, definitely do so mid-week (there won't be any parking on weekends anyway) & bring a trash bag to clean up after all the careless visitors who preceded you. Also, please don't stack rocks- cairns are an unsightly reminder of the civilization we all go to wild beaches to escape.
2.0
Cone Peak (& the Big Sur coast in general) have become incredibly popular & as such, Leave No Trace principle are of utmost importance here. On our last visit to Cone Peak, we packed out pounds of trash & abandoned gear. Someone had permanently scarred the summit rocks with a campfire, others had short-cutted switchbacks & vandalized the lookout tower. Orange peels & pistachio shells (which take decades to biodegrade) marred the scenery. When we returned to the trailhead, a group had left a large bag of trash & recycling, as if they expected a clean-up crew to pack it out for them!?! If you go, bring a bag to pack out trash (yours & other's) & spread the word about LNT. If you camp up top, pack in plenty of water & PLEASE skip the campfire, it's just not appropriate here. It's up to us to leave sensitive places like Cone Peak better than we found them & it's up to social media to be more responsible in reporting (or sometimes showing restraint by not reporting) them. For interactive trail conditions for the Kirk Creek, Vicente Flat, Cone Peak & other Ventana Wilderness trails, visit- http://www.ventanawild.org/trails/trailconditions.html Prayers for the land, Leave No Trace!
4.0
Extremely crowded & lackluster compared to the rest of the spectacular Ventana Wilderness. If you simply can't live with "hot" springs, please visit this page before you go- http://www.ventanawild.org/planning-trip/sykes-camp-hot-springs.html
Extremely crowded & lackluster compared to the rest of the spectacular Ventana Wilderness. If you simply can't live with "hot" springs, please visit this page before you go- http://www.ventanawild.org/planning-trip/sykes-camp-hot-springs.html
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