Tanbark Trail

The trailhead is a bit tricky to find, but park your car in the turnout at the apex of the hairpin turn and walk away from the road: you should see a trail leading into the trees.

The first 0.5 miles or so will lead you through redwoods along the side of the creek.

Afterwards the trail gets significantly steeper and your legs may need a few breaks during the climb.

The rest of the hike is almost exclusively uphill, but at least you are among the redwoods and oaks and not exposed to the hot sun during the climb

Once you have reached the highest point in the hike, walk along the small trail leading away from the fork between the trail and fire road. You will walk through some trees, past an abandoned building (the Tin house), and out into an open field with view to the northwest along the coast line.

This is a great place to stop for lunch, a snack, or just to rest and admire the view and watch the waves coming to shore and crashing on the beach.

When you are ready to move on, either continue back down the way you came or complete the loop by taking the fire road down.

To turn the hike into a complete loop, or for a change of scenery, take the fire road down to the water. The fire road is exposed to the sun, so it can be the hotter option, but the lack of trees also means that you will have unrestricted views of the coastline and the ocean below for the entire hike down.

You will arrive a little further south along Hwy1 than where you parked, and will need to hike along the road back to the car

If you completed the full loop, you will need to walk back along Highway 1 to where you parked your car. Walk along the cliff side of the road, as there is a larger shoulder, you will be able to see oncoming cars, and of course there is a better view!

Once you have finished your hike, you can walk down the path to Partington Cove to see the waves crashing on the rocks or to get a close look at some of the tide pools depending on how low the tide is.