The Black Cone Grand Loop

Almost half of the 60 miles we hiked over the course of four days were on pretty bad trail - choked with brush and poison oak, teeming with rattesnakes and ticks, and slumping away into oblivion at nearly every turn. So why do we do it?

The truth is, when you're with the right bunch of guys - strong hikers with a good attitude and a yearning for adventure - there's not much you can't accomplish or even savor. Around sunset, you finally arrive in your camp for the night, set up your tent, gather some wood for the night's campfire, and maybe take a few sips of box wine as you prepare your dinner. And you start to talk with your friends about the things you saw on the trail that day - things you've never seen before or even imagined. Sweeping views of the coast and mountains, beautiful wildflowers, mysterious rock formations, or even just some new perpsective on things back home.

Big Sur is one of those blessed places with legends written about it and a clear image in most people's minds. But if you were one of us, hiking its backcountry over a long weekend and discovering the secrets it saves for the hardy few, you found a new strength in the place and a new strength in yourself.

The Black Cone Trail is a ghost of a trail – abandoned for decades but resurrected in 1999 after a fire revealed its long-forgotten tread.  A corps of dedicated volunteers fights a never-ending battle against encroaching brush to keep this spectacularly scenic trail open, allowing visitors to make a legendary loop through the Ventana Wilderness.  A springtime foray along this trail offers magnificent views of wildflower-carpeted hillsides and remote canyons.

We’ll enjoy four days and three nights on the trail, camping amid ponderosa pines beside the headwaters of the Carmel and Big Sur Rivers, stopping to check out some remarkable native American pictographs along the way.

This will be a strenuous backpack, covering 48 miles in four days at a purposeful pace over difficult trail and very rugged terrain, so this trip is suitable only for experienced backpackers in very good condition. We’ll cheerfully face the possibility of bushwhacking, ticks, rattlesnakes fresh from hibernation, and occasional poison oak. Because of the strenuous nature of this trip, the leader reserves the right to qualify participants. This is a consciously low-impact outing, so carpool participation is encouraged and participants are urged to contribute to their vehicle’s shared mileage and gas costs (est. $40-$45 per person).

This trip is strictly dependent upon a favorable weather forecast. A National Weather Service forecast of rain within 72 hours of our start will cancel  or re-route this trip at the sole discretion of the leader, as will fewer than three confirmed signups as of 8:00pm, Tuesday, May 17. This trip will be by individual commissary, and we’re not planning any shared meals, so please plan to provide your own supply of food. We'll plan to wrap up our hike by early afternoon on Sunday, May 22, in time for an evening return to Los Angeles.