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  • Kirk Creek - USFS, CA

     kirkcrk01

    In our Great Cross-Country Adventure of 2008, this rates as one of the two best campgrounds on our itinerary. This is exactly what we envisioned camping along the California coast to be. Not many amenities, however: no potable water, no showers, no dump station, no cell phone service, no TV.....but we still loved it!

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    We didn't even plan to stop here, but as we drove by we said to each other - "Wow, that looks like a great spot." We had to go a ways on up the highway before we could turn around and come back to it. Being Sunday, most folks had left, and we had no problem getting a great site, 8, overlooking the ocean.

    Date of visit: Apr 2008

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    Site 15.

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    Sites 17 and 19.

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    Sites 27, 26 and 25. Just about every site has an ocean view.

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    Sites 7 and 5.

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    Site 21 would rank as one of the best here: large, private, and a shade tree.

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    Looking down from the bluff by our site we saw this large rock with a hole in it. Although we couldn't see the hole from up there, we could see the waves coming through it.

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    A short path winds it way down to the shore, where we got to inspect the hole in the rock.

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    Liz had fun swinging this gigantic length of seaweed.

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    This shot taken from the hillside across the highway shows the overall setting of the campground.

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    Across the road from the campground is the Vincente Trail, which will take one off into the back-country. We settled for a hike of about 2 miles up to an elevation of about 700', then retraced our steps.

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    Looking northward along the coast.

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    We were thoroughly amazed at the great variety of wildflowers all along the trail.

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    Looking back down, you can pick out the trail winding its way up the mountainside from right to left, and way in the distance on the right is the campground.

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    We're used to watching sunrises over our ocean back in New England, so it's a treat to catch the sunsets out here.

    Amenities

    No dump station available

    No Verizon service

    Rates: $22 (50% off with Golden Age Pass)

    33 sites

    Coord: 35.988409 N, 121.495707 W

    Activities/Nearby Attractions

    Hiking

    Big Sur