Route: Silver Peak Circumference (CA)

All of Big Sur is epic and amazing, and Silver Peak Wilderness is no exception. Huge peaks rising out of the Pacific Ocean, gurgling creeks, the southernmost grove of natural occurring Coastal Redwoods, expansive views, and an astounding amount of variety and diversity is what defines this amazing area. The route goes around the namesake peak of the wilderness. In the counter clockwise (CCW) direction, you start with a long climb up the Salmon Creek Trail. You then hit the ridge road for a few hundred meters, before merging onto the Cruikshank trail. These first two trails follow amazing canyons on either side of Silver Peak. After following Cruikshank for many miles, take the Buckeye trail. Buckeye brings you back home with huge views of the Big Sur coastline for the second half of the trail. Because the true, full loop would include roughly 200m of highway running, I think that the best/safest call is to make the FKT route start and end on the dirt of either trailhead in order to avoid sprinting out onto the highway to get a few extra seconds off your time. Start with your hand on either trailhead sign and end as soon as your foot hits the cement/highway barrier (depending on direction chosen). There is a segment for the CCW direction (https://www.strava.com/segments/8809661). Once you finish, don’t forget to check out Salmon Creek Falls! It is beautiful and less than a quarter mile from the highway. Perfect for a post-FKT swim.

P.S.: check this website (https://bigsurtrailmap.net/trailconditions.html) for trail conditions before heading out on your adventure! Trails in Big Sur can get overgrown or washed out sometimes.