Planning ahead for retirement backpacking – starting with coastal Calif trails

JT would be best late fall, unless you like it hot, but Northern CA coast is prime time late summer or early fall.  Note that this can be fire season throughout the west, so you will want to be flexible.

For Point Reyes – the reservation setup is a little odd, so get on recreation.gov and figure it out well ahead of time. And late september to early october is the prime weather window..

I’ve always wanted to hike from Crescent City to Sue-meg State Park (formerly Patricks Point State Park).

Point Reyes was my post-holidays “training hike” for years as it’s beautiful area, yet the campgrounds are reserved.  Good place to enjoy a leisurely morning, take some time at the beach before the next camp, leisurely dinner. Great when the days are short but it can storm. Plus the condensation (I’d advise Sky Camp for last .. being able to dry gear).

There’s camps to the south too, all the way to/within easy hiking distance of the Golden Gate Bridge under the NPS “Marin Headlands” .. with a more informal reservation system too.  Still remember water availability being a slight issue.

Not sure about Lost Coast, but there’s the California Coastal Trail though think the latter is best for bicycle riders due to the distance between bike/hike state park sites.

Before PCT season starts with it’s now-required permits 1 March, there’s the national forests in eastern San Diego county (just watch for snow on Mt Laguna).

Met a bunch of trail runners doing their adventure using a bit of the PCT between Mt Laguna and “Scissors crossing”, plus surrounding trails for their early spring race of some sort.  Could be modified for UL backpacking if you can find (or cache) guaranteed water.  That starts getting into Azna-Borrego State park and maybe there’s some more advice in “trips” there.  I’ve skirted the area .. gets hot early for the pros/cons of desert hiking.  No ocean views however, so may want to concentrate on “the coast”

The Angeles NF tends to have a lot of dayhikers though there’s the PCT track.  Same with the San Bernardino NF.  Watch for fire-damaged closures.

Into summer, there’s the Tahoe Rim Trail and surrounding area.  No ocean but a big lake view almost 360°.   Go a bit earlier for more water from melted snow and to avoid “smoke” season.

My recommendation is to create a spreadsheet/calander.  For each area that you would like to visit find the “sweet spot” for the best time to go: features, less crowds, events and so forth.  Then backtrack a bit and note lead times to get reservations and so forth.  In many cases, timing is important: blooms, full moons, high/low tides, comets, and such.  I find that planning is where a lot of the fun is.

For the last year or so, I have been trying to plan a trip to Botswana to some game reserves.  The droughts (food scarcity) have had an impact on planning, as well as other logistical time commitments (peak time for me would be May/June).

Don’t “plan for your retirement” : go hiking NOW!
Like, before you need a wheelchair.

Cheers

Thanks to those of you who’ve addressed my actual question; I should have put it in bold!

Roger – I do plenty of hiking and backpacking already, as my several trip reports here suggest. But retirement opens options for multiple week and even month-long adventures.  Without a trust fund, I do have to keep working for a while though.

Jon- I appreciate the spreadsheet idea, but I’m an excellent planner. I just need suggestions on specific trails that might fit into a N-S California coast adventure, with sequential possibilities. With so many Californians on here, I figured I’d learn some I don’t know about.

Thanks everyone from – 40F!

Look at Henry Coe State Park for some nice backpacking, Pinnacles NP for dayhiking. I would recommend Big Sur, but there is no telling if the road will be open …

Creamery Meadows in BS, but it’s just a short trail as are most beach trails in the area. Well worth a visit.

Cayucos is nice. Pier fishing is good for smelt. No license needed on the pier.  San Simeon and Hearst Castle. Morro Bay and Montana De Oro. One of the most beautiful beaches in California.  White sand and tide pools. Eucalyptus forest. Short hikes. Going north to Carmel and Monterey. What’s left of Fisherman’s Wharf. Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Down to Santa Barbara. Solvang if you want a Dutch experience. Touristy. Lompoc for the flowers   You may see a condor if you’re lucky.