People say there's nothing to do in San Simeon except Hearst Castle...Of course, those with inside…read moreknowledge know where the cool non-touristy stuff can be found. Where.. The Jung Ranch Trail has two entry points where you can park and hike. The most accessible starting point (perfect for those staying in the area's motels) is at the end of 271 Vista Del Mar Ave. The other end of this trail is off Lone Palm Dr. The Hike.. The Jung trail about 1 mile in length from endpoint to endpoint. For the most part, it's pretty flat and could be easily walked by most people. This trail goes along San Simeon's breezy beach cliffs with plenty of access to the beach and the tide pools below. The Tide Pools.. If you have kids be sure to come here around low tide. While the specimens not be amazing when compared to other famous tide pools, there are crabs and sea anemones everywhere. You'll like see a sea lion of the farther out rocks. The kids said this was the highlight of our most recent trip. Know this! It can be very windy and cold on this trail. Dress appropriately. Definitely snakes in the field so stay on the path..

This trail isn't far from Hwy 1. There is a small area on a side road to the North park, or a…read morelonger side road on the south end to park. you can walk the trail which I believe is around 2-3 miles. We saw the pictures of the tide pools so was hoping to see something. So we made our way down and was walking the tide-pools getting looks as if we were nuts because the waves were big so we had to wait until the wave went down to walk a little bit, stop, and go again. But we didn't see anything in the tide-pools.

The first .5 mile has a wooden path but don't try to do the full loop! The trial is quite overgrown…read moreand poison ivy is all along it. There was a small sign that indicated a part of the trail was under maintenance but once on the trail there's little direction other than small signs that tell about the trail. With no warning, suddenly you're in a very overgrown part that continues onto a broken bridge. By the point we got here we assumed we were more than halfway and didn't wanna risk more poison ivy which he had hardly gotten past. I'm glad we chose to continue because after getting past the broken bridge which was blocked off at the end (not the end we had come on) it was open, far less poison ivy and we made it to a road intended for vehicles to grt to the campground I think? It had some beautiful parts but not the sort of thing to bring kids out ages. Very narrow path for most of it!

A nice trail that's part nature walk, part moderate hike. The distance ranges from 3.5 - 3.8 miles…read moreit's a loop trail that goes around Sam Simeon State park/Campground. If you're staying at the camp ground you can easily get to the trail by following the park map. If you're not visiting the campsite there is a pullout area across the campground entrance on the other side near the beach where you can walk the trail under PCH. Coming from the beach trail around the loop you'll get around 450 feet of elevation gain, the trail is pretty simple to follow but if you're looking for direction to follow online there is a map on All Trails under "San Simeon trail to Washburn Campground Loop"

Located at Ragged hotel on highway one. The beginning of the "nature trail" can be found behind the…read moregift shop. This trail may be a short hike but not a hike that should be taken lightly; tread carefully. You should only do this hike if wearing proper shoes and use to tough steep hikes. This hike has very loose footings and one can easily slip or fall. If you may it to the bottom you'll be treated with a deserted beach: black beach. Best to go during low tide. If the tide is not low, the beach may be non existent. After a storm, you may see a waterfall! Be careful: extremely dangerous hike

2020 review (8/21/2020) - The is the best family-friendly trail in the area. They've done extensive…read morecleanup since my last visit and many of the downed trees have been removed. It's mostly flat and the only risk to small kids are the Cliffs. The yelp address is misleading (this is not located in Pittsburgh). To get here you must park in the Hearst Memorial Beach parking lot. Walk down to the beach and walk north about 200 yards. Look for the trail that goes up to the cliff area ( just past the Hearst Winery Barn).. Many people just hike to the San Simeon point and the benches. BUT I highly recommend you continue your adventure through the tall tree path all the way to the cove with a sea cave. There are several openings along the tree trail that give exclusive and private views of the coastline. - When you start this hike keep a look out on the right hand side for a very short path that leads to a huge climbing tree.. The kids will love playing on that.. - The farther you go the fewer people you will see.

I read about this area via a SLO county travel site:…read morehttps://highway1discoveryroute.com/activities/hiking-san-simeon-ragged-point/ where it's also referred as the San Simeon Point Trail. Access to these trails are from William Randolph Hearst State Beach. Gates to the park open at 8 a.m. and there's no fee to enter. The trail is about 2 miles round trip and can be accessed if you walk along the beach (on the right side of the pier if you're facing it. You'll see a trail that leads up to the bluff, about 1/2 way down the beach. Once along the bluffs, you'll wind through the trees and catch views of the beach and pier. Not too far in, there are a few fallen trees and the path, at first seems to have disappeared-it hasn't. Look to the right and there's a small opening in the fence that allows day hikers to continue on (it's marked private property with allowance for passage of day use hikers.) It's a quiet trail that's partially shaded and very quiet. For a short while I was a bit unnerved being alone but soon enough I came across some locals walking their dogs. The hike out to the point is the big payoff and plan to spend a little while admiring the views, including a small cove to the north. It was the perfect short morning adventure and definitely a less known gem in the area.

We enjoyed a relaxing day here with our dog. We were able to drive down to the lower beach and park…read morewith a great view of the old pier. There is lots of shade and space to relax and enjoy the sounds of the water. The beach and picnic area were pretty clean and although there were people fishing and BBQing, there was a nice quiet atmosphere. I don't know if it's typical but on our visit there were no screaming children or loud teens posing for the gram. It was a really calm vibe. The restrooms are near the entrance so it's a bit of a trek if you need to go and the portable restroom that was in the area was locked. Still this was better than the other beaches we visited in the area and I would definitely come back.

OK...this review is for the coast line area right under the William Randolph Hearst Memorial View…read morePoint. It's about 5 miles from the State Beach memorial state beach, which the rest of the reviews mention. But it is part of the Hearst State Beach. It has plenty of gravel parking, and good views of the coastline. You are able to slowly climb down the low embankment and get close to the water. I don't think it's safe for swimming, and with the ocean breezes making it quite chilly, so didn't stay too long. The sand is rough, with some large driftwood on the beach. But I was only one on the beach for a bit, and it was nice just staring out to the ocean while hearing the loud rumbling of the shallow waves.

We got to visit the section of the beach that's right by San Simeon campground. There's a path from…read morethe campground that goes under PCH to connect to the beach. We went during the fall of 2022, not too cold in the afternoon but you'll probably want to wear a long sleeve since it's a little windy there. It's a nice peaceful beach, we saw lots out pull over spots along PCH so there's more than just one opportunity to check this beach out.

This is the beach below San Simeon's hotels, though it's often confused with San Simeon State Beach…read moreand the San Simeon Creek Beach.. It's a sandy beach with plenty of small rocks. This beach was made for long walks and is generally not very crowded. You can park off Pico Avenue and walk down to the beach from there. If you head north on this beach you can walk past Pico Creek and pond and walk over some large beach rocks. Heading south will take you Jung Trail and the area's best tide pools.

In the coastal seaside town of Cambria, the town has a boardwalk. No not the kind that has hot dog…read more stands and carnival games. Instead the kind that's an ADA compliant walking path. The boardwalk sits on the bluff with ocean views. From the boardwalk, there are cut out trails leading towards the beach. Those trails may be carved out paths and some may be purposefully maintained access points. The boardwalk stretches one mile (one way, 2 miles round trip). Start or end either from the North end or Leffingwell Landing. Those points have parking lots. The boardwalk was refreshed in October 2023. The boardwalk material is all natural wood. The planks are level, spaced tightly close to each other, and weather proofed and slip resistant . Great!

It's a very well maintained boardwalk that stretches across the edge of the beach. The views are…read morebeautiful and there's several sets of stairs that'll take you down to the sand. When you visit Cambria you want to make sure you take a walk on this boardwalk. There are also a few spots with benches to be able to take a break. This area of California is quiet and very scenic. You'll also be able to park your car along the boardwalk and it's free. Very rare for a CA beach.

Beautiful, secluded, and sandwiched between San Simeon and Ragged Point - well worth a stop if…read moreyou're in the area! A true hidden gem - I only found it bc I caught the sweeping views of the creek flowing onto the beach flanked by cliffs with vibrant blue-green waters against rich, deep brown sands while driving along the PCH. It was so breathtaking I just had to stop! And eventually I found the trailhead - there's a gated entrance that almost looks like someone's private property but the hiking trail becomes obvious as you approach. The trail is sandy and mostly flat. It's part of the Los Padres National Forest and also a Snowy Plover nesting site - so be sure to stick to the trails while heading to the beach. The creek flows to a large pool created by a rise in sand on the beach, trapping the creek waters and creating a refuge for shore birds. At low tide and when the creek isn't overflowing, you can easily get onto the beach itself by walking to the end of the creek pool - there's a little dry, sandy spit taking you out onto the beach. But at high tide you may have to wade in the creek a bit bc it sometimes joins up with the ocean waters. The sand is the deepest, richest brown I've ever seen - very unique! And really makes the gorgeous blue-green waters on the Pacific pop! The trail is pretty short - only 1/2 mile to the beach. Flat and easy. It's part of the CCT (California Coastal Trail) so that's always fun. There's a large coastal pine with a makeshift fire pit under it right before you get to the beach - apparently someone was living there at one time lol - but not anymore. The beach is full of beautiful pieces of driftwood- such a lovely place to explore. There are also sea caves but unfortunately I was on a time crunch - wish I could've explored more! There's a small bit of paved parking at the trailhead - maybe room for 1-2 cars. But across the street there's plenty of parking along the side of the street. There aren't any bathrooms or facilities here so plan ahead. The trail is listed on AllTrails - Incredibly beautiful hidden gem that I will definitely leave more time to explore on my next visit - highly recommend!

Another one of San Simeon's secret trails and beaches. The San Carpoforo Beach Trail has amazing…read morescenery and seclusion. The Trailhead is just past the San Carpoforo Creek bridge ( 13 miles north of Hearst Castle) and across the street from a Lime colored house. Park in front of the trailhead or across the street. The walk isn't a long one at less than half a mile, but when you count all the exploring options around the beach and lagoon you will definitely get a lot of steps in. There's a ton a driftwood around this beach and if you hike to the north below the cliff ( if the tide is low) you can find a small secluded beach and a large sea cave. To the south is Ragged point. Note - The sand here is different than the other beaches in the area especially close to the water. It's very porous. There are also unique sand fleas/flies only found at this beach next to water. Tip - Keep a keen eye on the fields on the both sides of the road when driving here (Highway 1). I've seen herds of Elk and various deer.