The Black Cone Trail is a ghost of a trail – abandoned for decades but resurrected in 1999 after a fire revealed its long-forgotten tread.  A corps of dedicated volunteers fights a never-ending battle against encroaching brush to keep this spectacularly scenic trail open, allowing visitors to make a legendary loop through the Ventana Wilderness.  A springtime foray along this trail offers magnificent views of wildflower-carpeted hillsides and remote canyons.

We’ll enjoy four days and three nights on the trail, camping amid ponderosa pines beside the headwaters of the Carmel and Big Sur Rivers, stopping to check out some remarkable native American pictographs along the way.

This will be a strenuous backpack, covering 48 miles in four days at a purposeful pace over difficult trail and very rugged terrain, so this trip is suitable only for experienced backpackers in very good condition. We’ll cheerfully face the possibility of bushwhacking, ticks, rattlesnakes fresh from hibernation, and occasional poison oak. Because of the strenuous nature of this trip, the leader reserves the right to qualify participants. This is a consciously low-impact outing, so carpool participation is encouraged and participants are urged to contribute to their vehicle’s shared mileage and gas costs (est. $40-$45 per person).

This trip is strictly dependent upon a favorable weather forecast. A National Weather Service forecast of rain within 72 hours of our start will cancel  or re-route this trip at the sole discretion of the leader, as will fewer than three confirmed signups as of 8:00pm, Tuesday, May 17. This trip will be by individual commissary, and we’re not planning any shared meals, so please plan to provide your own supply of food. We'll plan to wrap up our hike by early afternoon on Sunday, May 22, in time for an evening return to Los Angeles.

We’ll meet up to consolidate our carpool at the Camarillo Park-and-Ride (Pleasant Valley Road x US101) at 7:00am (SHARP!) on the morning of Thursday, May 19 in preparation for our long (4-hour) drive to the trailhead. L.A.-based hikers should plan on leaving L.A. no later than 6:00am.