Aptos Creek Road–Loma Prieta Grade, 3 sights is a 5.4-mile out-and-back in The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park near Monte Toyon, CA. It climbs 758 ft, with sections as steep as 25% grade, and is mostly dirt. It scores 75/100 on the Ambleway Wildness scale: genuinely wild.
Elevation
0 mi184 – 755 ft · steepest grade: 25%5.8 mi
Getting there
Trailhead: Powerline 37.00652, -121.91548
Nearest town Monte Toyon, CA
Directions
AMBLEWAYwww.ambleway.com
Aptos Creek Road–Loma Prieta Grade, 3 sights
5.4 mi · ▲ 758 ft · 2 hr 11 min
Elevation 185–756 ft
Out & Back · The Forest of Nisene Marks State Park
Trailhead: Powerline · 37.00652, -121.91548
Weather Sep 20: Fog, high 64°F / low 51° · precip 1% · wind 6 mph · sunrise 6:55 AM · sunset 7:09 PM
No dogs on part of this route
- Start on Powerline, heading NE.
- 0.5 miTurn right, heading SW.
- 250 ftSharp left, heading SE.
- 0.2 miSharp left onto Aptos Creek Road, heading SE.
- 0.7 miBear right, heading N.
- 200 ftContinue straight onto Aptos Creek Fire Road, heading NE.
- 0.8 miTurn left onto Millpond Trail, heading N.
- 450 ftTurn left, heading N.
- 100 ftBear left onto Loma Prieta Grade, heading N.
- 0.4 miReach Powerline, then turn around and head back the way you came.
- 0.4 miBear right, heading NE.
- 50 ftTurn right onto Millpond Trail, heading NE.
- 450 ftTurn right onto Aptos Creek Fire Road, heading N.
- 0.3 miBear left, heading S.
- 0.6 miBear left onto Aptos Creek Road, heading SW.
- 0.6 miSharp right, heading SW.
- 0.3 miSharp right, heading SE.
- 250 ftTurn left onto Powerline, heading SW.
- 0.5 miArrive back at the trailhead.
Each distance is the walk from the previous step. Tap a step for a map of its junction.
Trail surface
65% dirt35% unspecified
Weather
FogTemperature 64°F51°
Precip1%Wind6 mphUV5Humidity92%
Hourly temperature
65°50°
Sunrise 6:55 AM12 AM3 AM9 AM12 PM3 PMSunset 7:09 PM
Mon
61°52°
Tue
71°53°
Wed
90°53°
Thu
82°54°
Fri
86°55°
Sat
80°53°
Sunset
The best sunset spot on this hike is right at the trailhead, so there is no walk out. Be there by 6:49 PM to have the sun's last 20 minutes of sky before it sets at 7:09 PM. Your car is right there — dark at 7:35 PM.
Good to know
- No dogs on part of this route
Other ways to reach this destination
- 1.9 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
- 1.9 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
- 2.5 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
- 2.5 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
- 2.7 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
- 3.1 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
- 4.3 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
- 4.3 mi · out & back · via Aptos Creek Road
More from Powerline Trailhead
- Aptos Creek Fire Road–Aptos Creek Road, 3 sights 5.8 mi · ▲ 824 ft
- Porter Trail & Powerline via Aptos Creek Road 4.2 mi · ▲ 883 ft
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