Date Hiked: July 6, 2026
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Reporting here for full circuit: East Molera - Post Summit - Cabezo Prieto - Manuel, Big Sur Station (car shuttle back to trail head). 14 miles and around 4000 ft total rise. Posted also on East Molero trail.
Not sure why Post summit is "use trail." It seems no different from East Molera trail.
Trail not well defined at places between Post Summit and Manuel Peak, but going was easy. Had to push through brush just in just a couple places and crawl under a thick tree at one point, but definitely possible. The trail to Vado camp was not clear at all - may have seen it, but it was not our goal.
At Manuel, the trail down left (East) was missed and we took the ridge all the way down to where the trail curves back around above Big Sur River at around 2300'. Not bad going, a bit steep at times.
Extraordinary vistas for the nearly the entire circuit. Highly recommended.
[Ed=gn: Mt Manual Trail is an official USFS trail. The section that continues to Post Summit and the State Park is not official trail. ]
Manuel Peak Trail
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: December 3, 2025
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Continuing north towards Vado, from where I left off my last hike about a mile south of Vado, the trail is followable using GPS until approaching the switchbacks south of Vado. I recommend bypassing the largest of those switchbacks as I did (see the route on the below image). When reaching the minor ridgeline at the top of the switchbacks, follow that minor ridgeline down until past dense brush the go steeply down and north to regain the trail. The open canopied area south of the switchbacks near vado has no tread. GPS is required, when headed south from Vado it is important to follow GPS to find the entrance to the brush tunnel/trail which is south of the open canopied area.
Next, north of Vado. There is minimal tread between where the trail leaves the Little Sur River when heading north and the Launtz campsite. When heading north toward Launtz the flagging gives out about 120 vertical ft above the camp. The cleared and inviting Launtz camp and a curious arrangement of rocks near the Launtz cabin site can be seen from the endpoint of the flagging but getting down to the Launtz cabin site or the Launtz camp is very difficult. [Ed-jg: per email from Jan, the flagging north of Vado lies higher terrain-wise than the route given on Big Sur Trailmap.]
The below image show the route I used to bypass the large switch back near Vado:
This image shows the method used to go directly to/from Vado/East Molera trail, this route is steep
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Continuing north towards Vado, from where I left off my last hike about a mile south of Vado, the trail is followable using GPS until approaching the switchbacks south of Vado. I recommend bypassing the largest of those switchbacks as I did (see the route on the below image). When reaching the minor ridgeline at the top of the switchbacks, follow that minor ridgeline down until past dense brush the go steeply down and north to regain the trail. The open canopied area south of the switchbacks near vado has no tread. GPS is required, when headed south from Vado it is important to follow GPS to find the entrance to the brush tunnel/trail which is south of the open canopied area.
Next, north of Vado. There is minimal tread between where the trail leaves the Little Sur River when heading north and the Launtz campsite. When heading north toward Launtz the flagging gives out about 120 vertical ft above the camp. The cleared and inviting Launtz camp and a curious arrangement of rocks near the Launtz cabin site can be seen from the endpoint of the flagging but getting down to the Launtz cabin site or the Launtz camp is very difficult. [Ed-jg: per email from Jan, the flagging north of Vado lies higher terrain-wise than the route given on Big Sur Trailmap.]
The below image show the route I used to bypass the large switch back near Vado:
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CyrusCT
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: November 29, 2025
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
I'm only covering two sections of trail, and not the full length that highlighted when I clicked on it.
Section of Trail: Mount Manuel Trail, from the junction with the Cabezo Prieto use trail descending about a mile to the "junction" with the lost Tin House Trail. Where the trail, as shown on the USGS Topo layer differs from track from the Big Sur Trail Map, I tried to follow the track.
Condition: Difficult - Passable. At the top, there's a post/stake slightly above the junction. The trail is easy to follow at first, however in the area with the switchbacks, there are a lot of game tracks crisscrossing the slope and it is often difficult to distinguish between those and the trail. The corners of the switchbacks on the northeast side of the trail were often not clear, however it was easy to detour using the game tracks, such that the overall route was clear. There was no flagging on this suction of trail, and at the bottom, I wasn't able to discern the junction with the lost Tin House Trail from the game tracks. My GPS had difficulty with tracking my position once I started descending, and it would often show my position as being slightly further uphill or slightly further to the south than my actual position, near the bottom, it was generally off by about the height of one switchback, Because if the difficulty in discerning between the trail and game tracks, I would rate this section as Difficult - Passable.
Section of Trail: Mount Manuel Trail, from the junction with the lost Tin House Trail down to the Cabezo Prieto Creeklet [Schaffer Usecamp].
Condition: Difficult - Passable. Descending from the junction, the trail becomes increasingly clear, and flagging started shortly after the junction, where the trail crosses a creek that was dry when I was there. The creek does not show on the USGS Topo layer, but does show as an intermittent creek on the USGS Quad layer. There are several sections where it looks like the track splits, with one part descending faster. I used GPS to check myself and avoid descending too quickly below the trail. My GPS reported my position as being slightly to the southwest of my actual position, so I had to account for the variance as I was moving along the trail. I encountered a lot of areas with recently cleared brush (the cuttings on the side of the trail were still green). I would rate the section of trail as passable because of the clear path which had been cut through the brushy areas. I made some of the cuts a little wider and taller for easier passage. There were a few sections where it would have been helpful to have more flagging since the flagging was not always within line of sight for the difficult areas.
Additional Notes: I came in from the Pfieffer Big Sur trailhead hoping to make it to the lost Tin House Camp by way of Vado Camp, but I underestimated how soon it would get dark and how fast my party would be hiking. We stayed near the Cabezo Prieto Creeklet because of how soon it got dark. Cabezo Prieto Creeklet has a nice use camp just upstream from the bend in the trail. [Ed-jg: have now replaced 'Cabezo Prieto Creeklet' with 'Schaffer Usecamp', since usecamp and its water availability mentioned in Schaffer's 1988 'Hiking the Big Sur Country' - thanks for reporting this.]
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
I'm only covering two sections of trail, and not the full length that highlighted when I clicked on it.
Section of Trail: Mount Manuel Trail, from the junction with the Cabezo Prieto use trail descending about a mile to the "junction" with the lost Tin House Trail. Where the trail, as shown on the USGS Topo layer differs from track from the Big Sur Trail Map, I tried to follow the track.
Condition: Difficult - Passable. At the top, there's a post/stake slightly above the junction. The trail is easy to follow at first, however in the area with the switchbacks, there are a lot of game tracks crisscrossing the slope and it is often difficult to distinguish between those and the trail. The corners of the switchbacks on the northeast side of the trail were often not clear, however it was easy to detour using the game tracks, such that the overall route was clear. There was no flagging on this suction of trail, and at the bottom, I wasn't able to discern the junction with the lost Tin House Trail from the game tracks. My GPS had difficulty with tracking my position once I started descending, and it would often show my position as being slightly further uphill or slightly further to the south than my actual position, near the bottom, it was generally off by about the height of one switchback, Because if the difficulty in discerning between the trail and game tracks, I would rate this section as Difficult - Passable.
Section of Trail: Mount Manuel Trail, from the junction with the lost Tin House Trail down to the Cabezo Prieto Creeklet [Schaffer Usecamp].
Condition: Difficult - Passable. Descending from the junction, the trail becomes increasingly clear, and flagging started shortly after the junction, where the trail crosses a creek that was dry when I was there. The creek does not show on the USGS Topo layer, but does show as an intermittent creek on the USGS Quad layer. There are several sections where it looks like the track splits, with one part descending faster. I used GPS to check myself and avoid descending too quickly below the trail. My GPS reported my position as being slightly to the southwest of my actual position, so I had to account for the variance as I was moving along the trail. I encountered a lot of areas with recently cleared brush (the cuttings on the side of the trail were still green). I would rate the section of trail as passable because of the clear path which had been cut through the brushy areas. I made some of the cuts a little wider and taller for easier passage. There were a few sections where it would have been helpful to have more flagging since the flagging was not always within line of sight for the difficult areas.
Additional Notes: I came in from the Pfieffer Big Sur trailhead hoping to make it to the lost Tin House Camp by way of Vado Camp, but I underestimated how soon it would get dark and how fast my party would be hiking. We stayed near the Cabezo Prieto Creeklet because of how soon it got dark. Cabezo Prieto Creeklet has a nice use camp just upstream from the bend in the trail. [Ed-jg: have now replaced 'Cabezo Prieto Creeklet' with 'Schaffer Usecamp', since usecamp and its water availability mentioned in Schaffer's 1988 'Hiking the Big Sur Country' - thanks for reporting this.]
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: November 10, 2025
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
This report is for a short section of the trail north of the Manuel Peak/Post Summit saddle.
The good news :
- The trail is followable using GPS
- No memorable places where crawling is necessary.
- Much needed water was found 20 ft below the trail where "water" is indicated on the image
- The "camp" location has a good water source
- I did some clearing along the portion I walked.
- I am hopeful of completing a day hike over post summit then out via Vado, Launtz and pico public camps after the clearing done.
The bad news:
- GPS may be required
- It is necessary to go up and around some deadfall but the trail was not difficult to locate after circumnavigating trouble areas.
- Flagging is sparce
- I did not make it to Vado Camp but I am hopeful I would make it if I tried again given the trail improvements
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
This report is for a short section of the trail north of the Manuel Peak/Post Summit saddle.
The good news :
- The trail is followable using GPS
- No memorable places where crawling is necessary.
- Much needed water was found 20 ft below the trail where "water" is indicated on the image
- The "camp" location has a good water source
- I did some clearing along the portion I walked.
- I am hopeful of completing a day hike over post summit then out via Vado, Launtz and pico public camps after the clearing done.
The bad news:
- GPS may be required
- It is necessary to go up and around some deadfall but the trail was not difficult to locate after circumnavigating trouble areas.
- Flagging is sparce
- I did not make it to Vado Camp but I am hopeful I would make it if I tried again given the trail improvements
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: July 22, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
This report is from Pfieffer to Manuel Peak and over Cabezo Prieto.
Beautiful cool summer day with clouds. I found the whole route very pleasant. The first few miles is wilderness freeway, and I was surprised to see the second section up to the summit is passable/ clear. Even the last section before the false summit is the best condition I've seen it, very little encroaching brush. The only reason it's not "Clear" is because is because of some tread issues.
The false summit part looks great too, no tall brush and great views. Past the Manuel Peak summit, the trail is mostly obvious with some encroaching brush. I can see the piles of dead brush left by the work crew, but lots of Yarrow and Yerba Santa is growing in and it really doesn't look so bad. It was actually one of the more enjoyable hikes i've done through Cabezo Prieto, since they widened the fire break.
I met two backpackers on top of the ridge who tried to get to Vado camp and gave up, not finding any trail. Vado continues to get some attention even though it's basically not accessible.
The rest of the way all the way up to post summit is great. No brush, easy to follow. Going down Post Summit to the Golden Staircase was annoying though, very brushy and needs work.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
This report is from Pfieffer to Manuel Peak and over Cabezo Prieto.
Beautiful cool summer day with clouds. I found the whole route very pleasant. The first few miles is wilderness freeway, and I was surprised to see the second section up to the summit is passable/ clear. Even the last section before the false summit is the best condition I've seen it, very little encroaching brush. The only reason it's not "Clear" is because is because of some tread issues.
The false summit part looks great too, no tall brush and great views. Past the Manuel Peak summit, the trail is mostly obvious with some encroaching brush. I can see the piles of dead brush left by the work crew, but lots of Yarrow and Yerba Santa is growing in and it really doesn't look so bad. It was actually one of the more enjoyable hikes i've done through Cabezo Prieto, since they widened the fire break.
I met two backpackers on top of the ridge who tried to get to Vado camp and gave up, not finding any trail. Vado continues to get some attention even though it's basically not accessible.
The rest of the way all the way up to post summit is great. No brush, easy to follow. Going down Post Summit to the Golden Staircase was annoying though, very brushy and needs work.
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: July 6, 2025
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
This report is for the section from the Little Sur trail/Mount Manuel trail junction on Launtz Ridge to Launtz Ridge camp.
Its hard to give this trail an overall rating, so I'll rate it in 3 sections.
1/3: Passable
2/3: Difficult
3/3: Passable.
Somebody definitely did a lot of work on this trail. There is a wide trail corridor that's easy to follow. It's starting to fill in with ferns and some thistle and madrone, but it's not hard to walk though.
The second section, that goes though a grassy Oak forest has problems. The tread is really bad, on a sinking steep slope, and difficult to follow at one point I lost the trail. the grass also makes it slippery, and this is a very steep area.
Once you get through this, the route gets better, for the third section.
Almost all the deadfall on this route has been cut, which is nice.
I plunged down the final descent to the camp, which doesn't seem to have a trail, but on the way back up, I noticed a re-route that was made that was helpful.
The creek is flowing good for summer, and the camp is looking good; it's been cleaned up. The forest service sign is till there (on the ground) and so is the grill.
I hiked this 2 years ago and it was much more difficult then. It is still the very definition of a Ventana Wilderness trail, and is not easy, but I'm grateful for the work that's been put in. Without it, I believe this historic trail would eventually be lost, like much of the rest of the Mount Manuel trail in Little Sur. So a big thank you to the trail workers for all you hard work.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
This report is for the section from the Little Sur trail/Mount Manuel trail junction on Launtz Ridge to Launtz Ridge camp.
Its hard to give this trail an overall rating, so I'll rate it in 3 sections.
1/3: Passable
2/3: Difficult
3/3: Passable.
Somebody definitely did a lot of work on this trail. There is a wide trail corridor that's easy to follow. It's starting to fill in with ferns and some thistle and madrone, but it's not hard to walk though.
The second section, that goes though a grassy Oak forest has problems. The tread is really bad, on a sinking steep slope, and difficult to follow at one point I lost the trail. the grass also makes it slippery, and this is a very steep area.
Once you get through this, the route gets better, for the third section.
Almost all the deadfall on this route has been cut, which is nice.
I plunged down the final descent to the camp, which doesn't seem to have a trail, but on the way back up, I noticed a re-route that was made that was helpful.
The creek is flowing good for summer, and the camp is looking good; it's been cleaned up. The forest service sign is till there (on the ground) and so is the grill.
I hiked this 2 years ago and it was much more difficult then. It is still the very definition of a Ventana Wilderness trail, and is not easy, but I'm grateful for the work that's been put in. Without it, I believe this historic trail would eventually be lost, like much of the rest of the Mount Manuel trail in Little Sur. So a big thank you to the trail workers for all you hard work.
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geoffvirtue
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:10 pm
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: May 31, 2025
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
NOTE: This report is for the section of Manuel Peak Trail from Cabezo Prieto to Vado Camp (it includes notes from our ascent up East Molera and Post Summit use trail.
Attempted Vado again this weekend following in Jan's GPX coming in over Post Summit.
Very few ticks after the oak trees of East Molera trail and none in golden staircase. There was a lot of overgrowth on the final push from the picnic table/scenic overlook to the peak on our way up.
Water is flowing at the Golden Stairs Spring in the Redwoods. Follow the sound of the flowing water once you get to the upper part of the redwoods. Very steep and inaccessible for the water - we went south from the trail to get to it. If not filling up here, carry at least 5 liters per person as there is no other water and it's very exposed.
Once on the ridge line we cut down following Jan's previous GPX from Cabezo Prieto . Tread was not evident but we were able to successfully get down into the canyon. We eventually picked up some old signs of tread but progress was slow. We started our descent around 6:50pm, we eventually found water at a creeklet around 9pm but at that point we cliffed out and it was dark.
We chose to abort here, however unfortunately, we got confused in the dark and misjudged which ridge line we had come down, ended up going up the wrong ridge and got stuck in thick manzanita and ceanothus patch about 1/8th of the way up, spent 3.5 hours trying to get out of that, and luckily found some trace of our tracks. Got back to the Cabezo Prieto around 1am exhausted and crashed up there.
Will attempt again later this year, be warned that GPS doesn't work well once down in the canyon. We were having it jump constantly.
Once in the canyon there is NO EVIDENT TREAD or flagging.
Do not descend this unless you are looking for an adventure and have the right gear (we knew what we were getting into and still had issues).
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
NOTE: This report is for the section of Manuel Peak Trail from Cabezo Prieto to Vado Camp (it includes notes from our ascent up East Molera and Post Summit use trail.
Attempted Vado again this weekend following in Jan's GPX coming in over Post Summit.
Very few ticks after the oak trees of East Molera trail and none in golden staircase. There was a lot of overgrowth on the final push from the picnic table/scenic overlook to the peak on our way up.
Water is flowing at the Golden Stairs Spring in the Redwoods. Follow the sound of the flowing water once you get to the upper part of the redwoods. Very steep and inaccessible for the water - we went south from the trail to get to it. If not filling up here, carry at least 5 liters per person as there is no other water and it's very exposed.
Once on the ridge line we cut down following Jan's previous GPX from Cabezo Prieto . Tread was not evident but we were able to successfully get down into the canyon. We eventually picked up some old signs of tread but progress was slow. We started our descent around 6:50pm, we eventually found water at a creeklet around 9pm but at that point we cliffed out and it was dark.
We chose to abort here, however unfortunately, we got confused in the dark and misjudged which ridge line we had come down, ended up going up the wrong ridge and got stuck in thick manzanita and ceanothus patch about 1/8th of the way up, spent 3.5 hours trying to get out of that, and luckily found some trace of our tracks. Got back to the Cabezo Prieto around 1am exhausted and crashed up there.
Will attempt again later this year, be warned that GPS doesn't work well once down in the canyon. We were having it jump constantly.
Once in the canyon there is NO EVIDENT TREAD or flagging.
Do not descend this unless you are looking for an adventure and have the right gear (we knew what we were getting into and still had issues).
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trinityhiker52
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: September 1, 2024
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked East Molera Trail to Post Summit, then across to Mt Manuel and down to the State Park. There is basically no trail anymore between Post Summit and Mt Manuel; one must follow the contour of the fuel break. The route is not pleasant, many piles of cut dead brush and several brush stobs where left that resemble pungi sticks which one must avoid tripping/stepping on. Yerba santa is growing back which is hiding some of these stobs. At Mt Manuel, the trail down is difficult to find as there is an incredible amount of piled brush just below the peak along the trail. Heading down Mt Manuel Trail, the upper two miles are in poor condition. Several trees across trail (but can be stepped over), many areas of encroaching brush, and several sections of tread are slowly sliding down hill and will soon be lost. The lower half of Mt Manuel trail is in excellent condition.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked East Molera Trail to Post Summit, then across to Mt Manuel and down to the State Park. There is basically no trail anymore between Post Summit and Mt Manuel; one must follow the contour of the fuel break. The route is not pleasant, many piles of cut dead brush and several brush stobs where left that resemble pungi sticks which one must avoid tripping/stepping on. Yerba santa is growing back which is hiding some of these stobs. At Mt Manuel, the trail down is difficult to find as there is an incredible amount of piled brush just below the peak along the trail. Heading down Mt Manuel Trail, the upper two miles are in poor condition. Several trees across trail (but can be stepped over), many areas of encroaching brush, and several sections of tread are slowly sliding down hill and will soon be lost. The lower half of Mt Manuel trail is in excellent condition.
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Big Sur Rec Crew
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: June 12, 2024
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
After clearing the little sur trail to the launtz ridge connector,we started toward the mouth Manuel peak, after 200+ cuts from coast ridge road to launtz creek camp,I can say there is only one large oak on launtz ridge and on the mt Manuel trail on over large oaks. Both are climb over able . Other than that,it’s 10 foot wide from the launtz ridge to launtz creek camp. Preceding further the trail has been removed from the Big Sur trail map,so I’m using maps and gps and remaking that section to the best of my ability,resources
I also completely redid the last leg down to launtz creek. Using the charts from the Shaffer book, so a dog leg back into the ravine then using the old launtz homestead road bed to the camp
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
After clearing the little sur trail to the launtz ridge connector,we started toward the mouth Manuel peak, after 200+ cuts from coast ridge road to launtz creek camp,I can say there is only one large oak on launtz ridge and on the mt Manuel trail on over large oaks. Both are climb over able . Other than that,it’s 10 foot wide from the launtz ridge to launtz creek camp. Preceding further the trail has been removed from the Big Sur trail map,so I’m using maps and gps and remaking that section to the best of my ability,resources
I also completely redid the last leg down to launtz creek. Using the charts from the Shaffer book, so a dog leg back into the ravine then using the old launtz homestead road bed to the camp
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hydrologic
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 1:23 am
Re: Manuel Peak Trail
Date Hiked: April 9, 2024
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
hiked Manuel across ridge to Post and down to Molera. Trail through state park for first 2 miles was clear with some tall grass encroaching trail. Next mile had been recently cleared and tread restored and was in great shape. Last mile or so through forested area was a bit brushy and tunnel-like but no major obstacles. Once on saddle and heading up to summit you can see the clear cut and many slash piles that had been left. Ridge is devastated. The crew left thousands of 6" stumps which can be a trip hazard. Ridge across to Post continues the destruction and hundreds of piles of dead and dry brush and old-growth chaparral they had cut. A very sad sight. Hardly any wildflowers as they had been cut down. Luckily they stopped at post and the hike down to HW1 was green and beautiful with some wildflowers starting to bloom.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
hiked Manuel across ridge to Post and down to Molera. Trail through state park for first 2 miles was clear with some tall grass encroaching trail. Next mile had been recently cleared and tread restored and was in great shape. Last mile or so through forested area was a bit brushy and tunnel-like but no major obstacles. Once on saddle and heading up to summit you can see the clear cut and many slash piles that had been left. Ridge is devastated. The crew left thousands of 6" stumps which can be a trip hazard. Ridge across to Post continues the destruction and hundreds of piles of dead and dry brush and old-growth chaparral they had cut. A very sad sight. Hardly any wildflowers as they had been cut down. Luckily they stopped at post and the hike down to HW1 was green and beautiful with some wildflowers starting to bloom.
