Silver Peak Wilderness (South Big Sur)
Los Padres National Forest · near Gorda / Cambria · Central Coast
Hiking
At a glance
- Difficulty
- strenuous
- Route type
- out-and-back
- Distance
- 16 miles
- Elevation gain
- 3,500 ft
- Time needed
- overnight · multi-day
- Best season
- November–May (avoid summer heat & fire season)
Permits and booking
- Permit required
- No
- How the permit works
- No wilderness permit required for the Silver Peak Wilderness — free, self-issued. A California Campfire Permit is needed for a stove. Always check Los Padres fire closures; the southern Big Sur coast burns often.
- How hard the permit is to get
- 1 of 5
What is here
- Features
- Redwood canyons meet the sea · Salmon Creek Falls · Permit-free south-coast solitude · Ocean-view ridgelines
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Hiking detail
- Nights
- 1–3
- Resupply
- None needed. No bear canister required; hang food. Water seasonal — verify before you go.
- Intl tip
- Salmon Creek Falls is a worthy stop right by the trailhead even if you go no farther. This whole stretch of Highway 1 is prone to landslide closures that can cut off access entirely, and the wilderness itself burns and closes often — check both the road status and Los Padres fire closures before driving down. Water sources are seasonal and unreliable; confirm before relying on any of them.
The guide
The Silver Peak Wilderness anchors the wild southern end of the Big Sur coast, where the Santa Lucia Mountains plunge to the se…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Silver Peak Wilderness (South Big Sur) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 35.876, -121.347