Date Hiked: April 23, 2026
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
The section of the trail from the Old Coast Road to the South Fork Little Sur Crossing was straightforward and pleasant, although a bit overgrown or eroded in places. I elected to use the fixed ropes to traverse the trail “washout” a little ways in, which I found kinda fun, but can see how many would not feel that way (eg, my wife last year here). The Little Sur was easily forded in bare feet. Past this point the trail tends to be fairly overgrown, but is easily followed. Past the private road crossing as the trail begins to climb into and traverse the chaparral zone of the ridge the trail is persistently overgrown, including with high thatches of unavoidable PO. The persistent feeling I had was one of needing to push my way through a lot of encroaching brush. The trail on this section tends to be narrow and sloping. There are a few difficult deadfalls to negotiate, including one that stood out as having significant exposure down a steep slope as I swung my leg over. The penultimate meadow before Pico Public was a welcome site, and although the trail is not super well defined here it is easy enough to discern the line. Pico Public Camp was just as delightful as I remembered from decades ago. There are three pleasant and well defined campsites, two with tables in good repair. Two of the sites can easily host four campers, and the third at least two. The path down to the waterfall/circular pool was a little tricky, and took me a couple of times to notice a helpful subtle step chopped into a large deadfall. There is another path down from the main site to the river which provides easier access for water.
The next day I did a day hike from Pico Public to the White Stag (Boy Scout) camp. The initial section up through rocky open country was very pleasant, the trail being easy to follow as well as being flagged. Once past an odd trash monument (site of an old cabin?) the trail became steeper and overgrown as I climbed the ridge. As noted in a previous post the junction to Launtz Creek Camp was not evident, although I wasn’t using GPS so didn’t know exactly where to look. The initial section over the summit of the ridge dropping down to the White Stag camp is pretty overgrown, but again easy to follow. The trail becomes much better on the lower section as you approach the group camp.
I deliberated whether to rate the trail Passable or Difficult: much of it merits passable (clear even on early sections between the Old Coast Road and the ford), but the section past crossing the private road to Pico Public definitely seemed difficult to me, so much so I would hesitate to lead anyone else here.
Little Sur Trail
Re: Little Sur Trail
- Attachments
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- Returning on the section of trail between the river ford and the Old Coast Road
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- The pool/waterfall
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- Third campsite at the right bottom edge of the meadow from the trail entry
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- Second campsite directly across meadow from the trail entry
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- Main campsite at bottom of meadow
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LCW26
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: April 13, 2026
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
The trail is passable but very overgrown, with many ticks and poison oak. Group walked in from Molera-HW1 to Little Sur Trail on 4-13 and out via the fire road, summiting Pico Blanco, and back down to HWY 1 on 4-14. Trail washout still evident, no wasp nest noticed.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
The trail is passable but very overgrown, with many ticks and poison oak. Group walked in from Molera-HW1 to Little Sur Trail on 4-13 and out via the fire road, summiting Pico Blanco, and back down to HWY 1 on 4-14. Trail washout still evident, no wasp nest noticed.
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: January 14, 2026
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Note: Made this report about 8 weeks after the Jan 14 2026 hike
Although I rated the trail as <Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)> which it was for the most part, there are some issues as I described below. Also we skipped the section of the Little Sur trail from the Public Camp south to where it crosses the dirt road near to the Little Sur river crossing.
Started at the Hoist on Palo Colorado road - where the road is closed and gated.
- Hiked on Palo Colorado road to Botchers Gap.
- Down the dirt road to the 'Boy Scout Camp' now White Stag
- Caught the Little Sur trail beyond/south of the large lodge at the far southern end of the dirt road. The Little Sur trail starts out as a very steep fire/logging road (for about 1/3 mile) to where the Jackson Camp trail splits off to the left and the the Little Sur trail becomes single track. This intersection is clearly signed.
- Continued on Little Sur trail to the Public Camp - where we stayed for a night.
- Doubled- back on the Little Sur Trail to the Pico Blanco North use-trail. This intersection was not marked and the use-trail was pretty faint. Took this pretty much straight up the hill to the gravel road.
- Walked down the gravel/dirt road (private I think) downhill/west to the where it crosses the Little Sur trail
- Took the Little Sur Trail, which soon crosses the North Fork of the Little Sur river, to Old Coast rd.
- Old Coast road south to Rt. One at Andrew Molera SP
Palo Colorado rd. to Botchers gap from the Hoist is a fairly gradual climb - about 650'
The dirt road down to the Boy Scout Camp is pretty steep and wasn't in great shape when we hiked it.
We found a wooden pedestrian bridge just a bit down stream from where the dirt road crosses the Little Sur river at the South end of the road. The river was flowing pretty good after the Dec/early Jan rains.
From there we found the fire/logging road behind and south of the large lodge building. This road very is steep and I don't recall whether is was marked at the beginning.
At the intersection of the Jackson Camp trail and the Little Sur trail (there is a sign for the Little Sur Trail. The sign for the Jackson Camp trail was on the ground) we took the trail to Jackson Camp but turned around in less than a 1/4 mile due to 2 gnarly deadfalls.
The Little Sur Trail up to Launtz Ridge was in decent shape except for one section near the top where the trail was blocked and the tread headed uphill (to the right) to get back on the trail further up.
Along Launtz Ridge the trail was sketchy and hard to find for a ways - fortunately there were some flags, otherwise it would have been difficult. We did not even see the turn off for Mt. Manual Trail to Launtz Camp. Once past where the turn-off should have been the trail headed down and was pretty easy to follow. Some deadfalls and one or two sections where the tread was hard to follow. Once the trail came out into the open area on the flank of Pico Blanco the tread was light but easy enough to follow.
The Pico Blanco Public camp is down a short trail heading south to the river. Close to turnoff to the camp the Little Sur trail crosses a small creek, where we got water.
The Public Camp is in a beautiful sloping meadow about 100-150 feet above the Little Sur river. There are two established campsites, both with picnic tables and fire-pits, and other areas to set up tents if both sites are full.
Note: The trail from the lower campsite to the river is pretty sketchy with some very tricky sections and some downfalls. We chose to go back to the small creek at the trail intersection for water - though this creek is probably seasonal
Th next day we chose to take the private road and cut off a section of the Little Sur trail. We were under some time pressure and did not know the condition of the trail in this section. We continued on the road downhill, keeping to the left at forks until it crossed the Little Sur Trail, which we took to the right. In about a half mile it crossed the Little Sur River. There is a nice, but pretty dark campsite at the south side of the crossing.
From here on trail is pretty good, with some deadfalls until the big slide-out about 2/3 of the way from the river crossing to Old Coast road. There are ropes and it is possible to go across the slide. However with packs we decided to take our boots off and cross the river, walk barefoot for maybe a few hundred yards downstream, recross the river and get back on the trail.
The trail head at Old Coast Road is 3.7 miles from Route One at Andrew Molera SP. Old Coast road was in better shape, in most places than I've ever seen it.
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
Note: Made this report about 8 weeks after the Jan 14 2026 hike
Although I rated the trail as <Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)> which it was for the most part, there are some issues as I described below. Also we skipped the section of the Little Sur trail from the Public Camp south to where it crosses the dirt road near to the Little Sur river crossing.
Started at the Hoist on Palo Colorado road - where the road is closed and gated.
- Hiked on Palo Colorado road to Botchers Gap.
- Down the dirt road to the 'Boy Scout Camp' now White Stag
- Caught the Little Sur trail beyond/south of the large lodge at the far southern end of the dirt road. The Little Sur trail starts out as a very steep fire/logging road (for about 1/3 mile) to where the Jackson Camp trail splits off to the left and the the Little Sur trail becomes single track. This intersection is clearly signed.
- Continued on Little Sur trail to the Public Camp - where we stayed for a night.
- Doubled- back on the Little Sur Trail to the Pico Blanco North use-trail. This intersection was not marked and the use-trail was pretty faint. Took this pretty much straight up the hill to the gravel road.
- Walked down the gravel/dirt road (private I think) downhill/west to the where it crosses the Little Sur trail
- Took the Little Sur Trail, which soon crosses the North Fork of the Little Sur river, to Old Coast rd.
- Old Coast road south to Rt. One at Andrew Molera SP
Palo Colorado rd. to Botchers gap from the Hoist is a fairly gradual climb - about 650'
The dirt road down to the Boy Scout Camp is pretty steep and wasn't in great shape when we hiked it.
We found a wooden pedestrian bridge just a bit down stream from where the dirt road crosses the Little Sur river at the South end of the road. The river was flowing pretty good after the Dec/early Jan rains.
From there we found the fire/logging road behind and south of the large lodge building. This road very is steep and I don't recall whether is was marked at the beginning.
At the intersection of the Jackson Camp trail and the Little Sur trail (there is a sign for the Little Sur Trail. The sign for the Jackson Camp trail was on the ground) we took the trail to Jackson Camp but turned around in less than a 1/4 mile due to 2 gnarly deadfalls.
The Little Sur Trail up to Launtz Ridge was in decent shape except for one section near the top where the trail was blocked and the tread headed uphill (to the right) to get back on the trail further up.
Along Launtz Ridge the trail was sketchy and hard to find for a ways - fortunately there were some flags, otherwise it would have been difficult. We did not even see the turn off for Mt. Manual Trail to Launtz Camp. Once past where the turn-off should have been the trail headed down and was pretty easy to follow. Some deadfalls and one or two sections where the tread was hard to follow. Once the trail came out into the open area on the flank of Pico Blanco the tread was light but easy enough to follow.
The Pico Blanco Public camp is down a short trail heading south to the river. Close to turnoff to the camp the Little Sur trail crosses a small creek, where we got water.
The Public Camp is in a beautiful sloping meadow about 100-150 feet above the Little Sur river. There are two established campsites, both with picnic tables and fire-pits, and other areas to set up tents if both sites are full.
Note: The trail from the lower campsite to the river is pretty sketchy with some very tricky sections and some downfalls. We chose to go back to the small creek at the trail intersection for water - though this creek is probably seasonal
Th next day we chose to take the private road and cut off a section of the Little Sur trail. We were under some time pressure and did not know the condition of the trail in this section. We continued on the road downhill, keeping to the left at forks until it crossed the Little Sur Trail, which we took to the right. In about a half mile it crossed the Little Sur River. There is a nice, but pretty dark campsite at the south side of the crossing.
From here on trail is pretty good, with some deadfalls until the big slide-out about 2/3 of the way from the river crossing to Old Coast road. There are ropes and it is possible to go across the slide. However with packs we decided to take our boots off and cross the river, walk barefoot for maybe a few hundred yards downstream, recross the river and get back on the trail.
The trail head at Old Coast Road is 3.7 miles from Route One at Andrew Molera SP. Old Coast road was in better shape, in most places than I've ever seen it.
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Declan
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: February 6, 2026
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked from old coast road to public camp and then to pico blanco summit on 06FEB-07FEB. Trail was mostly clear to public camp besides some washouts but are traversable if you watch your step. The wasp nest noted in prior reviews seems to be inactive now.
From public camp to summit was fully clear with a large section of the route on a service road/trail. Temperatures are warm even in the winter be sure to bring plenty of water.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked from old coast road to public camp and then to pico blanco summit on 06FEB-07FEB. Trail was mostly clear to public camp besides some washouts but are traversable if you watch your step. The wasp nest noted in prior reviews seems to be inactive now.
From public camp to summit was fully clear with a large section of the route on a service road/trail. Temperatures are warm even in the winter be sure to bring plenty of water.
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: November 23, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked from the Old Coast Road up to the Pico Blanco North Usetrail. The trail is in great condition up until the Public Camp with the exception of the washouts, which have become increasingly sketchy since the last few rains. The honey bee hive is huge but seems to be mostly unactive. Nearing Launtz Ridge, brush becomes worse and poison oak is unavoidable, though it is dead now. The current map rating is appropriate.
Editor's note: a beekeeper thinks the hive might be a wasp's nest
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked from the Old Coast Road up to the Pico Blanco North Usetrail. The trail is in great condition up until the Public Camp with the exception of the washouts, which have become increasingly sketchy since the last few rains. The honey bee hive is huge but seems to be mostly unactive. Nearing Launtz Ridge, brush becomes worse and poison oak is unavoidable, though it is dead now. The current map rating is appropriate.
Editor's note: a beekeeper thinks the hive might be a wasp's nest
- Attachments
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andrew
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: August 13, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Intended to walk to the river crossing to have lunch but got turned around by the very large, very aggressive hive 1.5/2 miles in on the right-hand side. The first two people in our crew walked by unscathed, but the third got many stings and couldn't pass it safely. When we walked back by, the rest of us got multiple stings as well. I've heard two other stories (one as early as 05/20/25) about this hive, and it was mentioned in the previous post by HBLord.
Definitely avoid if you have a bee sting allergy.
Ed: would be good to know if these are bees or wasps, since the sting mixtures differ so one can be allergic to one but not the other - this post mentions bees, previous one wasps
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Intended to walk to the river crossing to have lunch but got turned around by the very large, very aggressive hive 1.5/2 miles in on the right-hand side. The first two people in our crew walked by unscathed, but the third got many stings and couldn't pass it safely. When we walked back by, the rest of us got multiple stings as well. I've heard two other stories (one as early as 05/20/25) about this hive, and it was mentioned in the previous post by HBLord.
Definitely avoid if you have a bee sting allergy.
Ed: would be good to know if these are bees or wasps, since the sting mixtures differ so one can be allergic to one but not the other - this post mentions bees, previous one wasps
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HBLord
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: July 26, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Day hike to the camp, up to the peak, and back out. Some easily crossed deadfall. Poison oak and brush is unavoidable, but the route is always clear and easy to follow.
There was a large wasp nest growing on a tree just right of the trail around 1.5 miles in. I didn't see it until it was too late and took a sting on the back of the head. On the way back out we stayed quiet and moved quickly while passing and didn't have a problem. Didn't see any ticks or mosquitos.
Plenty of water for drinking or taking a dip, but no difficulty dry crossing on exposed rocks.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Day hike to the camp, up to the peak, and back out. Some easily crossed deadfall. Poison oak and brush is unavoidable, but the route is always clear and easy to follow.
There was a large wasp nest growing on a tree just right of the trail around 1.5 miles in. I didn't see it until it was too late and took a sting on the back of the head. On the way back out we stayed quiet and moved quickly while passing and didn't have a problem. Didn't see any ticks or mosquitos.
Plenty of water for drinking or taking a dip, but no difficulty dry crossing on exposed rocks.
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: July 6, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
this report is for the section of the Little Sur Trail from the boy scout camp up to Launtz Ridge.
I'd rate it passable/clear.
I hiked this trail 2 years ago and it was nearly impassable. I had trouble locating a trail, even with GPS, and there was a whole lot of deadfall.
So I was shocked to see a well defined trail, with minimal brush and virtually no deadfall. The route was easy to follow. It gets brushier right before Launtz Ridge, but it's not a big deal.
A fantastic job, I think VWA trail crew did the work somewhat recently. Thank you for the hard work on this important trail!
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
this report is for the section of the Little Sur Trail from the boy scout camp up to Launtz Ridge.
I'd rate it passable/clear.
I hiked this trail 2 years ago and it was nearly impassable. I had trouble locating a trail, even with GPS, and there was a whole lot of deadfall.
So I was shocked to see a well defined trail, with minimal brush and virtually no deadfall. The route was easy to follow. It gets brushier right before Launtz Ridge, but it's not a big deal.
A fantastic job, I think VWA trail crew did the work somewhat recently. Thank you for the hard work on this important trail!
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dave_yocom_SF
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2025 11:49 am
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: April 13, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Detailed trail report with photos on the Little Sur Trail as an addendum to my previous post. Hopefully helpful!
https://medium.com/@david-w-yocom/the-l ... 74c63e8b64
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Detailed trail report with photos on the Little Sur Trail as an addendum to my previous post. Hopefully helpful!
https://medium.com/@david-w-yocom/the-l ... 74c63e8b64
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dave_yocom_SF
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2025 11:49 am
Re: Little Sur Trail
Date Hiked: April 13, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked the Little Sur Trail to Pico Blanco Public Camp on Friday April 11th, returning Sunday the 13th. First section of the trail is wilderness freeway. The section after the road is decent, though we hiked at night, which is not advisable. There was one significant deadfall on the 2nd section of the trail, which we were able to use clippers to cut through. It would have otherwise been impassable. Trail tread was light in many places but navegable with GPS. The ticks were horrendous on Friday night but premethrin pre-treatment helped significantly and no one was bit. Poison oak was plentiful but definitely not the worst I have seen.
Conditions at the camp are lovely and the waterfall was very impressive! My first time. Excited to go back and that the trail seems to be in much better shape than previous years. Thank you to all who have done trail work on this one.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked the Little Sur Trail to Pico Blanco Public Camp on Friday April 11th, returning Sunday the 13th. First section of the trail is wilderness freeway. The section after the road is decent, though we hiked at night, which is not advisable. There was one significant deadfall on the 2nd section of the trail, which we were able to use clippers to cut through. It would have otherwise been impassable. Trail tread was light in many places but navegable with GPS. The ticks were horrendous on Friday night but premethrin pre-treatment helped significantly and no one was bit. Poison oak was plentiful but definitely not the worst I have seen.
Conditions at the camp are lovely and the waterfall was very impressive! My first time. Excited to go back and that the trail seems to be in much better shape than previous years. Thank you to all who have done trail work on this one.
