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| Hiking the Hearst Coast | |||
David Sneed |
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From a little-used paved parking lot just north of the Piedras Blancas elephant seal viewing area, a network of primitive trails meanders across coastal bluffs with a historic lighthouse as a backdrop. The trails lead past a rocky surf-washed coastline interspersed with beaches that are often packed with elephant seals. All but one of the beaches along this four-mile stretch are off-limits to hikers to protect both seals and people. In most places, including the parking lot, visitors must climb over gates to get access to this part of the park. An exception is the new pedestrian entrance a quarter-mile north of the lighthouse on Point Piedras Blancas. About a half-mile north of the paved lot’s gate, an elephant seal beach lies close to Highway 1. Avoid the temptation to wander among these giant marine mammals. They may look placid but they are dangerous. North of this beach, the park broadens as it approaches Point Piedras Blancas. Another enticing beach lies along the southern flank of the point, but rangers say this, too, is closed to humans. The 131-year-old light station at the tip of the point is primarily used for scientific research and is not part of the park. It is owned by the federal Bureau of Land Management. A cattle guard in the access road to the light station marks the beginning of the BLM property; park visitors should stay out. Call Hearst Castle to find out about monthly public tours: (805) 927-6811. Another popular access spot is Arroyo Laguna, about two miles south of the main elephant seal viewing area. It is the one beach along this stretch of park that remains open to people. Strong onshore breezes and easy access have made Arroyo Laguna a magnet for wind surfers, whose colorful, billowing sails are readily visible from the highway. The beach is also popular with fishermen, tidepool enthusiasts, and bird watchers. Visitors park in a small dirt lot and climb over a metal gate. A well-worn trail leads to a beautiful beach--perfect for strolling barefoot in the surf--which arcs three-quarters of a mile south, with a few rock outcroppings scattered along the way. This beach normally teems with shorebirds--willets, sanderlings, marbled godwits, and long-billed curlews, to name a few. Behind the beach are low, grassy bluffs intersected by several driftwood-clogged arroyos. North of Arroyo Laguna, the next public access spot is a Caltrans vista point marked by a cluster of cypress trees. Blufftop hiking north and south from this point is poor. This part of the park consists mostly of a narrow strip of land between the ocean and the highway, degraded by road-building and overrun with non-native plants. Visitors should be prepared to scramble over drainage culverts and through eroded creek beds. Another mile up the coast from the vista point is the main elephant seal viewing area with its large dirt parking lot. Plans call for a boardwalk to connect this parking lot to the paved one a short distance to the north. On most days the main elephant seal viewing area is a hive of human and seal activity. Docents answer tourists’ familiar questions: “Why are the seals here?” “Why do they flip sand on themselves?” “Why are some of them fighting?” Last year, the docents reported, they talked to an estimated 85,000 visitors. November through February is the best time to watch the seals because they are mating and giving birth. During July and August, the beaches are less populated with seals, but the viewing is still fun because this is the time of year the huge bull elephant seals--some weighing two tons--come to the beach for their annual molt. |
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