California hiking trails - Carmel River Trail, Santa Lucia Range, Monterey County

   
  Hitting the hiking and backpacking trails is always a cool thing to do, and if you happen to be in Monterey County of California, Carmel River Trail is a tremendous local hiking and backpacking trail for doing a bit of leg stretching. There are numerous great outdoors trails in California, and each one is beautiful in its own way. With so many outdoors pursuits available in California you'll never get bored. This is one of many backpacking trails in the surrounding area. Different parts of Carmel River Trail are at very different elevations which of course
    means you need to be prepared for different conditions on different parts of the great outdoors hiking trail. And keep in mind that there could be temporary safety restrictions in place. Throughout the long summer days at Carmel River Trail temperatures are typically in the 70's.
Once the sun is down it drops down to the 50's. Highs through the wintertime are ordinarily in the 50's while Carmel River Trail overnight low temperatures through the wintertime are in the 40's. Here in the brilliant state of California backcountry backpacking is a splendid idea. This is a one trailhead wilderness hiking trail, so you're looking at an in and out backcountry trek. This hiking trail sometimes gets very dry, so make sure you check current conditions and fire restrictions with local forest authorities before you head out. Carmel River Trail  
is generally a reasonably waterless place; January is the wettest month with most rain, and July meanwhile is the driest month. This is a hiking trail that is quite long, so make sure you bring plenty of supplies. Being 29.4 miles long; it's longer than many great outdoors hiking trails. Now, this is roughly a 4.5-day backcountry trek, so it's a great thing if your backpack is big enough to do the job. These trails here in the Santa Lucia Range are the best way to enjoy these summits. This wilderness hiking trail has a total elevation difference of 3,023 feet which is a higher than average number. Carmel River Trail is many miles long with an average amount of climbing distance which makes it a great backpacking trail for experienced hikers in great shape. There are so many brilliant great outdoors trails for backcountry backpacking in California; Carmel River Trail in Monterey County is one of them. A long journey divides Salinas from Carmel River Trail, but backcountry trekking along this hiking and backpacking trail is very exciting.

Briefly about the general area:
Sulphur Spring is a delightful local attraction, and Bear Basin is a nice place to stretch your legs a bit. If you came to camp Tin House Campground is a delightful place to do that, and Miller Canyon is a perfect place to spend some time.
An attention-grabbing thing to stop at near Carmel River Trail is Los Padres Dam, and a trip to close by Grimes Point is very relaxing. Danish Creek is one of the streams nearby that might be worth visiting. Miller Fork Carmel River is near Carmel River Trail and is always a delight to have a look at, and there's whitewater on Big Sur River for all you adrenaline rush seekers.
Now, you may imagine that's a lot but there's even more cool stuff to do here in the Santa Lucia Range. While you're here at Carmel River Trail you will meet lots of folks from nearby Salinas, and whitewater paddling is not for everyone but if it's for you then, we recommend Carmel River. Just can't get enough of Carmel River Trail. There's so much to do here at Carmel River Trail that you need to camp here for a while, Rattlesnake Campground is a magnificent location for that, and Pine Falls is a scenic site to stop at while you're at Carmel River Trail. And if that's not sufficient there's a heap more exciting stuff to do in the Santa Lucia Range. A pleasant visit to Pine Valley is a fine way to spend an afternoon, and there's a magnificent forest called Big Pines.

Location of Trailhead: Latitude 36.3887, Longitude -121.6701
- - Directions and Road Map

Total in and out hiking length = 29.4 miles

Total climbing distance = 12.9 miles

Difficulty : Difficult

Casual Hiking Pace: 4.5 days

Fast Hiking Pace: 3 days

Total elevation difference: 3023 feet


Country Garden Inns, Carmel Valley
8 miles away
Nestled in the sunny Santa Lucia Mountains-just minutes from Carmel by the Sea California. Country Garden Inns offers two bed and breakfast inns with European hospitality. Both Hidden Valley Inn and A...
  
Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley
10 miles away
Nestled on verdant acres with stately pines and California oak trees, surrounded by a vineyard and the Santa Lucia mountains rising majestically in the background, Bernardus Lodge is a premier luxury ...
User input for Carmel River Trail, Santa Lucia Range, Monterey County, California:


This is a view from the campground a few miles into the hike, I'm not sure what the camp ground was called but it was very pretty. - Bob



This is a bit of a scary but very beautiful section that comes a bit south of the lake. - Bob



This picture is taken a couple of miles into the hike after you've left the lake behind. - Bob



This is a shot from soon after you leave the dam behind, you can't see it in the picture but the trail kinda follows the right side of the lake. - Bob

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Outdoors Recreation Near Salinas, California
Very comprehensive list of a variety of outdoors recreation in the vicinity of Salinas, California, the metro area neareast to Carmel River Trail. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.

Current weather conditions at Carmel River Trail, Santa Lucia Range, Monterey County, California
WXPort

Local climate location: MONTEREY 8 miles away

Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur
12 miles away
Unique architecture blends into its natural surroundings complemented with interior earth tones, high sweeping arches and skylights. In a spectacular setting, this 100 acre resort showcases the organi...

Ventana Inn Big Sur, Big Sur
12 miles away
Situated on 243 acres, 1,200 feet above the Pacific Ocean. The property is known for its serene setting, rustic yet luxurious sophistication and romantic allure. Features include 26 newly remodeled su...

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TOPO
High quality water resistant topo map of Carmel River Trail, Santa Lucia Range, Monterey County, California.

OUTDOORS_GUIDE
These outdoors activities are available near Carmel River Trail.
 Trails Near Carmel River Trail:
Hennicksons Ridge Trail, Monterey County , 2 miles away, 5.9 hiking miles, 2356 feet elevation difference
Rattlesnake Creek Trail, Monterey County , 2 miles away,  7 hiking miles, 1350 feet elevation difference
Miller Canyon Trail, Monterey County , 4 miles away,  15.6 hiking miles, 2327 feet elevation difference
San Clemente Trail, Monterey County , 5 miles away,  7 hiking miles, 714 feet elevation difference
Pine Ridge Trail, Monterey County , 5 miles away, 20.1 hiking miles, 4802 feet elevation difference
Church Creek Trail, Monterey County , 6 miles away,  3.8 hiking miles, 1279 feet elevation difference
Big Sur Trail, Monterey County , 8 miles away,  15.2 hiking miles, 1949 feet elevation difference
 Camp Grounds Near Carmel River Trail:
Rattlesnake Campground, Monterey County, 2 miles away
Tin House Campground, Monterey County, 8 miles away
China Camp, Monterey County, 9 miles away
Logwood Campground, Monterey County, 9 miles away
Vado Campground, Monterey County, 10 miles away
 Whitewater Near Carmel River Trail:
Carmel River, Monterey County County , 4 miles away, Class II-III(IV) - 10 miles long (Los Padres Reservoir to Carmel Valley)
Big Sur River, Monterey County County , 11 miles away, Class II+ - 4 miles long (Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park to Motels)
Little Sur River, Monterey County County , 13 miles away, Class III-IV - 7 miles long (Pico Blanco BSouth Carolina to Highway 1)
Arroyo Seco River, Monterey County County , 14 miles away, Class IV(V) - 3 miles long (Willowcreek Bridge to Arroyo Seco Picnic Area)
Arroyo Seco River, Monterey County County , 19 miles away, Class III - 14.5 miles long (Arroyo Seco Picnic Area to Route G16 bridge)
 National Parks Near Carmel River Trail:
Pinnacles National Monument, Paicines - CA , 45 miles away
 Hotels Near Carmel River Trail:
Country Garden Inns, Carmel Valley , 8 miles away
Bernardus Lodge, Carmel Valley , 10 miles away
Post Ranch Inn, Big Sur , 12 miles away
Ventana Inn Big Sur, Big Sur , 12 miles away
Days Inn Salinas Airport, Salinas , 16 miles away

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