Sykes Camp, 20 miles, ~5448 feet

Let’s do a hike to Sykes Camp. It has been years since I was there last time (before the Soberanes fire and before trail was damaged and subsequently repaired), so it would be nice to visit that area again. This will be an out-and-back event. We will start at the Big Sur Station and hike approximately 10 miles in using Pine Ridge Trail. Once we get to Sykes we will have lunch and enjoy the beautiful Big Sur River (which will hopefully be flowing this time of year). Those of you who would like to use the hot springs or explore the camp, you can do so but keep in mind that due to daylight constraints our stay in Sykes will be limited. Let’s plan on spending around 90 minutes or so there.

While this is a long hike mileage wise, the elevation change along Pine Ridge Trail before Sykes Camp isn’t really all that great. So this hike will be easier compared to many events we are used to in Garland. However, due to limited daylight, we will be maintaining a fairly brisk pace (around 2.5 miles per hour) and will NOT be making too many stops to smell the flowers. Please be prepared!

UPDATE: Dave was kind enough to inform me that after the trail was re-routed a couple of years ago it now involves CROSSING THE BIG SUR RIVER TWICE ON THE WAY THERE AND TWICE ON THE WAY BACK. Should we have any significant precipitation immediately before the hike we might need to reschedule this event. As of now, however, water level in the river is at about an ankle-to-knee level and should not present any problems during crossing. I will continue monitoring the conditions.

Where to Meet:

We will meet at Park & Ride in Carmel, intersection of Rio Road and HWY 1.

When to Meet:

We will meet at 6:00 am. After that we will carpool to Big Sur and hit the trail around 7am or so.

Hike Duration:

Around 9-10 hours.

This is a waitlisted event, and I am thinking of limiting it to 10 people (although this may be negotiable depending on the interest in this event among our hikers). Preference will be given to those whom I personally know to be strong and well-conditioned hikers. Please RSVP to the waitlist first.

Items to bring and water source:

Bring anything you would need for a day hike (lunch, hat, sunscreen, extra socks or a towel for river crossings etc). Those who wish to use the hot springs, please bring everything you would need for that (swim suit, towel etc). There should be a water source about 3/4 mile before Sykes Camp although it has been years since I was there last, so it could be gone by now. If it is still there, it’s a running spring; people say that you don’t need to treat it and it’s clean. I personally used this untreated water once and was fine (for what it’s worth). If you still would rather not take chances please bring water treatment system. Bring 2-3 liters of water, this will be enough before we get to that spring.

You can also bring a headlamp just in case we get back in the dark. I don’t think this is going to happen but you just never know.

Important: This is a very strenuous hike considering total distance and cumulative elevation gain. Before signing up please make sure you are physically capable of completing it and maintaining a moderate-to-fast group pace of 2-2.5 mph.

If you have any questions please use the comment section or contact me directly! Thank you for reading and I hope to see you then!