A Backpacker's Guide to the California Coastal Trail
A detailed guide to backpacking and supply availability on the northern and central portions of the CCT, by Bernie Krause; photos by Stacy and Bernie Krause
Through-Hiking the CCT
Thoughts on through-hiking the trail, ways to do it and basic essentials for a successful trip.
Hiking the Coast from Hostel to Hostel
Jessica Gauvreau provides notes on her 2008 walk of the CCT north to San Francisco with a day pack and hostel stays.
Experience the California coast!
Two men take an exploratory walk of the coastline from Oregon to San Francisco in 1995, by Dinesh Desai.
Impressions of the California Coastal Trail
Two experienced backpackers take on the CCT. Here are their impressions and photos--a walk in process, by Bernie Krause; photos by Stacy and Bernie Krause
Other Useful Links
Agencies, Land Trusts, & Trail Organizations
Photos of the coast from the California Records Project
GPX file from 2016 MoJo thru hike. More about their adventure on the MoJo Coastwalk page.
Hiker Guide Articles
The Loma Prieta Earthquake of 1989
If you had been walking the Santa Cruz coastline at 5:04 P.M. on October 17, 1989, a powerful earthquake would have jolted you from your revelry with nature. The strong quake, measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale, shook the entire central California coast. It hit during the third game of baseball’s World Series between San…
The Monarch Butterfly
The fragile and beautiful monarch butterfly, brightly orange and black with white spots, makes a journey as long as 3000 miles from the eastern seaboard to wintering sites in central Mexico where they escape harsh winters. The west coast population doesn’t have to make it all the way to Mexico in winter because the central…
The Northern Elephant Seals of Año Nuevo
Largest of the world’s seals, the elephant seal’s name derives from the male’s huge size, up to 22 feet long and four tons in weight, and long drooping nose, or proboscis. The females weigh up to 2000 pounds and grow to 10 feet long. By 1868 the scientific community thought the northern elephant seal was…
Coastal Agriculture
Giant thistles and a mustard that looks like a miniature cabbage are two important crops growing along the coasts of San Mateo and Santa Cruz counties. While walking this stretch of California Coastal Trail, you’ll walk among artichokes and Brussels sprouts which thrive in the cool summer fog and rich, sandy alluvial soils of the…
How To Wreck a Beach
It’s easy to destroy the natural processes of beach formation with enough large rocks and money. That’s what the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers did in 1959 when they built the long planned Pillar Point Harbor breakwater. Before the breakwater, waves from the northwest bent around the point and lost much of their energy, and waves…
The Spaniards Colonize California
In the 18th century, the colonial powers considered the California coast hot property. The Spaniards, English, and Russians all wanted the vast resources of this bountiful land. The Spaniards launched expeditions from their colony in Mexico, claiming California for the Spanish crown. The Spaniards worried about the Russian presence in California, with the czar’s men…
The Many Attractions of San Francisco
San Francisco’s staggering number of attractions invite foot-powered exploration with many of them near the California Coastal Trail. Whether you want to learn about military or maritime history, walk around quiet lakes, visit a Dutch windmill, or dine overlooking the ocean, it’s all close by. If you choose to walk to a destination and return…
The Presidio of San Francisco
In 1776 Juan Bautista de Anza arrived at the tip of the San Francisco Peninsula. His party camped for two nights at Mountain Lake. De Anza pounded a cross into the earth on the bluff overlooking the Golden Gate, claiming it for Spain. Soldiers and settlers followed, establishing the Presidio (it means garrison or fort)…
The Golden Gate Bridge: A Magnet for Trails
San Francisco is among the world’s most popular tourist attractions and the Golden Gate Bridge is the City’s biggest attraction. Millions of people come to marvel at this astounding man-made feature in its dramatic natural setting. So far, however, few people know that four different long distance trails cross the Golden Gate Bridge en route…