Dates: October 18-19, 2025
I was itching to get back outside for a quick backpacking trip, and with the Sierras getting colder I looked closer to the coast. I’ve had my eye on this Timber Top campsite for a while now for the views, and the weather this past weekend looked perfect. I left the Bay Area around noon on Saturday and was back on Sunday by noon.
I carried up 4.5L of water since the campsite is dry, but after I came back with over a liter left I would have been fine with 3.5L. Always better to have more and I could have used some to lightly wash up at the top. There is apparently a spring just past halfway up on the trail on a branch off to the left (north) along Lafler creek that you could refill water from. I saw the branch off point but did not go investigate.
Day 1: Boronda Trailhead to Timber Top (3 miles, +2500 ft elevation gain)
I wanted to get up camp before sunset, so I started driving down to the Boronda trailhead just past noon and got there around 3PM. Even the drive down was more beautiful than I expected; I fully understand why people drive Highway 1 now. I’ve only ever gone down to Point Lobos in the last several years and don’t remember the last time I’ve gone farther. The weather was truly perfect; the skies were cloudless but I had the clouds of the marine layer below me.
Parking was easy; there was plenty of room along the side of the road for the approximately 7 cars parked at the trailhead. I pretty much did not stop hiking on the way up (except for the occasional photo) and passed a few groups that were doing the same trip. The views of the ocean were incredible, but the uphill grind was non-stop all the way to the top. There were a few short sections that were slightly flat and shaded that I greatly appreciated; my calves felt stretched the entire time on the steep ridge trail.
I got to Timber Top camp proper in about 1.5hrs, and then headed a little past it to find an open campsite on the ridges that had an unobstructed view of the ocean. There was a chain of three sites branching off of the main ridge, and I settled down on the middle one.
I did a little painting (I really need to sit down and practice painting foliage more, and just slow down in general) before setting up my camp and getting settled for the sunset. There was just a slight breeze that fully died down some time in the middle of the night. Definitely a top ten sunset that I’ve ever seen; there’s something just magical about being above a cloud layer and seeing the shadows of the clouds get deeper and deeper as the sun sets. As it got to true darkness, I did a little stargazing before heading to sleep.
Day 2: Timber Top to Boronda Trailhead (3 miles, +2500 ft elevation gain)
Just like the sunset, I woke up to a similarly incredible sunrise above the clouds of the marine layer. I had a very restful sleep, unlike some of my other nights out in the wilderness this year, and was able to enjoy the morning while drinking some miso soup for breakfast. I took some more photos before packing up and heading back. It was a perfect weekend getaway, with plenty of time for the rest of the day to get other things done.
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