Parking: From Highway 1 take Ward Avenue to: N 39° 30.119 W 123°
47.212
The Pacific coast
population of the western snowy plover is listed as a
threatened species and is protected by the federal Endangered
Species Act. Snowy plovers have lived on California beaches
for thousands of years, but today human use of their remaining
beach habitat seriously threatens their survival. Once
numbering in the thousands, less than 1500 breeding plovers
remain. They nest in only 27 sites in California, down from 53
in the 1970’s.
People and dogs are the culprits. The plovers nest directly in
the beach sand so you have to watch where you walk. People can
accidentally step on the nests and crush the eggs or chicks and
might never know it. Dogs chase the birds and also step on nests.
It is best to stay on the wet sand areas but if you go into the dry
sand you should do so carefully.
Plover Information Sign on the way to the cache: N 39° 30.308 W
123° 47.165
The overlook is at the
end of the paved "haul road" where winter storms have
reclaimed what in recent years was a Georgia-Pacific truck
road and prior to that a railroad. This is one of our most
popular hiking routes. The road to the site is level and the
trail to the cache is short.
The container is in what we think might be called Baccaris
pilularis, AKA Dwarf Coyote Brush. Follow your gpsr until you see a
circular trail around a 20’ clump of brush. You can reach the
container without walking into the brush. Keep the container close
to your side if you see others along the main trail. They won’t
really know what you are doing so it won’t take much effort to
protect the cache.
Enjoy the view from here
and take a careful walk on the beach. Dogs on leashes are
allowed to the cache site and beyond. There is a no-dog area
to the north.
Need Cache - Will Travel