Hike Date: 2/7/21 ~ Distance: 7 miles (out and back)~ Elevation Gain: 1423 ~ Details can be found on All Trails.
Given the pandemic lock downs, I enjoy now more than ever, my time outdoors. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it over and over again, being in the fresh air, using my own two feet as a mode of transportation, is rejuvenating. Breathe in the new, and breathe out the old, the dark, the heavy, the daunting. Live life!
On this day, we decided to explore a trail in the Sonoma Coast State Park. Being an out and back hike, between the Pomo Canyon Campground and Shell Beach, you could start at either end with no change to the overall hike profile. I prefer to start at the campground, because the beach then becomes the half way mark rest stop! Trick to going in this direction, is to start early as parking is on a dirt/gravel road with very few spots. There was a locked gate, at the parking area (I’m assuming this gets opened when the campground is open), which requires that you travel a bit on the gravel road before actually getting to the campground and trailhead.
On this day, there was a chill and fog suspended mid air. We were blessed with a spectacular view of the river, with the fog and sunrise doing their dance, before we even made it to the trailhead. It was going to be a beautiful day.
At the trailhead, we were the second car to arrive. Making it an even better start as we were not competing with others. The trail from this direction begins in a redwood forest. The towering trees, dappled sunlight, lingering fog, and damp ground, made for a refreshing start to the day. It was chilly, but given the work begins immediately with a decent incline, the body and soul warm quickly. The trail is essentially single track, for at least the first half, and a mile or so in there was a downed tree completely blocking the path. Those who traveled before us had worn down alternate paths around the tree, on both sides making it all passable.
At about 1.2 miles, there is a junction with Red Hill Trail. We chose to stay right on Pomo Canyon trail. Now out of the redwoods, we traveled along the ridge with views of the hillside, and eventually a small glimpse of the ocean ahead. Now out from under the cover of the trees, and with the fog lifted, we were blessed with warmer temperatures, and brilliantly blue skies. There is a final descent, a fairly steep one at that, on a wider gravel/dirt fire road down to Hwy 1 and then Shell Beach parking lot on the other side.
Another advantage to starting early is that we arrived at the beach at 10:30am before the crowd of car trippers arrived. The approach to the beach, is spectacular for lack of a better word, with trees forming an arch in front of the pathway. The sound and smell of the dark blue sea call you forward. The path down to the beach is fairly steep with steps of various forms, assisting with the descent. They were wet, and somewhat slippery, so take care. The beach to the left is fairly small, so although we had it with little competition, I imagine later in the day becomes quite crowded. To the right is some rocks worth exploring, but given we had the dogs and 3+miles still to hike, we opted to leave that for another day.
After a relaxing snack, while watching the waves and seals playing in the surf, we made our way back the way we came. The immediate climb up from the beach seems more challenging, after having rested a spell, and with the weather even just a few degrees warmer it was quite toasty. I was thankful it was February, during a California Winter, as I would imagine in the summer this stretch could be quite hot. Before we knew it, though, we were back in the comfort of the trees where we were again able to enjoy the surrounding beauty of the redwood giants.
We did have our dogs with us, and although I know dogs are allowed on the beach I honestly am not certain they were to have been on the trail. They were not the only dogs, but in the interest of full disclosure, I can’t be certain of the actual rule.
Some points of interest. Although I did not see any, I am told there is poison oak on this trail. The trail is not overgrown so if there is any, it isn’t hard to avoid. What we did find, were ticks. At least four were found crawling on one dog, and another unbeknownst to me hitched a ride on my person only to latch on a short time later. Check each other carefully.
A beautifully relaxing hike with a variety of terrain to enjoy. Highly recommended.