California hiking trails - South Fork Trail, Santa Lucia Range, Monterey County

   
  You can't spend all your time indoors you need to get out once in a while, and if you happen to be in Monterey County of California, South Fork Trail is a great local hiking trail for doing a bit of leg stretching. Every single California hiking and backpacking trail is pretty in its own way. Brilliant hiking and backpacking trails in California are in abundance; one of them being South Fork Trail in Monterey County. Some parts of South Fork Trail are much higher up than other parts of the wilderness hiking trail which of course means you need to be
    prepared for different conditions on different parts of the wilderness hiking trail. The total elevation difference for this wilderness hiking trail is 1,563 feet, and that is about average. Trekking here in California is always a fun thing to do. This is one of many hiking trails
in the surrounding neighborhood. At South Fork Trail you don’t see much rain; January is when you get the most rain here, and the driest month is July. These hiking trails here in the Santa Lucia Range are the best way to enjoy these mountaintops. As long as you like the great outdoors you will like California. There is only one trailhead, so you're looking at an in and out backcountry walk. This is a backpacking and hiking trail that is quite long, so do pack enough food to last the whole trip. A lengthy tour divides Salinas from South Fork Trail, but  
it is a great refuge from the town. At parts of the year this area sees very little rain, so don’t forget to check for any current fire restrictions before you go. This hiking trail is a normal length hiking trail having an average number of uphill miles which makes this a very tough hiking trail for advanced trekkers looking for a perfect challenge. This backcountry walk shouldn't take more than 7 hours, but you never know stuff could go wrong and you could get stuck so be prepared for that. Being 7.8 miles long it's an average length wilderness hiking trail. For the duration of the summer highs here at South Fork Trail get into the 70's. Throughout the dark hours of summer temperatures plunge down into the 50's. Throughout the winter highs are in the 50's; nighttime lows at South Fork Trail all through the wintertime regularly plunge into the 40's. Please follow all local rules about fires and camping.

Briefly about the general area:
A river like this is too good to miss. Upper Higgins Campground is a great campground here, and why not a little side journey to Pick Creek. Life's too short to enjoy all the amusing stuff next to South Fork Trail. Arroyo Seco River is a nice whitewater spot close to South Fork Trail.
Strawberry Valley is a delightful place to spend some time at, and hey, Tan Oak Creek is a tremendous local stream. If you don't mind getting covered with water, you can always go whitewater paddling on Big Sur River, and camping at South Fork Trail is splendid fun, Indian Valley Campground is a splendid local campground. There's no way anybody can get bored here in the Santa Lucia Range. Don’t forget to take a look at Indian Valley since you're here at South Fork Trail; South Fork Trail is not far at all from Salinas.

Location of Trailhead: Latitude 36.2218, Longitude -121.6535
- - Directions and Road Map

Total in and out hiking length = 7.8 miles

Total climbing distance = 3.1 miles

Difficulty : Difficult

Casual Hiking Pace: 7 hours

Fast Hiking Pace: 4.5 hours

Total elevation difference: 1563 feet


Ventana Inn Big Sur, Big Sur
5 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...
  
Ventana Inn and Spa, Big Sur
14 miles away
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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 South Fork Trail. Find info on campgrounds, hiking trails, ski resorts, lakes, beaches, parks, whitewater and more.

Current weather conditions at South Fork Trail, Santa Lucia Range, Monterey County, California
WXPort

Local climate location: MONTEREY 9 miles away

Ventana Inn And Spa, Big Sur
14 miles away

Blue Sky Lodge, Carmel Valley
17 miles away
Sometimes the pressures and worries of modern living require us to seek a quiet and peaceful place to rest. If you need a truly relaxing vacation-that is our business. We invite you to visit Carmel ...

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List of books available on Amazon.com about hiking trails in California.

California Outdoors Index
This is a very comprehensive index of outdoors activities in the great state of California.
 

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

OUTDOORS_GUIDE
These outdoors activities are available near South Fork Trail.
 Trails Near South Fork Trail:
Big Sur Trail, Monterey County , 4 miles away,  15.2 hiking miles, 1949 feet elevation difference
Hot Springs Trail, Monterey County , 4 miles away,  4.4 hiking miles, 1545 feet elevation difference
Church Creek Trail, Monterey County , 5 miles away,  3.8 hiking miles, 1279 feet elevation difference
Pine Ridge Trail, Monterey County , 5 miles away, 20.1 hiking miles, 4802 feet elevation difference
Summit Trail, Monterey County , 6 miles away, 1.8 hiking miles, 1522 feet elevation difference
Marble Peak Trail, Monterey County , 6 miles away, 1.6 hiking miles, 1188 feet elevation difference
Horse Pasture Trail, Monterey County , 6 miles away, 5.3 hiking miles, 1737 feet elevation difference
 Camp Grounds Near South Fork Trail:
Indian Valley Campground, Monterey County, 2 miles away
Upper Higgins Campground, Monterey County, 2 miles away
Pelon Campground, Monterey County, 3 miles away
Riverside Campgrounds and Cabins, Big Sur, 5 miles away
Ventana Camp Grounds, Big Sur, 5 miles away
 Whitewater Near South Fork Trail:
Arroyo Seco River, Monterey County County , 9 miles away, Class IV(V) - 3 miles long (Willowcreek Bridge to Arroyo Seco Picnic Area)
Big Sur River, Monterey County County , 13 miles away, Class II+ - 4 miles long (Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park to Motels)
Carmel River, Monterey County County , 14 miles away, Class II-III(IV) - 10 miles long (Los Padres Reservoir to Carmel Valley)
Arroyo Seco River, Monterey County County , 15 miles away, Class III - 14.5 miles long (Arroyo Seco Picnic Area to Route G16 bridge)
 National Parks Near South Fork Trail:
Pinnacles National Monument, Paicines - CA , 45 miles away
 Hotels Near South Fork Trail:
Ventana Inn Big Sur, Big Sur , 5 miles away
Big Sur Lodge, Big Sur , 12 miles away
Ventana Inn and Spa, Big Sur , 14 miles away
Ventana Inn And Spa, Big Sur , 14 miles away
Blue Sky Lodge, Carmel Valley , 17 miles away

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