Garrapata: Soberanes Canyon & Rocky Ridge
Garrapata State Park, south of Carmel · near Carmel · Central Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- moderate
- Route type
- loop
- Distance
- 5 miles
- Elevation gain
- 1,600 ft
- Time needed
- day
- Best season
- Year-round; spring greenest
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No fee (very limited Hwy 1 roadside parking near Gate 8). CURRENT STATUS: Rocky Ridge Trail closed for hazards - the loop can't be completed; Soberanes Canyon is open as a ~2.5 mi out-and-back. Verify before visiting.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 0 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Lush redwood-and-fern grove along Soberanes Creek · Steep chaparral climb to Rocky Ridge · Sweeping Pacific panoramas · Free but very limited roadside parking
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Intl tip
- Redwoods to coastal ridge in one hike near Carmel. Note: Rocky Ridge Trail has been closed (loop can't be completed - canyon-only out-and-back for now), so check the park status. Parking is very limited on Hwy 1 - arrive early. No dogs.
The guide
Garrapata's Soberanes Canyon and Rocky Ridge loop packs two utterly different worlds into one hike, just south of Carmel. It be…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Garrapata: Soberanes Canyon & Rocky Ridge — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 36.4595, -121.9255