Date Hiked: December 19, 2017
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Covers the section from Pine Ridge Trail junction to roughly a mile past Mosquito Spring:
From the Pine Ridge Trail junction the Black Cone Trail would have initially been difficult to follow for the first couple hundred feet or so had it not been faded markers. After this, however, the trail conditions actually begin to improve somewhat and though brushy is fairly manageable. Rounding the next point immediately after the Mosquito Spring Trail junction the trail opens up due to the recent burn and is clear for the most with only the minor annoyance of having to kick aside burned plant remnants. Not far beyond here I turned around and attempted to follow the Mosquito Camp Trail down to the spring but lost the trail about 350 feet from the crest. Overall I was amazed at the views this trail offered and look forward to revisiting it soon with a pair of loppers!
Black Cone Trail
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: September 19, 2017
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
I recently hiked the infamous Black Cone trail as part of a survey of trails within last year's Soberanes Burn area for the USFS. (I have hiked this trail in 2013 and also 2014, both being some of my more intense trail experiences I've had in the Ventana Wilderness.) We started from Pine Ridge camp, and were hiking toward Strawberry. The initial part of the trail was still a bit brushy around the junction and toward the Mosquito Spring turnoff, but the burn did a great job in eliminating (for now) the intense brush that prevailed through much of this trail. There are a few spots that remain a bit brushy, encroaching upon the tread, but for the most part, this trail is open. There's a lot of charred sticks to push through, but they pale in comparison to the thick scrub oak that once dominated this scenic wonder of a trail. The tread is in poor shape, as might be expected, and the "black cone ankle" is real- the tread is at such a slanted angle as to produce a peculiar pain in your left ankle as you hike. We also counted about 8 areas where the tread has eroded or slide. This is minor however compared to the relief and freedom of hiking a notoriously overgrown trail that has been naturally cleared. There was also a effort recently to work the trail from Strawberry prior to the burn, as Betsy McGowan mentions in her post below. We also found water at what I believe was 'White Cone Spring' as well as Woodwardia Spring, near Black Cone camp. Black Cone camp did not look to be in good shape, the fire burned though there hot, but the regrowth is already quite thick. Once the trail makes its descent toward Strawberry, the brush is more present once again and we found 3 downed trees. The trail along the stream at the very last stretch toward Strawberry has a tremendous growth of herbaceous plants, very thick bramble and some other plant I could not identify. The immense rain this past year allowed things to really take off.
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
I recently hiked the infamous Black Cone trail as part of a survey of trails within last year's Soberanes Burn area for the USFS. (I have hiked this trail in 2013 and also 2014, both being some of my more intense trail experiences I've had in the Ventana Wilderness.) We started from Pine Ridge camp, and were hiking toward Strawberry. The initial part of the trail was still a bit brushy around the junction and toward the Mosquito Spring turnoff, but the burn did a great job in eliminating (for now) the intense brush that prevailed through much of this trail. There are a few spots that remain a bit brushy, encroaching upon the tread, but for the most part, this trail is open. There's a lot of charred sticks to push through, but they pale in comparison to the thick scrub oak that once dominated this scenic wonder of a trail. The tread is in poor shape, as might be expected, and the "black cone ankle" is real- the tread is at such a slanted angle as to produce a peculiar pain in your left ankle as you hike. We also counted about 8 areas where the tread has eroded or slide. This is minor however compared to the relief and freedom of hiking a notoriously overgrown trail that has been naturally cleared. There was also a effort recently to work the trail from Strawberry prior to the burn, as Betsy McGowan mentions in her post below. We also found water at what I believe was 'White Cone Spring' as well as Woodwardia Spring, near Black Cone camp. Black Cone camp did not look to be in good shape, the fire burned though there hot, but the regrowth is already quite thick. Once the trail makes its descent toward Strawberry, the brush is more present once again and we found 3 downed trees. The trail along the stream at the very last stretch toward Strawberry has a tremendous growth of herbaceous plants, very thick bramble and some other plant I could not identify. The immense rain this past year allowed things to really take off.
- Typical view on trail
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Leonie
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: April 24, 2016
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
I attempted to hike this trail from the pine ridge trail south toward willow creek. Completely lost the trail within 100 yards of the signpost. Tried it twice with no lucky from the north this trail is not passable, completely over gown, hidden by brush, chaparral, vanishing into thin air. Please do not attempt! I turned back and am confident that was the right decision.
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
I attempted to hike this trail from the pine ridge trail south toward willow creek. Completely lost the trail within 100 yards of the signpost. Tried it twice with no lucky from the north this trail is not passable, completely over gown, hidden by brush, chaparral, vanishing into thin air. Please do not attempt! I turned back and am confident that was the right decision.
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nrventri
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: September 13, 2015
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
Terrible trail. We hiked from Redwood to Black Cone Camp, and this was very time consuming and overgrown. If you need to do this route, wear pants, and expect to hike < 1 mph. Completely overgrown.
General Condition: Impassable (completely overgrown or tread obliterated)
Terrible trail. We hiked from Redwood to Black Cone Camp, and this was very time consuming and overgrown. If you need to do this route, wear pants, and expect to hike < 1 mph. Completely overgrown.
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: July 5, 2015
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked the loop from China Camp to Pine Ridge, down the Black Cone Trail to Strawberry, then the Marble Peak Trail to the Tony Trail, and over to Tassajara. The Fourth of July weekend was warm but there was a steady breeze up on the ridges making things pleasant. There was water at Pine Ridge Camp, and water a quarter mile up from Strawberry Camp (barely). But there was no water anywhere else on the entire trail. If you get to Strawberry and can't find the water, there is a reliable source at the other end of Strawberry Valley, at Tan Oak Camp.
The Black Cone Trail is brushy from the start of the trail at Pine Ridge for about 5 miles. Then the last 3 miles are a wilderness freeway. You can't miss the turn on Pine Ridge; the junction has been cleared out and a sign marks the intersection. There are lots of places where brush is growing into the trail, but only one spot where you could really lose the trail. That is on the ridge approaching Venturi Camp, where the trail meanders over to the left side of the ridge. Hikers have meandered off to the right, often enough that it looks like the trail goes that way. If you find yourself lost, backtrack and look for obscure holes in the brush that might be the trail.
In March and April the VWA, with support from the National Forest Foundation and the US Forest Service, ran two work trips. American Conservation Experience (ACE) provided workers and cleared 1.5 miles from the Strawberry end of the trail. Added to the work accomplished last year, this is 3.2 miles clear. Since these sections were the absolute worst on the entire trail, it was a huge accomplishment to have them cleared. A big thank you goes to the Forest Service packers for bringing ACE in to Strawberry Camp, and an extra big than you to ACE for the huge effort to clear all the way to "Turnaround Ridge."
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
Hiked the loop from China Camp to Pine Ridge, down the Black Cone Trail to Strawberry, then the Marble Peak Trail to the Tony Trail, and over to Tassajara. The Fourth of July weekend was warm but there was a steady breeze up on the ridges making things pleasant. There was water at Pine Ridge Camp, and water a quarter mile up from Strawberry Camp (barely). But there was no water anywhere else on the entire trail. If you get to Strawberry and can't find the water, there is a reliable source at the other end of Strawberry Valley, at Tan Oak Camp.
The Black Cone Trail is brushy from the start of the trail at Pine Ridge for about 5 miles. Then the last 3 miles are a wilderness freeway. You can't miss the turn on Pine Ridge; the junction has been cleared out and a sign marks the intersection. There are lots of places where brush is growing into the trail, but only one spot where you could really lose the trail. That is on the ridge approaching Venturi Camp, where the trail meanders over to the left side of the ridge. Hikers have meandered off to the right, often enough that it looks like the trail goes that way. If you find yourself lost, backtrack and look for obscure holes in the brush that might be the trail.
In March and April the VWA, with support from the National Forest Foundation and the US Forest Service, ran two work trips. American Conservation Experience (ACE) provided workers and cleared 1.5 miles from the Strawberry end of the trail. Added to the work accomplished last year, this is 3.2 miles clear. Since these sections were the absolute worst on the entire trail, it was a huge accomplishment to have them cleared. A big thank you goes to the Forest Service packers for bringing ACE in to Strawberry Camp, and an extra big than you to ACE for the huge effort to clear all the way to "Turnaround Ridge."
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charlie
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: March 16, 2015
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Took this trail instead of the south fork trail from Strawberry Camp to Pine Ridge. The first mile or so of the trail is very clear. After that, I was bushwacking for the next 8 miles. Ripped my shirt and popped my sleeping pad. It was quite an experience! I was probably on my hands and knees a little less than 10 times to get under fallen trees. I was solo, but if you intend on going with a group...I definitely recommend switching off as the leader (aka bulldozer). I lost the trail briefly twice...once at the top of a ridge where the brush was very sparse and there appeared to be many possible dirt trails...and once at the intersection of pine ridge and black cone (there was a brush fire so a lot of trees were fallen over and brush burned). Overall, it is very difficult, but passable under tough circumstances. After all, I would rather be bushwacking through dense high elevation brush than taking south fork crawling through poison oak!
This review is for Betsy. Thanks for all that you and your team do in maintaining the trails!
PS. I was using the national geographic map...and it wasn't very helpful.
Hope this helps!
Charlie
[Editor: Thank you Charlie for the report! Good to know you made it through. Hope the Pine Ridge Trail was better. Considering the recent reports for the South Fork and Big Sur Trails, this was probably a good choice. Really appreciate the description. Hope to work on this trail soon. - Betsy]
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Took this trail instead of the south fork trail from Strawberry Camp to Pine Ridge. The first mile or so of the trail is very clear. After that, I was bushwacking for the next 8 miles. Ripped my shirt and popped my sleeping pad. It was quite an experience! I was probably on my hands and knees a little less than 10 times to get under fallen trees. I was solo, but if you intend on going with a group...I definitely recommend switching off as the leader (aka bulldozer). I lost the trail briefly twice...once at the top of a ridge where the brush was very sparse and there appeared to be many possible dirt trails...and once at the intersection of pine ridge and black cone (there was a brush fire so a lot of trees were fallen over and brush burned). Overall, it is very difficult, but passable under tough circumstances. After all, I would rather be bushwacking through dense high elevation brush than taking south fork crawling through poison oak!
This review is for Betsy. Thanks for all that you and your team do in maintaining the trails!
PS. I was using the national geographic map...and it wasn't very helpful.
Hope this helps!
Charlie
[Editor: Thank you Charlie for the report! Good to know you made it through. Hope the Pine Ridge Trail was better. Considering the recent reports for the South Fork and Big Sur Trails, this was probably a good choice. Really appreciate the description. Hope to work on this trail soon. - Betsy]
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mgillming
Pine ridge to Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: January 12, 2015
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
We intended to take the pine ridge trail all the way to the hot springs from the east side. We ended up getting onto the black cone trail because everything was so overgrown. There was no water sources past the stream by dived camp. I would not recommend taking this trail at all.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
We intended to take the pine ridge trail all the way to the hot springs from the east side. We ended up getting onto the black cone trail because everything was so overgrown. There was no water sources past the stream by dived camp. I would not recommend taking this trail at all.
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: April 27, 2014
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
SECTION: STRAWBERRY CAMP TO BLACK CONE CAMP: The section of the trail from Strawberry to the North Fork of the Big Sur River is beautifully clear. The section continuing to the Black Cone Camp trail has brushy sections but is mostly clear.
There was no water at the Woodwardia ferns above the Black Cone Camp Trail, and no water in the seep above the trail just south of the Black Cone Trail. Since these places usually have water when other sources are dry, I suspect that the entire upper section of the trail is again dry. In fact, Zig Zag Creek at Strawberry Camp is drying up already. You can still get water at the Camp, but just downstream the water has dried up. I flagged the spot up the trail, where there is still a good flow after the water completely dries up at Strawberry. This is just below the swithchback, where the trail turns to countour around the face of the hillside. UPDATE: a hiker CONFIRMS NO WATER ON THE ENTIRE BLACK CONE TRAIL, until just above Strawberry Camp. Once Strawberry Camp itself dries up, the water is way up by the switchback, or you need to go down to Tan Oak Camp.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
SECTION: STRAWBERRY CAMP TO BLACK CONE CAMP: The section of the trail from Strawberry to the North Fork of the Big Sur River is beautifully clear. The section continuing to the Black Cone Camp trail has brushy sections but is mostly clear.
There was no water at the Woodwardia ferns above the Black Cone Camp Trail, and no water in the seep above the trail just south of the Black Cone Trail. Since these places usually have water when other sources are dry, I suspect that the entire upper section of the trail is again dry. In fact, Zig Zag Creek at Strawberry Camp is drying up already. You can still get water at the Camp, but just downstream the water has dried up. I flagged the spot up the trail, where there is still a good flow after the water completely dries up at Strawberry. This is just below the swithchback, where the trail turns to countour around the face of the hillside. UPDATE: a hiker CONFIRMS NO WATER ON THE ENTIRE BLACK CONE TRAIL, until just above Strawberry Camp. Once Strawberry Camp itself dries up, the water is way up by the switchback, or you need to go down to Tan Oak Camp.
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robert_barringer
- Posts: 14
- Joined: Mon Jul 11, 2011 5:02 pm
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: October 27, 2013
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Myself and 3 other adventurous hikers set out to hike the Black Cone Trail this past Sunday (October 27th) from Pine Ridge down to Strawberry Camp. I have always wanted to experience the Black Cone Trail not only for it's awesome views of the Big Sur Wild & Scenic River corridor BUT also for the profound enjoyment of being in perhaps the most desolate place of anywhere in the Ventana. Without a doubt the Black Cone Trail is in itself a quintessential wilderness experience -- not for the faint of heart as there are numerous challenges to face along the route.
Section: From Pine Ride Trail Junction to Venturi Camp
Rating: Passable - Mostly good tread, with some brush encroachment
The upper portion of the Black Cone Trail starting at Pine Ridge is quite delightful in all respects. You start out high and gradually descend along a ridge that separates the Big Sur and Tassajara watersheds, all the while meandering back & forth from one side of the ridge to the other with stunning views in all directions. The trail condition along this stretch is fairly decent -- good tread and only minimal brush to deal with. There is mostly low-lying manzanita here which encroaches the trail in some spots, but nothing too annoying as it tends to pull apart your boot laces here & there.
Section: From Venturi Camp to Strawberry Camp
Rating: Extremely Difficult - Completely overgrown / Tread varies from well defined to severely eroded/deteriorated
Once past Venturi Camp the trail becomes extremely difficult -- The entire route through to Strawberry Camp (nearly 5 miles) is a gauntlet of severe brush, most of it being over the top of your head, and in some stretches this combines with sloping/deteriorated tread to make for a long & exhausting "brush-bust" experience, particularly more so if you're carrying a heavy pack.
The brush in this section is very dense -- mostly ceanothus, scrub oak, and manzanita. Highly recommend long pants, long-sleeved, gloves, and eye protection for this stretch. If carrying a heavy pack be extra cautious as the brush tends to push you off the trail in most spots. You can "crash" through the brush with steady determination BUT your body will take a beating.
Water Availability: I MUST EMPHASIZE that as of this writing (late October 2013) there is NO WATER to be found anywhere along the Black Cone Trail between Pine Ridge and Strawberry. If you're coming down from Pine Ridge be sure you pack all your water before heading down the Black Cone Trail (as our group did). And we were thankful too as there is NO water currently flowing at Strawberry Camp itself. There is a spring source about 1/4 mile up from Strawberry however it only a trickle at this point. Perhaps the start of the rainy season will alleviate this condition but for now be sure you plan ahead and don't count on there being any water anywhere along the Black Cone Trail until after we get a few soaking rains and the ground saturates.
[Editor: the flow of water "up from Strawberry" is along the Black Cone Trail, as it follows Zig Zag Creek. This is adequate to fill water bottles. Other sources on the trail are dry.]
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Myself and 3 other adventurous hikers set out to hike the Black Cone Trail this past Sunday (October 27th) from Pine Ridge down to Strawberry Camp. I have always wanted to experience the Black Cone Trail not only for it's awesome views of the Big Sur Wild & Scenic River corridor BUT also for the profound enjoyment of being in perhaps the most desolate place of anywhere in the Ventana. Without a doubt the Black Cone Trail is in itself a quintessential wilderness experience -- not for the faint of heart as there are numerous challenges to face along the route.
Section: From Pine Ride Trail Junction to Venturi Camp
Rating: Passable - Mostly good tread, with some brush encroachment
The upper portion of the Black Cone Trail starting at Pine Ridge is quite delightful in all respects. You start out high and gradually descend along a ridge that separates the Big Sur and Tassajara watersheds, all the while meandering back & forth from one side of the ridge to the other with stunning views in all directions. The trail condition along this stretch is fairly decent -- good tread and only minimal brush to deal with. There is mostly low-lying manzanita here which encroaches the trail in some spots, but nothing too annoying as it tends to pull apart your boot laces here & there.
- Morning view from the Black Cone Trail looking down into Cienega Creek.
- Looking over the Big Sur Wild & Scenic River corridor and across to the North Coast Ridge.
- From the Black Cone Trail looking east into the Tassajara Creek drainage with Black Butte on the far ridge in the distance
Rating: Extremely Difficult - Completely overgrown / Tread varies from well defined to severely eroded/deteriorated
Once past Venturi Camp the trail becomes extremely difficult -- The entire route through to Strawberry Camp (nearly 5 miles) is a gauntlet of severe brush, most of it being over the top of your head, and in some stretches this combines with sloping/deteriorated tread to make for a long & exhausting "brush-bust" experience, particularly more so if you're carrying a heavy pack.
The brush in this section is very dense -- mostly ceanothus, scrub oak, and manzanita. Highly recommend long pants, long-sleeved, gloves, and eye protection for this stretch. If carrying a heavy pack be extra cautious as the brush tends to push you off the trail in most spots. You can "crash" through the brush with steady determination BUT your body will take a beating.
- View looking back towards the Big Sur Wild & Scenic River corridor from near the base of Black Cone. Also in view is the Ventana Double Cone, The Window ("La Ventana"), and Kandlbinder Peak
- View from the saddle above Strawberry looking into the headwaters of the North Fork Big Sur River. Note in the distance the prominent view line of Ventana Double Cone, The Window ("La Ventana"), Kandlbinder Peak, and Pico Blanco
[Editor: the flow of water "up from Strawberry" is along the Black Cone Trail, as it follows Zig Zag Creek. This is adequate to fill water bottles. Other sources on the trail are dry.]
Last edited by Betsy M on Tue Oct 29, 2013 1:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Black Cone Trail
Date Hiked: April 11, 2013
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Section: From the Pine Ridge Junction to Strawberry Valley and the South Fork Trail
Black Cone starts off very manageable and pleasant as it meanders along low lying higher elevation chaparral with outstanding views over the Big Sur Wild & Scenic River corridor. (We found the spur trail to Mosquito Springs just after the South Ventana Cone and went down to take a look. Pretty badly burned out and the trail disappears, the camp is there but not much of a destination camping wise. No water was found in the creek.) The closer you get to White Cone Peak (4721) along the trail, the ceanothus chaparral begins to appear and in higher brushier quantity that makes for rather difficult hiking, i.e. brush-crashing. We happened upon a rare encounter with the California Mountain Kingsnake and paid our respects with gaping mouths. It was a big one and the first I've seen, what a treat. Just after the Kingsnake we saw a bannana slug. What it was doing in such high 'n dry territory was hard to say, but gave us some inspiration to keep going.
In a few years and with no attention, this trail may very likely become impassable. We failed to find water near Venturi Camp (just off the trail bout halfway) and made for some dry thirsty hiking towards Strawberry. We made it down to Black Cone camp, a spur trail that leads down southwest off Black Cone, also brushy and deadfall to duck under. The camp was in decent shape, though crowded on all sides with brush. I imagine at one time there was a view out to the river valley below. Water was very difficult to get to from the camp, my trail partner Sam was able to sniff some out after a lengthy exploration through the blackberry bramble of the obvious stream zone, only for a small trickle however. The ticks began to make their appearance and in rather annoying numbers, hard to hike very far without stopping to brush them off. Trail remains quite brushy, thick and tick infested all the way into Strawberry Valley. Through such gorgeous country, we here still happy to be out and about despite the challenges. A good stream flow was a sigh of relief and we camped at Strawberry for the night.
General Condition: Difficult (brushy and/or many deadfalls, faint tread)
Section: From the Pine Ridge Junction to Strawberry Valley and the South Fork Trail
Black Cone starts off very manageable and pleasant as it meanders along low lying higher elevation chaparral with outstanding views over the Big Sur Wild & Scenic River corridor. (We found the spur trail to Mosquito Springs just after the South Ventana Cone and went down to take a look. Pretty badly burned out and the trail disappears, the camp is there but not much of a destination camping wise. No water was found in the creek.) The closer you get to White Cone Peak (4721) along the trail, the ceanothus chaparral begins to appear and in higher brushier quantity that makes for rather difficult hiking, i.e. brush-crashing. We happened upon a rare encounter with the California Mountain Kingsnake and paid our respects with gaping mouths. It was a big one and the first I've seen, what a treat. Just after the Kingsnake we saw a bannana slug. What it was doing in such high 'n dry territory was hard to say, but gave us some inspiration to keep going.
In a few years and with no attention, this trail may very likely become impassable. We failed to find water near Venturi Camp (just off the trail bout halfway) and made for some dry thirsty hiking towards Strawberry. We made it down to Black Cone camp, a spur trail that leads down southwest off Black Cone, also brushy and deadfall to duck under. The camp was in decent shape, though crowded on all sides with brush. I imagine at one time there was a view out to the river valley below. Water was very difficult to get to from the camp, my trail partner Sam was able to sniff some out after a lengthy exploration through the blackberry bramble of the obvious stream zone, only for a small trickle however. The ticks began to make their appearance and in rather annoying numbers, hard to hike very far without stopping to brush them off. Trail remains quite brushy, thick and tick infested all the way into Strawberry Valley. Through such gorgeous country, we here still happy to be out and about despite the challenges. A good stream flow was a sigh of relief and we camped at Strawberry for the night.
