WEEKLY
WALKER

"The Quiet Side"

Ano Nuevo State Reserve- Cascade Creek Trail

"It's better to wear out one's shoes than one's sheets."         
                                                            Genoese proverb

Directions: Highway 92 to Half Moon Bay. South on Highway 1 for 23 miles. The Cascade Creek Trailhead is located on the west side of the highway, across from Rossi Road. Rossi Road is also the entrance to Costanoa, a new lodge and camping facility.

Grade: Easy.

Distance: One-half mile.

Time: One-half hour plus whatever time you need for beach combing and tide pooling.

Special Conditions:

            From December through March, thousands of thrill seekers crowd into Ano Nuevo to witness the annual birthing and mating call of more than 3,000 Northern elephant seals. This is an extraordinary gathering, when you consider that just 100 years ago only 50 to 100 of these creatures were still alive, a small remnant of the hundreds of thousands of Northern elephant seals, which once inhabited the coastal Pacific. During the 1800s, almost all of the population was slaughtered for the oil rendered from their blubber. In the 1920s, both the Mexican and U.S. governments gave protected status to elephant seals, and since then, the species has multiplied to a population of more than 150,000. If you have never witnessed this display of birthing and mating, make reservations now. The reserve offers naturalist-guided walks until March 31, and that is the only way to access the reserve. The guided walks last about 2.5 hours and cover about three miles. From April through November, you may hike on your own. For reservations, call 1-800-444-4445, or for a package deal, including bus transportation from the Hillsdale Shopping Center, call SamTrans at 650-508-6441.

But how about the quiet side of Ano Nueveo? Two miles north of the main park entrance is the Cascade Creek Trailhead and north another two miles is the Franklin Point Trailhead. Both of these access points offer short trails to the coastal bluffs and beaches, with fine opportunities for beachcombing and tide-pooling. The short trail to the mouth of Cascade Creek is mostly level, dipping into a drainage swale, passing through a thicket of native blackberry, and climbing along the bluff with good views of Ano Nuevo Island to the south. There are side trails down to the beach where Cascade Creek flows into the ocean. During a hike to this bluff a few weeks ago, we did not see any elephant seals (they are a few miles to the south), but several visitors were inspecting the tide pools below the bluff. From this area, you can view the surf-resistant rock that is known as the Monterey Formation. The State Reserve brochure tells us that the material that forms the point "has been lifted above sea level and shoved northward by tectonic activity along the San Gregoric Fault Zone, which cuts through the reserve."

Look south and a bit offshore, and you will see Ano Nueveo Island, the site of a lighthouse station maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard from the late 1800s until 1948. A few of the improvements are still standing. The need to protect ships from the rocky coast became apparent in the 1850s and '60s with the loss of three large ships in the rocks between Ano Nuevo and Pigeon Point. The Carrier Pigeon, a new clipper ship sailing from Boston to San Francisco with 1,300 tons of cargo, ran aground on June 6, 1953. No loss of life, but the ship was destroyed.

Twelve years later, the Sir John Franklin got lost in the fog and went down at Franklin's Point on Jan. 17, 1865. The captain and 12 seamen were lost. The third shipwreck was the Coya, and it was even more disastrous. The British bark, loaded with coal, hit the rocks and keeled over, claiming the lives of 27 passengers and crew. Only three persons survived. The coroner's request, which was widely circulated to various authorities and congressmen, concluded that ". . .it seems to be very evident that it is the duty of the proper authorities to put a light on Point New Year's," otherwise known as Ano Nuevo Island. Four years later, the federal government purchased the island and Pigeon Point for $10,000 and approved an appropriation of $90,000 for a ". . .first order lighthouse at Point Ano Nuevo or vicinity, California." In the meantime, on Nov. 21, 1868, another vessel, the Hellesport, was wrecked at Pigeon Point, claiming 11 of the 18 men on board.

            A light was put at Pigeon Point first. It was lit on Nov. 15, 1872, and a 12-inch steam fog whistle was installed at Ano Nuevo Island. In 1904, a double house was constructed on the island for the keepers. As the years went by, more improvements included a lantern on top of a square skeleton steel tower. The history of Ano Nuevo and other fascinating features of the area are best described in a book entitled "The Natural History of Ano Nuevo" by Le Boeuf and Kaza, published by the Boxwood Press. This book and other interest material are available at the Ano Nuevo Reserve Visitors Center.

            As time allows, you can wander along the Atkinson Bluff Trail north to Franklin Point and on to the Gazos Creek Day Use Area. The total distance round-trip is about two and one-half miles.