Summit Ridge Trail

The Summit Ridge Trail is the shortest way from the town to a big view. It climbs about seven hundred feet in a little under a mile from the trailhead on upper Bluff Road to the ridge crest above Marisol Cove.¹

The Climb

The trail starts in coastal sage scrub and gains height quickly on a series of switchbacks. There is no shade, so early morning or late afternoon is the reasonable choice in summer. Coastal gnatcatchers nest in the scrub along the lower section, and the town asks hikers to stay on tread through the spring nesting window.²

The Summit

From the crest the whole cove opens below: the town pier, the reef shelf, and on clear days the darker water over the kelp preserve. The view runs from the north headland down past Lantern Cove to the open Pacific. A single bench marks the high point.

The ridge is also the boundary of the protected corridor that connects the hillside scrub to the marine preserve below.

Access and Conditions

• Trailhead — upper Bluff Road, a short walk above the Lantern Cove stair; no lot.
• Distance — about two miles round trip, steep.
• Conditions — exposed and dry; the tread is slick for a day after rain.

Bring water. There is none on the route, and the climb back up from the cove in afternoon sun is the hard part.