Point Sal Beach State Park

Point Sal Ridge Hike

Paradise Beach

Trailhead
Brown & Point Sal Roads

Erosion Rills

Brown Road Trail
Erosion

rusting stairs?
3rd Step???

Radar Building

View North

Last 3 Miles
Landslide!
Last Cliff!

Overlook 3
Lion Rock
Point Sal

Point Sal Beach
Seastar
Sally

3 More Photos!

Vandenberg Beach
Air Force Base

Point Sal
Guadalupe northside

My Best Photo

Directions
From Hwy 101 take Betteravia Road west (out of Santa Maria) 7.4 miles.
Take Brown Road south(left) before you get to Guadalupe.
Cross Hwy 1 and continue about 4 miles along Corralitos Canyon.
You'll see Brown Road turn right and dead-end before a farmhouse.

Hiking Directions
It's about 2 miles (1 hour) to get to an old radar building and Point Sal Ridge.
Make sure to go a little further to see Point Sal, Lion Rock, and the 'beach' below.
If you've planned the entire hike(on a cool day!), you can continue...
another 3 miles down to Point Sal Beach (Paradise!)
When you get to the square parking area / helicopter pad...
LOOK right and step over the curb onto the old road and go north!
Did you bring food & water & sunblock?
Did you wear double socks and/or bring bandaids for blisters?
No restrooms... and it's a short scrabble down to the beach!
10 miles round trip

Next Time...
(1) From Guadalupe Dunes Preserve it's 3 miles south to Mussel Rock
Then you can turn around (6 miles round trip) or continue!
Up Devil's Slide (soft sand & steep - 280 ft elevation
Rope(?) to help descend to Paradise Beach to Point Sal
(2) The "jeep road trail" off Brown Road takes off half of the 10 miles hike?
I'm not sure where it comes out but I'm tempted to try it!
(3) If you take the shorter (2hr) hike to Point Sal Ridge...
Take Hwy 1 back toward Orcutt and then Black Road south to...
Casmalia! (pop. 200) with the original Hitching Post (restaurant)
Expensive (make reservations) but a good big family dining and fun!
Check out their koi pond!

Links and References
Point Sal Reserve - 2002 Report
Point Sal Beach vs Paradise Beach (?)
Point Sal satellite photos
Point Sal Photos
Casmalia
The Hitching Post (restaurant)
  
  Links |  Sally & Jim Trips  | Physics/Geology | SLO Sites | Coastal Photo Gallery

February 2006