Chews Ridge (5045′)
Eagle Peak (1607′)
Ollason Peak (1799′)
13 May 2017
It was a temperate Saturday in May and my eyes were wandering south for some peakbagging. I had climbed the highest point of Monterey County the year before, but there are three other peaks in the county with at least two thousand feet of topographic prominence. Today’s objective was an easy one: Chews Ridge, which rises to 5045 feet at its highest point. It’s easily reached off of Tassajara Road. I took a nice leisurely stroll around the fire lookout that crowns the highest point of the ridge, as well as the nearby MIRA Observatory. As befitting a peak in the northern Los Padres National Forest, there are great views of the Ventanas, from Uncle Sam Mountain to Junipero Serra Peak, the county high point.
Chews Ridge has great views but isn’t much of a hike, and I was hungry for more. So I headed off to Toro County Park. Via the East Ridge Trail, I first obtained Eagle Peak, which is really just a little bump that happens to be on the California Coastal Peaks list, and then continued to Ollason Peak via Toro Park Peak. As is common in northern California parks, I saw a few cows on the way.
Ollason Peak overlooks the city of Salinas, Monterey’s county seat. It’s overshadowed by Simas Peak, which I believe to be the highest point in Toro County Park at 2129 feet. (And yet is not on any peak lists. Might have to write my own to remedy that, although I should probably actually go there first.) After enjoying the views, I hiked out via the Red Tail Canyon and Gibson Gap trails.
California P2Ks: 13/164
California Coastal Peak List: 41/302
Acrophilia 