If you love the great outdoors, then your next trip should include plans to traverse the open spaces of Cambria by trail!
This short trail leads through Fern Canyon Preserve and features majestic Monterey pines, oaks, ferns and a seasonal creek. The trail crosses Fern Drive and dead ends in a chaparral near Highway 1. The trail is approximately 3/4 miles each way, offering an easy hike for those who aren’t interested in breaking a sweat but still want to experience the wide open spaces.
Fiscalini Ranch Preserve is home to a number of endangered species and species of special concern, offering a wonderful display of nature’s diversity. The most outstanding natural feature is the dramatic ocean bluff that runs more than a mile along the shoreline of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary where you can view migrating whales, elephant seals, and other ocean mammals. The benches located along the trails are each unique pieces of art that offer stunning ocean views.
Click here for a map of the Fiscalini Ranch trails.
A 2.1-acre state park with trails and two benches overlooking the sea at Sherwood Street and Lampton Street on the Marine Terrace, Lodge Hill. Tide pools are found at the base of the cliff.
Just north of Moonstone Beach, this trail includes views of seabirds, occasional sea otters and migrating California Gray Whales in season. Begin at Shamel, and at the marked trail, start heading down to the beach, north across the sandy expanse. Follow the Moonstone Beach Boardwalk to Leffingwell Landing Park for a two-mile hike with stunning views.
For those interested in a longer hike, this three-mile trail runs through parts of the San Simeon Natural Preserve and the Washburn Campground. The trail includes scenic overlooks, rest-stop benches and interpretive panels with information on wildlife and habitat. You’ll see the best of what the natural landscape in Cambria has to offer: wetlands, pines, and a eucalyptus grove—and if you’re lucky, you may spy some of the creatures that call these areas their homes.