Devil's Slide Trail, Pedro Point Headlands 2015-05-20

Devil's Slide Trail was opened to the public in 2014 and is part of the California Coastal Trail. The treacherous and landslide prone 1.3 mile stretch of Hwy 1 was replaced by a tunnel in 2013, allowing San Mateo County to convert this beautiful stretch with panoramic views of Pacific Ocean to a trail for hikers and cyclists last year. Parking is available at both the north and south ends of the trail. I used the lot on south side and would recommend that for anyone traveling north on Hwy 1.

Today was another cloudy, foggy, damp day by the ocean. A reminder that we folks living in Bay Area cannot take our beautiful blue sky days for granted, especially closer to the ocean! Along the trail, there are multiple overlook points to enjoy the view. The 1.3 mile stretch may not be long, but it does have something for everyone - bird watchers, geologists, and whale watchers. Carrying your binoculars wouldn't be a bad idea when hiking this trail.

Tom Lantos tunnels

Apollo and I decided to include Pedro Point Headlands along with Devil's Slide Trail during our hike. The access is right by Hwy 1, at the north end of the trail & tunnel. Pedro Point is about 600 ft. above sea level. We made our way to the point by taking South Ridge Trail and Bluff Trail. Both are dirt trails, and Bluff Trail was narrow in stretches. South Ridge Trail offers a fantastic view of the Tom Lantos tunnels. 

Bluff trail, San Pedro rock

As you get closer to the top, you will get to see San Pedro Rock in more detail. Unlike Mori Point, you cannot get close to the edge of the Bluff and ocean. From the top, you can see Pacifica Beach, Rockaway Beach, Mori Point and Sharp Park Beach. On a clearer day, you should be able to see Farallon islands in the ocean. 

Arroyo trail

On the way back, we took Bluff Trail and Arroyo Trail to reach the trail head by Hwy 1. The rough dirt trails in Pedro Point Headlands will provide a nice contrast to the well paved Devil's Slide should you choose to combine these two. 





Our 5.6 mile hike took us just shy of two hours. More pictures from the hike.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #Devil'sSlide #PedroPoint #CoastalTrail