The Route
The walk moves south, San Francisco to Big Sur. The exact shape changes year to year, but the spine stays the same: redwoods, coast, and a few base-camp nights at each end. Come for a day, come for the week.
San Francisco
Sutro Heights, Golden Gate Park, the Embarcadero. The city on foot before the bus south. The feeling of starting something before you leave it all behind.
Santa Cruz
Beach town, redwood forest, home base. Henry Cowell Redwoods, river crossings, banana slugs on the forest floor. Three nights here: you walk all day, then come back to the same place.
Monterey
The bay trail along quiet beaches, maritime history from a local writer, good tacos. The stretch of coast where California starts to get dramatic.
Carmel
Garland Ranch and the valley behind the coast. Long, almost-empty hikes up into the highlands. Views that make you stop talking for a minute. Sometimes the route runs through here, sometimes it doesn't.
Big Sur
Tan Bark Trail, Pine Ridge, the river. Nights at Fernwood with a cabin kitchen and a meadow. Where the walk ends and something else begins.
The shape
Base-camp model: a few nights in Santa Cruz, a night or two in Big Sur, day trips out from each. Less logistics, more presence. Discovered by accident in 2025 and kept on purpose since.
The walks have run anywhere from four days to seven. Come for a day, come for the week.