Coast Trail and Lake Ranch Trail Loop

Visitors can reserve campsites online and pick up the camping permit at the Bear Valley Visitor Center. Begin at the Palomarin Trailhead where you'll follow the Coast Trail before bearing right onto the Lake Ranch Trail. Parts of this trail are pretty overgrown but manageable. There is one particular section where multiple large trees have fallen across the trail requiring some bushwhacking around them, but it is easy to find the makeshift trail of hikers past. Continue onto the Ridge Trail towards Stewart, and then on to Greenpicker Trail and finally the Glen Camp Loop Trail. Follow signage down to the Glen Campground. Total mileage is ~9 miles. On day two, head back up the Glen Camp Loop Trail and follow it up to the Glen Trail, then hang a right onto the Stewart Trail and descend into Wildcat Campground. This is only ~2.5 miles so you can take a day to check out the beach and relax. If the tide is low, you can walk south along the beach for a mile to get to Alamere Falls, but you should be mindful of the tide tables to avoid getting stranded in high tide. On the last day, head out of Wildcat onto the Coast Trail and follow it ~5.5 miles back to Palomarin Trailhead. There is a split in the trail pretty early on where it becomes the Ocean Lake Loop and the Coast Trail, and they merge back together again a mile or so later. The Coast Trail half was very overgrown with all of the prickly plants so this is probably a good day to wear long pants. Each campground has critter boxes, potable water, trash/recycling receptacles, and pit toilets. This loop could certainly be done in two days instead of three, but having a day to hang out on the beach was a great mid-trip luxury.