My best friend (and college roommate) and I discussed getting together for a backpacking trip during my spring break. We threw around a few ideas when she suggested Big Sur! Although I grew up in Southern California, I never made my way to Big Sur or the central coast in general. After looking around at wilderness areas in the central coast, I found the Salmon Creek trail in Silver Peak Wilderness. Photos I saw online were unreal and I was stoked to get out there and find those views.
Permits
Unlike every other backpacking trip I’ve done in California, no permit is required for an overnight trip in Silver Peak Wilderness. However, if you want to have a portable stove, you will still need a California campfire permit. You can find more info on that here.
Because there are no permits required to backpack Silver Peak Wilderness, we worried about crowds on the trail. Since we didn’t know what the campgrounds looked like, we could not guarantee a spot. This was one of the reasons we went mid-week.
Trailhead and Parking – Silver Peak Wilderness
The parking lot is small at this specific trailhead. Considering the remoteness of the trail, we worried about parking availability. This worry also influenced the time of we week we planned our trip. We opted for a Sunday arrival to avoid competing with weekend visitors.
There are two parking ‘lots’ a few hundred yards away from one another that you can use to access this loop. One parking lot (Buckeye Trailhead) is near the old ranger station. The other parking area is near the falls (Salmon Creek Trailhead). Be careful because these lots are directly off of Cabrillo Highway. Keep your eyes open so you don’t miss the turn off or navigating around pedestrians on the highway here.
The trailheads are about 5 hours from Irvine and 2.75 hours from Santa Barbara. If you travel from SoCal, you will pass Cambria and Ragged Point on the way up. Cambria is a small, cute town with amenities and Ragged Point is a beautiful resort area with a (relatively expensive) gas station. So, if you worry about gas, perhaps fill up in Santa Barbara.
Clockwise or Counterclockwise
Based on trail reports on Alltrails, we chose to make the hike in the clockwise direction. The argument for this direction was because the Day 1 hike in this direction wasn’t as extreme as Day 1 in the counterclockwise direction. We were really happy we listened to this advice and made the hike in the clockwise direction.
Day 0: Orange County to San Simeon Campground
My boyfriend and I met up with my best friend and her boyfriend on this trip. We wanted to make sure we enjoyed and relaxed during this trip. Rather than driving up at an ungodly hour, we spent a day ambling up the coast before the hike.
We camped in San Simeon Campground the night before starting our hike so that we only had a 30 minute drive to the trailhead the next morning. We met a rainstorm at camp, so we set up our camp quickly and went back to Cambria for some shelter.
In Cambria, we met local residents at the 927 Beer Company before dining at the Grill. The residents were all so nice and friendly. Luckily, the storm parted when we finished dinner and drove back to the campground after dark.
Day 1: Buckeye Trailhead to Silver Camp (6.2 miles)
We woke up in the morning, drank coffee, and dried our gear before heading out to the trailhead.
Even though we arrived in the morning on a Sunday, there was limited parking. We created our own “parking spot” in the lot near the Salmon Creek Ranger Station. Some people dared to park alongside the highway but we avoided that.
The beginning of the trail is an upward climb with sweeping views of the coastline. These views were amazing. They might be the best views on the trip. The weather was perfect and wildflowers were everywhere when we went (in March).
Water (or lack thereof) on Trail
Most creeks drawn on our map were dry but we found water sporadically throughout the trip. So, keep that in mind if you plan to make this trip during a drought or dry season. We were a little anxious by the time we got to Buckeye Camp because the water in this area was a trickle to say the least. Other overnighters on the trail let us know there was a better water source 15 minutes outside of the camp.
We filled up at the creek down the trail from Buckeye Camp and proceeded to Silver Camp. As we continued, we saw more and more poison oak. Everyone in my group wore long sleeves and pants so we weren’t plagued by the repercussions of poison oak contact.
We arrived at Silver Camp and there were a couple of campsites almost directly on the trail and a small creek flowing through the camp. We chose a more secluded camp on a tangential trail to spend the night.
Then we went about a quarter mile up the trail to look for a better water source. The creek crossing was dry but the creek flowed just a bit down the way so we climbed into the creek bed and filled our bottles. On the way, we found some banana slugs and a California salamander! I was ecstatic because I never saw either of these animals before.
We appreciated our little friends and proceeded back to our camp. After strategically placing our tents and avoiding the plethora of ants and poison oak in our camp, we settled in for the night.
Day 2: Silver Camp to Estrella Camp (5.8 miles)
We woke up with dry tents and quickly packed our gear for the hike ahead. We filled water at the creek on the way out and proceeded to our next campsite. Most of the hike up to the ridge was uphill.
We stopped at Crest Ridge for lunch and enjoyed the view on the ridge. For hotter days, I probably wouldn’t have lunch in this spot as shade was sparse.
Views of the ocean were everywhere from the ridge. We also saw the other side of the mountains for the first time! We could see the valley and a few urban areas from this point, too. Then, we descended down into the canyon until we reached Estrella Camp.
Estrella Camp was a beautiful, shaded campground with direct access to the creek so there was no shortage of water. We set up camp at the large campsite close to the trail with a picnic table and a fire ring. Someone who previously camped there also built a loveseat out of fallen logs.
In Estrella Camp, there was a wilderness toilet located a good way away from the camp, secluded on the hill in the trees. Our map was the only reason I even knew the toilet was there. It perched precariously, held up by rocks, but it worked!
We turned in for the night to the sound of the creek flowing and wind in the trees.
Day 3: Estrella Camp to Salmon Creek Trailhead (3.1 miles)
This was the shortest day of our trip (mileage wise) but we also planned to make the drive back down to Orange County, so we ate breakfast and packed up our camp quickly.
There was a bit of an uphill section before we made it into the final downhill of the hike. On this downhill stretch, we faced more of the same in terms of poison oak. I also found a tick on my leggings which was an unpleasant discovery. But I was very happy I wore leggings on this trip.
We stopped at the falls and enjoyed the view before heading to the car. It was a really great hike and such a change compared to the dry trails in Southern California.
As recommended by a Cambria local, we stopped at Ragged Point on the way down the coast and we fell in love. The whole resort was so beautiful. The views of the ocean were amazing and we even saw an otter in the water! On top of that, the architecture was beautiful and the buildings complimented the surroundings. Often, I think resorts in areas like this disrupt the beautiful landscape but I loved Ragged Point. We also got their croissants and cake for our “lunch”. We sat in the Adirondack chairs on the lawn and just appreciated everything we experienced that week.
Lastly, we stopped at an elephant seal lookout and spent 30 minutes following the elephant seals from the boardwalk. Elephant seals are another animal I’ve never seen before this trip!
Trip Reflection – Silver Peak Wilderness
Things that went well:
Clockwise was the right direction – I usually try to read up on trail conditions and many other hikers recommended the clockwise direction. The views on Day 1 were the reward for climbing up to the ridge. This made the direction worth it as there are no views of the ocean at the beginning of the counterclockwise direction.
Leggings and long sleeves – I was so happy I chose to wear leggings and long sleeves on this trip. The amount of poison oak and, apparently, ticks on the trail made me confident I made the right choice.
Camping at San Simeon – Camping at San Simeon before driving up to the trailhead was a great choice. The drive on Day 1 was casual and enjoyable. We did not need to rush and we had energy because of the shorter day.
Stopping at Ragged Point – Ragged Point was beautiful. A chance to enjoy the views was a great way to end the trip and preempt the long drive home.
Things I would do differently:
For the first time, I don’t have any apparent changes that would have made this trip better. Though, I want to try running this loop in one day in the future!
See more of my backpacking trips here.