Late Summer Exploration at Andrew Molera State Park

September 3, 2023

Place: Andrew Molera State Park, Big Sur California

Length: 3.9 miles

Coordinates: 36.287166, -121.843549

Level: easy plus

On the last Labor Day weekend Pappa Quail and I went on a romantic long weekend, just the two of us. It was Pappa Quail's idea to revisit the Monterey area and his main desire was to go on a whale-watching cruise. On the first day of our trip we hiked at Fort Ord National Monument, and on the morning of our second day we went on a 4-hours whale-watching cruise. The cruise was exceptionally successful. We got to see not only the humpback whales that were in the Monterey Bay that time, but also the resident pack of orcas, a huge pod of common dolphin, sea lions, flying fish, and many sea birds. 

When we were done with the boat tour we still had much daytime left and we decided to drive a bit south to Andrew Molera State Park. We've been there many years ago, and hiked a little, but had only very view memories from that time. This time we wanted to hike a bit more. 

 

 The parking area was full but we managed to find a space. After looking at the options we decided to walk down to the beach and maybe go on a loop hike on the hills overlooking the ocean. We didn't have any maps and the park attendant had none to give us. All we could do was to take a photo of the large map in the kiosk display, a map that had no size scale. We estimated roughly a mile to the beach and a five plus something miles loop up on the hill that we considered going on after the beach. 

Finding the trailhead we wanted took some time too because the large kiosk map wasn't clear about that either. The dilemma was resolved with the help of the nice attendant in the entrance booth, and soon we were on our way to the beach. 

Our hike as captured by my GPS

Following a short dirt road we reached the trailhead to the beach. The trail was another dirt road that was gated for vehicles and we passed around the gate post along with other beach goers. Almost immediately we came upon the Big Sur River and crossed it on a makeshift bridge of wood planks.  

Big Sur River

Right after crossing the wet river we crossed a dry river bed. It looked to me as if the Big Sur River had an alternative route to flow when it overflows. Crossing with us were a few other individuals and family groups heading to the beach, many carrying heavy beach stuff such as folding chairs and shaders, and coolers. It appeared that not everyone was appreciative of the mile's walk just to get to the beach. 

Pappa Quail was already far ahead so I increased my pace, leaving all the stragglers behind. It didn't take long however, before I found myself slowing down again - this time to check out the bloom scene along the trail. 

Whispering Bells, Emmenanthe penduliflora 

There wasn't a lot of bloom, but there was some. Generally, when looking for off season bloom in California, it is best to go to the coastal areas. The frequent fog supports plant life there throughout the year, even in the long absence of rain. 

Coastal Bush Lupine, Lupinus arboreus

Away from the river, other than the trees and bushes, most of the lower vegetation was fairly dry, as it was on the hills east of highway 1. The trees and bushes however, did make most of the trail side vegetation, and the dr patches were relatively small. 

Beach Trail

When I caught up with Pappa Quail he was busy listening to calls that were coming from a mound of dry vegetation off the trail. When he spotted the caller, he pointed him out to me, and also to everyone else who happened to be nearby. The caller was a male California quail, standing guard over his covey, which was well hidden in the brush. 

California Quail, male

A few steps further down the trail Pappa Quail saw a turkey vulture circling the sky. He might have passed on photographing it but I convinced him that the vulture too deserved documentation. 

Turkey Vulture

The vulture hanged in the air below the only blue patch of sky where the clouds were parted. Everywhere else the sky was overcast and gray. On the east, the clouds had touched the mountain top. 

As we progressed along the trail the vegetation closed in on us, and we welcomed the shade and the protection from the wind.

There were more wildflowers on bloom in the cover of the larger trees and bushes. The sticky monkeyflower is also one with an extended bloom season, and always nice to see.

Sticky Monkeyflower, Diplacus aurantiacus

I was also very happy to see the yerba buena in bloom. This unassuming native relative of the mint makes great infusion. I didn't pick any on this hike, but I loved seeing the tiny, almost unnoticeable flowers.

Yerba Buena, Clinopodium douglasii

Most state park trails are not open to dogs. Some people get creative about that and find interesting ways of bringing their pooches along without literally breaking the rules. I thought it was really cute.

A Pooch in a Pouch

Further down the trail the trees receded and two tall walls of willows encased in blackberry vines flanked the trail. I looked for any late season berries but found none.

Not all the berry bushes were blackberry though. Here and there I identified the much less prickly thimbleberry, and I was surprised to see some of them blooming still.

Thimbleberry, Rubus parviflorus

Close to the beach the trees grew taller again and the blackberry vines dangled down from high branches. For a short distance it looked like we were walking through a jungle of a sort.

Beach Trail

I love seeing pretty spiderwebs. In the afternoon most of the delicate orb webs are damaged or gone to rags. The webs that I saw mostly intact were the cradle webs. Usually they  are very dusty at this time of day, so I was surprised to see a few that were still beaded with dew drops, appearing like a piece of lace hanging from the vegetation. The spider itself was nowhere t be seen. 

In that same jungle-like area I found some black nightshade in bloom. Its small berries were still green - unripe. 

Black Nightshade, Solanum nigrum

We stepped through the vegetation and found ourselves on the beach. Much of the sand was covered with driftwood and rotting kelp. The pungent aroma of rotting kelp, so characteristic of the north California coast in the fall, filled my nostrils. Some people find this smell offensive, but I inhaled it as perfume. People who reached there ahead of us had moved to the north side of the beach which was more clean of that.  

Andrew Molera Beach

Of the coastal strand vegetation, the first thing that captured my I was the blooming sand verbena. The beautiful yellow orbs shone like little suns nestled in their salt-covered leaves. 

Yellow Sand Verbena, Abronia latifolia

Adjacent to the verbena bloomed the silver beachweed. This one is wind-pollinated and its flowers are noticeable only by those who look for them. 

Silver Beachweed, Ambrosia chamissonis

Above the north side of the beach was a large patch of blue sky. To the south however, the sky was still overcast and the scenery more gray. Much of the driftwood on the beach was piled by humans into pyramid-like structures, like ready to lit bone fires. 

Andrew Molera Beach

As soon as he stepped on the beach Pappa Quail was scanning the water. There weren't very may birds around, but there were a few. 

Double-crested Cormorant

None of the birds we saw that day were new, or particularly rare. Neither of them was also busy with anything, They simply floated gently on the surf. 

Surf Scoter, female

Even gulls, which we normally see in multitudes on the coast, were few, and the individuals we did see looked subdued. 

Western Gull

Pappa Quail was disheartened. He was disappointed with how few birds he saw on the beach. He didn't even look at the flock of pelicans that swooped in from the south, so I took their photos through my wide lens. 

Pacific Brown Pelicans

There was another plant blooming on the outskirts of the beach, near the verbena and the beachweed. This one however, isn't native to California. It is quite interesting though, and has a nice bloom. 

European Searocket, Cakile maritima, non-native, invasive

During the time we were on the beach the clouds slowly parted, and by the time we were heading back out, bright sunlight lit the trail. 

We made it back to the trail junction before the beach access, and started up the hill, intending to hike the loop trail, or at least part of it. Up on the hill the vegetation was mostly chaparral. There were no trees shading the path, and now that the sun was out, we got really hot really fast. 

Where the trail was close to the cliff we had a nice view of the ocean below. Without the clouds above, the Pacific Ocean was blue once again. 

Pappa Quail spotted a butterfly and took a photograph of it. When I approached the butterfly took off, circled around a little, then vanished in thin air. 

I focused on less flighty things. Golden yarrow shrubs were blooming in small patches, glowing in yellow through the green and reddish chaparral. 

Seaside Golden Yarrow, Eriophyllum staechadifolium 

The asters were a bit harder to see. Their inflorescences were smaller and usually hanging low between other bushes. I did see those that bloomed right by the trail. 

California Aster, Symphyotrichum chilense

Morning glory was also blooming here and there. Not in large numbers, but a few open flowers were visible on the vines that outgrew the blackberry brambles. 

Smooth Western Morning Glory, Calystegia purpurata

The trail meandered along the coastal cliffs, going uphill in a steady, mild slope. Occasionally we stopped to hydrate and to assess our progress. It was clear by then that we wouldn't hike the entire loop but we still thought we might reach the far arch f the loop trail, where there supposedly was another beach access. 

View north on the Andrew Molera cove

The heat however, was building up more than we could tolerate. After a good hour of walking we took a break under the measly shade of some coffeeberry bushes that grew somewhat taller than the rest.

California Coffeeberry, Frangula californica

Looking at the photo we took of the kiosk map we tried to estimate how long we had until we reached the next beach access., and came to the conclusion that we had between a mile and two to get there. Dripping sweat and tired we decided to turn back. As soon as we started heading back we came across a buckeye butterfly resting on the trail. 

Buckeye Butterfly

Pappa Quail pointed out to me more flowers. When I approached I saw that these were no longer blooming. The plant was completely dry now. The bract leaves below the inflorescence harden and remain after the seeds are already dispersed, making the plant look as if it is still blooming. The plant's name reflects this appearance of continuous bloom - everlasting. 

Pearly Everlasting, Anaphalis margaritacea 

The next blossom Pappa Quail pointed out to me was truly blooming - a small bull thistle by the side of the trail.

Bull Thistle, Cirsium Vulgare, non-native, invasive

We walked faster on the way back, and not only because it was downhill. I looked at the ocean below again. It looked as if the chaparral flows over the cliff and spills into the water. 

 

On the inland side of the trail, the visible hills were covered with oak savanna vegetation. and they looked dry. The green chaparral grew lower, and closer to the ocean, as if springing from the bottom of the hill. 

I didn't take as many photos on the way back, but even going the second time on the same trail can yield new sights, and certainly new points of view. 

California Scrub Jay

It was only on the return path that I saw the blooming poppies near the trail before coming down to the Beach Trail. Somehow I missed them when we were heading out. 

California Poppy, Eschscholzia californica

Back on the Beach Trail we turned right away east in the direction of the trailhead. There were fewer people walking there now, as if the heat had settled the other hikers either on the beach or back in their vehicles. 

Beach Trail

Back by the Big Sur River I stood and waited for a new group of hikers that were crossing on the wood planks bridge before taking the photograph that I didn't on our way in. 

Once again I paused in the middle of the bridge, balancing on the narrow plank, to take a photo of the creek, in the other direction, in sunnier illumination. 

Big Sur River

We left Andrew Molera State Park and drove north on Highway 1, in the direction of Monterey. There was plenty of daytime left and still, so we looked for another place where we could to a short walk and sightseeing. I suggested a short walk at Garrapata State Park so there we went next.