big sur vicente flat trail trip report

I haven’t had the opportunity to go backpacking since moving to San Francisco this past September, so I jumped at the chance once I had a free weekend in June. My last trip was right before my move, with Chain Lakes in Washington, and I had always been privileged to go with more experienced backpackers and turn my brain off logistically. With this trip, I wanted to challenge myself with leading – especially with familiarizing myself with the nature in Northern California – and three of my lovely friends joined me for this easy overnighter.

I’ve been impressed by the longer backpacking season available here, and I’ve noticed it’s also not as competitive as the PNW. We left San Francisco at 8 am, stopped for a quick coffee and Costco gas run, and made our way to the trailhead. The drive is around ~4 hours from the city, but it’s fairly entertaining; I would say half of the drive is along smaller roads, a little military base, and a very windy one-and-a-half way road. We drove by some bikers as well, and I was impressed because it was already a technical drive for me in my car!

Parking was a pull-off right near the trailhead, and we had no issue at 1 pm when we arrived. We had a quick lunch by the car (thanks to versions of ourselves the night before, when we had hosted a potluck) and made our way on the hike.

I forgot how tiring backpacking was – the hike details didn’t worry me too much, bu I definitely forgot that your pack is quite a few extra pounds! I had opted for my boots instead of my trail runners, and I suspect because I hadn’t worn them in a hot second, they gave me a few issues with blisters. Regardless, the first few miles of the ascent were extremely rewarding, with gorgeous views along Highway 1. The trail was a bit overgrown but not unmanageable. Lots of ups and downs, with minimal coverage in the beginning, but we found pockets of shade to take a few breaks and continue trudging along.

There were plenty of campsites at Kirk Creek, with the stream coming by, and we settled in for the night after a fun sampler of our four backpacking meals. There might have been an extremely chaotic game of UNO played in the dark with our headlamp.

Overall, it was a lovely overnighter, and I couldn’t have asked for a smoother trip – no parking issues, plenty of campsites, beautiful views, and quality time spent with my wonderful friends. Plus, we may have snuck in a quick Boiling Crab on the way home when we passed San Jose!