by Doug Major » Sun Jul 19, 2026 6:00 pm
Date Hiked: July 17, 2026
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Trail Report – County Line Road to Murray Mine Track and Mt Mars
This is a report on work done along the access trail connecting County Line Road (the ridge route between Baldwin Ranch Road and Ragged Point) to the Murray Mine track, which connects Highway 1 over the ridge, past Murray Mine, and on to the Spruce Creek/San Carpóforo Trail.
County Line Road, marking the border between San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties, is an amazing ridge route with broad views of the Pacific, the lighthouse, Dutra Valley, and out toward Three Peaks. The path undulates over gentle rises and dips, passing solitary oaks, short view spurs, and interesting rock formations. As it approaches Mt Mars, the route enters denser stands of pines and massive ancient oaks.
The old road down toward Murray Mine and beyond is generally passable, with a few steep tread sections and a very steep descent into the Dutra Creek drainage. Murray Mine is a World War II–era mercury (cinnabar) mine that operated into the 1950s, producing an element essential to wartime industry and used in every thermostat of that era.
Continuing straight uphill where County Line Road meets the Murray Mine track, the Mt Mars use trail is well defined. After a few hours of brushing and lopper work, it is now very passable. Most of the route lies under a tree canopy with years of leaf fall softening the tread. Poison oak patches have been pushed back, and a few blowdown step‑overs remain, but the grade is ideal for steady elevation gain.
Higher up, the trail emerges from the canopy into a more brushy zone interspersed with small stands of pine. A false summit leads through a short tunnel and then up another incline. Near the true summit, a rock‑marked junction appears where the Mt Mars traverse splits off; it connects the summit directly to the Spruce Creek Trail near Salmon Creek. The upper portion of this ridge route has been brushed, but there is still more push‑through and notably more sun exposure along this line. It does, however, avoid the elevation loss and regain associated with the Murray Mine route.
Mt Mars is one of the most scenic routes in Big Sur, often blessed with a cool coastal breeze and wide‑open views past the lighthouse and beyond.
Historical notes
The name “Mars Mount” may echo the famous hill overlooking the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, often mentioned in historical and biblical contexts. From the summit, the trail drops quickly down a grass‑covered slope toward Thorndyke Top, named for Captain Lorin Thorndyke of Maine, who served as principal keeper of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse for 27 years, from 1879 to 1906.
From Thorndyke Top, a route descends to Highway 1 or follows the contour north to reconnect with the main Salmon Creek Trail. According to a pre–Highway 1 map from 1922, this alignment formed part of the “Upper Coastal Trail,” which split from the “Lower Coastal Trail” just past the location of the present‑day Ragged Point Inn. The two routes rejoin above the current Salmon Creek Station (Ray Evans Ranch on the 1922 map), then diverge where the modern Buckeye Trail heads inland over the Redwood Gulch drainage to the old Cruikshank Ranch, and then over Villa Creek toward the Los Burros mining district. From there, the old Los Burros Trail heads toward the San Antonio Mission and Jolon.
The Lower Coastal Trail continued from the Evans Brothers cow camp just past Redwood Gulch, followed close to what is now the Cruikshank Trail, and rejoined the upper route at the old homestead. From there, they divide again at the saddle now associated with the Alder Creek Trail, skim the flank of San Martin Top, and descend the south fork of Willow Creek, continuing north along the coast past the areas now known as Plaskett and Gorda.
[b]Date Hiked:[/b] July 17, 2026
[b]General Condition:[/b] Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Trail Report – County Line Road to Murray Mine Track and Mt Mars
This is a report on work done along the access trail connecting County Line Road (the ridge route between Baldwin Ranch Road and Ragged Point) to the Murray Mine track, which connects Highway 1 over the ridge, past Murray Mine, and on to the Spruce Creek/San Carpóforo Trail.
County Line Road, marking the border between San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties, is an amazing ridge route with broad views of the Pacific, the lighthouse, Dutra Valley, and out toward Three Peaks. The path undulates over gentle rises and dips, passing solitary oaks, short view spurs, and interesting rock formations. As it approaches Mt Mars, the route enters denser stands of pines and massive ancient oaks.
The old road down toward Murray Mine and beyond is generally passable, with a few steep tread sections and a very steep descent into the Dutra Creek drainage. Murray Mine is a World War II–era mercury (cinnabar) mine that operated into the 1950s, producing an element essential to wartime industry and used in every thermostat of that era.
Continuing straight uphill where County Line Road meets the Murray Mine track, the Mt Mars use trail is well defined. After a few hours of brushing and lopper work, it is now very passable. Most of the route lies under a tree canopy with years of leaf fall softening the tread. Poison oak patches have been pushed back, and a few blowdown step‑overs remain, but the grade is ideal for steady elevation gain.
Higher up, the trail emerges from the canopy into a more brushy zone interspersed with small stands of pine. A false summit leads through a short tunnel and then up another incline. Near the true summit, a rock‑marked junction appears where the Mt Mars traverse splits off; it connects the summit directly to the Spruce Creek Trail near Salmon Creek. The upper portion of this ridge route has been brushed, but there is still more push‑through and notably more sun exposure along this line. It does, however, avoid the elevation loss and regain associated with the Murray Mine route.
Mt Mars is one of the most scenic routes in Big Sur, often blessed with a cool coastal breeze and wide‑open views past the lighthouse and beyond.
Historical notes
The name “Mars Mount” may echo the famous hill overlooking the Acropolis in Athens, Greece, often mentioned in historical and biblical contexts. From the summit, the trail drops quickly down a grass‑covered slope toward Thorndyke Top, named for Captain Lorin Thorndyke of Maine, who served as principal keeper of the Piedras Blancas Lighthouse for 27 years, from 1879 to 1906.
From Thorndyke Top, a route descends to Highway 1 or follows the contour north to reconnect with the main Salmon Creek Trail. According to a pre–Highway 1 map from 1922, this alignment formed part of the “Upper Coastal Trail,” which split from the “Lower Coastal Trail” just past the location of the present‑day Ragged Point Inn. The two routes rejoin above the current Salmon Creek Station (Ray Evans Ranch on the 1922 map), then diverge where the modern Buckeye Trail heads inland over the Redwood Gulch drainage to the old Cruikshank Ranch, and then over Villa Creek toward the Los Burros mining district. From there, the old Los Burros Trail heads toward the San Antonio Mission and Jolon.
The Lower Coastal Trail continued from the Evans Brothers cow camp just past Redwood Gulch, followed close to what is now the Cruikshank Trail, and rejoined the upper route at the old homestead. From there, they divide again at the saddle now associated with the Alder Creek Trail, skim the flank of San Martin Top, and descend the south fork of Willow Creek, continuing north along the coast past the areas now known as Plaskett and Gorda.
