Katie Clary
Living Editor
Most people drive to Leo Carillo State Beach to surf. Here’s a secret: a few short miles away is the most perfect picnicking place imaginable, with rolling green fields like something out of “Legends of the Fall” or “Dances with Wolves.”
Problem is, it’s a grunt to get there.
I once planned a romantic dinner up at Nicholas Flats. Halfway up the hill, my date turned to me, panting, and said, “You call this a picnic?” Me, equally winded, just half-smiled and we kept charging. Don’t hike to the Nicholas Flats if you are a flatlander. The trail climbs 1,800 feet in four miles, most of which in the first three miles. But the silver lining of every steep climb is the immediate satisfaction of seeing the panorama spread wider over your shoulder very quickly. And in my book, this hearty cardiovascular workout is preferable to a Stairmaster in the cramped Pepperdine weight room any day. The trailhead starts behind the Leo Carillo campground to the southeast (that’s the right side of the parking lot with the ocean at your back, for folks who are directionally challenged). After a brief gradual incline, the climb steepens and the trail splits. Stick to the left trail unless you have intentions of dropping into the next canyon over. Then follow the switchbacks to a flat spot with a lookout, and then across a narrow ridge, and then up for a long stretch.
As per Ranger Jack’s promise last week, wildflowers are blossoming in full show at Leo Carillo. The trail is littered with this sweet-smelling, natural confetti. But study up on your malignant botany, this trail is also known for patches of poison oak.
As summer approaches and the temperatures rise, I recommend starting the hike by 8 a.m. or at least bringing lots of water — there’s not much shade until nearly the crest of the climb. One last precaution: stop at the ranger check-in to get a map. The trail-markers at the top of the climb aren’t very clear, so you’ll be glad you brought it (although when in doubt, just follow the majority of footprints toward the pond).
But although the hike isn’t a complete walk in the park, Nicholas Flats at the top is.
It’s the kind of place you want to gallop bareback on a horse, tomahawk in hand and release a ripping Indian war whoop, or at the same time a place you want to lay down a warm blanket and stay by your lover’s side beneath an oak tree on the field’s edge until the sun sets and the moon rises. Either way, there’s undeniably an element of wildness and secretness tucked away on that plateau, as with any place that is difficult to reach and beautiful to see.
03-31-2005
