|
The sun was shining brightly as we pulled in for a late afternoon hike
(around 3pm). The Old Landing Cove trail starts out near the bathrooms
at the parking lot. It quickly joins a wide dirt road and crosses some
train tracks and heads for the ocean.
Wilder Ranch is known for mountain biking. However, the western (coastal)
portion of the park probably has a lot fewer mountain bikers. We ran into
a scattered few, but the trail is wide enough that it's not much of a
problem. No singletrack here.
For the first part of the hike, the trail is bordered on either side by tall
thistle and fennel plants. After veering right, you'll reach a small
wooden platform and bench, with an overlook to Wilder Beach, which is a
fenced off nature preserve.
One of many beaches on the hike (this is not Wilder Beach)
After enjoying the view, we continued along the trail, which now heads north
along the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The winds were quite strong,
gusting from the north as they always do in the afternoon. It's possible
you'll have a more pleasant stroll if you arrive in the morning.
Sea gulls perched on the edge
We saw sea gulls, of course, a rabbit, and some lizards, but not much else
in the way of wildlife. It was mainly just the wind, the waves, and a nice
view of the ocean as we continued north. After about a mile, we got a view
at the first cove we would visit. There were a dozen or so people already
down there, as we wound our way down the trail to the beach. The cove is
(I'm guessing) about 200 feet wide and 500 or so feet long. The bluffs
above form a horseshoe defining the bounds of the cove. The waves crashed
onto the beach and rocky shore on either side of the cove. At the back of
the cove is a cave filled with ferns. It is fed by an underground spring,
and water is constantly dripping from the top of the cave.
Cove wall
Closer look at cove wall
Fern cave
We took a break on the beach, enjoying the sights and sounds. Eventually
we made our way back up the trail and turned left to continue north. As
we rounded a corner, we saw another beautiful cove -- this one much narrower
with a rock formation submerged like a submarine in the middle of it.
The coastline here is dramatic, and we enjoyed more views as we approached
our turnaround point, the final cove.
Narrow cove
The last cove is wider and more open than the one with the fern cave. We
didn't actually go down. Instead, we just stopped partway along the trail
heading down, and took in the view looking south, which is worth the extra
distance from the first cove. After enjoying the view, we turned around and
headed back the way we came.
View from above the cove, looking south
The large cove
| 
Facebook Fan Page
Twitter
RSS Feed
