![]() ![]() A short, average, hike but a hike all the same. To us old moderate hikers this was pretty average but due to the elevation loss/gain I would constitute this as a hike. We were looking for something that could get us out of the car and moving a bit and this was perfect. a well groomed trail that drops down from the highway to the cove. One of the highlights of our venture out to Big Sur that we nearly missed! Round trip is about a mile, and the walk out is somewhat steep. There is a nice wooden bench at the end, and you can see remnants of wharf footings on the rocks. The middle trail takes you over a bridge across Partington Creek, and a little ways further you enter a 60-foot tunnel to access Partington Cove. The right fork takes you out to a rocky beach at Partington Point. The left trail takes you up Partington Creek a ways. ![]() You go down about ¾ mile and 270 feet in elevation.Īt the bottom, the trail splits three ways. The trail is somewhat steep but pretty good, though the road is washed out in a few spots. The trail is actually the old road down the hill on which those who constructed the wharfage and tunnel carried tanbark to ships. The trail head is just a steel fence with space to walk around it. At the inland point of the curve, there is a pullout on the coastal side, barely, with room for a few cars. The top of the trail is located on the western inside of a bend in Highway One, 6 miles south of Nepenthe Restaurant in Big Sur, and 2 miles north of the entrance to Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park (across from McWay Falls). The place is tricky to find because the signage is almost non-existent. We visited here as part of our drive down the California central coast. Traveling north on Hwy 1, the pullout for parking is 2 miles north of the Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park turnoff. Traveling south on Hwy 1, the pullout for parking is 9 miles south of Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park Entrance or exactly 6 miles south of Nepenthe Restaurant. We highly recommend this stop along Hwy 1. Return to your car by going back to the main trail, take a left, and continue hiking up the steep road back to your car. A sign at the trailhead warned of life-threatening waves and surge. Loved it! It's best to be back a bit from the waves. When we got to the beach we sat on a large rock for about 10 minutes and watched the incoming crashing waves. Beware of poison oak: Leaves of 3, Let it Be! We had on long pants. The trail to the beach is overgrown in places. The third way is to backtrack to the last junction (where you turned off for the tunnel) and now turn left to the boulder beach. There's a bench there to sit a spell and enjoy the views. Then take a left to go through a tunnel and out to a viewpoint of a beautiful cove. The second and third ways to go involve taking a right from a junction on the main trail. However, there was a large downed tree on that trail so we did not do it. The first left goes to the canyon and a small waterfall. Once you get down, there are 3 ways to go. We spent 1 hour walking the Partington Cove Trail (almost 1 mile RT) We loved this area! After passing a metal gate, you hike down a fairly steep road. I don't see me ever coming back to Big Sur knowing scum like this is preying on tourists who are just out trying to enjoy nature. They said the Partington Cove trail specifically is targeted. I talked to some locals and the police when we were in Big Sur and this is becoming a problem in the area the past few years though they feel it is nothing more than windows being smashed and petty theft.not a felony which it has now become. We have since changed the locks to our house and beefed up our security system but it makes me sick this would happen. the thieves came all the way down to our house in southern california two days later and stole my car right out of the driveway since they had my keys. We had to end our trip early, drive the 9 hour drive home on the freeway with no passenger window, and pay for the damages to the rental car. While the hike itself was beautiful and enjoyable we came back to our rental car to find the passenger window smashed in and a few things taken including my purse which had my keys in it.
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