Coast Trail: Palomarin to Laguna Road

The Coast Trail is a roughly 16-mile, one-way through-hike from Palomarin Trailhead to the Coast Trailhead on Laguna Road. It crosses coastal scrub and inland forest, reaches Wildcat Camp and Coast Camp, then follows a broad service path through creek-side habitat and wetlands to the northern trailhead. This is a proper all-day walk, not a short approach to one beach. You need a pickup or a second car at the far end.

Do this for a long coastal traverse, not if you expect unbroken ocean views. The trail dips inland in several places, and the southern wilderness stretch is narrower and more variable underfoot than the final graded road. The full distance is one way; allow about nine hours of walking, then add time for breaks and the drive between ends.

From Palomarin, the route enters coastal scrub and varied terrain, with small lakes and openings where the ocean comes into view. Wildcat Camp is about 5.5 miles from Palomarin on the Coast and Stewart trail corridor. It sits in an open meadow on a seaside bluff, with a short walk to the beach. Treat it as a landmark rather than a halfway exit: the through-route keeps going north.

Beyond Wildcat, stay on the Coast Trail toward Coast Camp. The route continues through narrower trail in the Phillip Burton Wilderness, with stretches that turn inland under trees between coastal openings. Coast Camp is about 13.2 miles from Palomarin. The walk is more about covering a broad piece of coastline than reaching a single summit or waterfall, and the view keeps changing as scrub, forest, grassland, and ocean alternate.

From Coast Camp, the last 2.8 miles to the Coast Trailhead are a different walk: a flat, wide, graded service road through creek-side habitat and wetlands as it approaches Santa Maria Beach. A beach-access spur adds distance and is not part of the through-route. At Palomarin, coastal openings look out to the rocky shore; keep a little trail in the foreground if you want the photo to show where you are instead of only the water.

Start at Palomarin Trailhead on Mesa Road and finish at the Coast Trailhead on Laguna Road, across from Limantour Lodge. Arrange a pickup or cars at both ends; this is not a loop. The northern end has a limited unpaved shoulder with space for about 15 cars. Toilets are available at Palomarin and at the two hike-in camps, but no food service or reliable drinking-water refill was confirmed along the whole route. Pets are prohibited on these trails. If you stay overnight at Wildcat or Coast Camp, you need a camping permit in advance.

If 16 miles is too much, Palomarin to Wildcat Camp and back is about 11 miles round trip, using the first section of the same route. That still gives you coastal views and a camp destination, without the north-end shuttle. Check current park trail conditions before setting out; the route includes a long wilderness section and conditions can change.