California Coast & Ocean

Squishy Ice Plant, Eroding Bluffs, a Beach
Point Piedras Blancas to Arroyo de la Cruz (3 miles)
A visit to a three-mile stretch of San Simeon State Park north of Point Piedras Blancas yields several unusual experiences. You traverse a solid blanket of ice plant, a creeping invasive species that forms a squishy mat of emerald green. You go past a funky motel and a section of Highway 1 that is in danger of falling into the ocean, and you pass a scenic stretch that was used for decades as a homeless camp.

When State Parks acquired 13 miles of coastline as part of the historic $95 million Hearst Ranch conservation deal in 2005, it also inherited a host of problems that had plagued previous owners and other public agencies, including invasive plants, rapid coastal erosion, and unauthorized camping.

There are two main public access points to the park between Point Piedras Blancas and Arroyo de la Cruz, one of the Hearst Ranch’s largest creeks: at the defunct Piedras Blancas Motel, and at the creek.

You can park at the motel parking lot, where there are portable restrooms; there are none on any of the other newly acquired parklands. A hiking trail leads to a nearby beach.

After a short walk on the beach you can climb up to the bluffs and head south to Point Piedras Blancas, about a mile away. There is no trail, however. Hikers must step over several fences and walk over an almost unbroken blanket of ice plant. Ice plant was introduced during a less environmentally enlightened time to stabilize eroding coastal bluffs, and has taken over an estimated 80 acres of the 959-acre parklands acquisition. “It’s the most widespread plant out here,” said park environmental scientist Brian Barandon. Park managers are planning an ice plant eradication campaign to allow native plants to re-sprout.

Access to the many pocket beaches below the steep bluffs is spotty. The bluffs are generally too high to climb down safely. “That stretch between the lighthouse and Arroyo de la Cruz is the fastest eroding area--a little over three feet a year based on photos over the past 30 years,” said Paul Martinez, Caltrans project manager for the area.

Just north of the motel the coast has eroded so fast that a section of Highway 1 is threatened. This problem is so severe that Caltrans will re-route the highway about 350 feet farther inland, Martinez said. The agency has begun the extensive environmental analysis that such projects require. That should be complete by 2010.

“We wouldn’t get to construction until 2015 or so,” Martinez said. “It’s a long-term project just because of the sensitivity of the area, which includes wetlands, cultural areas, and endangered species. That area is really rich in everything.”

When the realignment is complete, all the land west of the highway will become part of the park, causing it to grow by an estimated 100 acres.

In the meantime, park visitors must contend with a dangerous stretch of road. Caltrans has fortified the coast with riprap and has installed concrete barriers along the highway, but that is not enough to keep waves from slopping onto the road during heavy surf.

“Where else can you go surfing in your car?” Barandon quipped.

Farther north of the motel, the park consists of a narrow strip of land sandwiched between the highway and the ocean. This strip is about a mile long and can be reached from several pullouts along the highway. But hiking with cars whizzing by several feet away is not that enjoyable. As the highway approaches Arroyo de la Cruz, it begins to swing inland and the park widens. Look for the remnants of a driveway and metal gate before the highway slopes down to the bridge over Arroyo de la Cruz. A pedestrian entrance was recently installed next to the gate. This is the second access point along this stretch of coastline.

Here the park opens up into a highly scenic triangle bordered by Highway 1, the ocean, and Arroyo de la Cruz creek to the north. An old dirt road leads hikers north across the bluffs, which mostly drop directly to the ocean, and overgrown trails meander near the bluff edge. After about a quarter of a mile, the old road leads hikers to a small sand spit between the ocean and Arroyo de la Cruz lagoon. In winter this beach is popular with catch-and-release anglers pursuing steelhead trout.

“On a calm, sunny day, this is a particularly idyllic spot,” Barandon said.

The area’s easy access and scenic nature made Arroyo de la Cruz an attractive spot for vagrants and the homeless who set up camp there. Rangers have been evicting them, and removing the trash left behind, since the property became part of the state park system. To their knowledge, there are none left.

“Our main concern is safety,” Tamoria said. “We want this to be a nice area for families.”