Gear Trails: Skyline to the Sea

Have you done this bucket list hike in our own backyard?

January 11, 2017 9:00 am EST

Usually, when people think California’s best bucket-list hike, they think long. 

John Muir. 

Lost Coast. 

And of course, Pacific Crest. 

We’d like to suggest a three-day hike with views just as good within a tank of gas: the Skyline-to-Sea. 

It’s around 30 miles — which makes it either a fast two-day or leisurely three-day hike. (Or a very fast one day.) 

Bonus: As the name suggests, you’re heading down to the beach — emphasis on the word down. 

On the way, you’ll pass around redwoods, across Big Basin, and through a coastal forest on your way to your destination: Waddell Beach. 

If you do plan to stop and smell the redwoods, don’t neglect booking your camping site. See here for a trip report with camping suggestions. 

Since you might be moving fast — what’s three days of natural splendor when you can pack it all into one? — we recommend thinking hard about your hydration. 

In this case, we suggest checking out the S.F.-based Mission Workshop’s Hauser Hydration Pack, made to incorporate three-liter water packs from your choice of brands (Camelbak, HydraPack, etc.) 

Don’t forget to take pictures. 

Diane Rommel

Diane Rommel

Diane Rommel has written for The Wall Street Journal, Outside, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, Travel + Leisure, Wallpaper and Afar, as well as The Cut, Buzzfeed, Huffington Post and McSweeney’s. She once drove from London to Mongolia, via Siberia.
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