Garland Ranch Regional Park-
Cottonwood / Maple Canyon / Sage / Waterfall Trail
📍I may have mentioned this before but Garland Ranch Regional Park is a very popular location to hike in Carmel Valley. It is one of our favorites. We hike here often. It is especially great during the spring after it rains, revealing the ephemeral Garland Park Waterfall, the focus of this hike.
Garland Park is located at 700 West Carmel Valley Road, 8.6 miles east of Highway 1 or 1 mile west of Laureles Grade. The nearly 3500 acres of public recreational land offers 50 miles of trails for hiking, running, horseback riding, nature seekers and show off great views of Carmel Valley and the surrounding Santa Lucia Mountains.. The terrain has easy trails in the lower park that transition to strenuous hikes as the trails ascend to the ridge line. A diverse ecology and rich history can also be found at Garland Park. Stop in at the visitor center to learn more.
The park is open during daylight hours, from dawn until dusk and is free to enter. There is ample parking for all visitors. Water, restrooms, trash and recycling are available at the visitor center. Garland Park is a great place to walk your dog, horse and great for children to run around the trails, yet big enough to find some serenity if that’s what you seek.
⛰ Garland Park has many trails to offer. This is one of our favorite hikes in the spring, during the rainy season. This hike will connect about four different well travelled and well marked trails starting at the Carmel River, through the lower park flat land, rising quickly, about 850’ to near mid-mountain, then back down to the “star of the show”, if you’re lucky. I’d rate this hike as a “Blue” or moderately strenuous hike. There are several spots to stop and admire the views, take a breath and a sip of water before continuing. This scenic loop trail is a little more than 4.5 miles start to finish and will take about 2 hours.
🥾This route is a good year-round route to hike, but if you want to see the “star of the show”, the waterfall, it’s best in spring and for best results, right after a good rain. The ephemeral Garland Ranch Waterfall is a 65 foot waterfall cut into the sandstone cliff by a seasonal stream. You’re going to have to time this hike just right to see the waterfall…fall, but when it does it’s a cool sight to see.
Our hike starts at the parking lot along Carmel Valley Road. Walk west along a path to the wooden bridge, to cross the Carmel River, which has been flowing significantly the past few years. In dryer times, a wooden footbridge is accessible at the parking lot, with a path leading directly to the visitor center. Signs will alert you when the wooden footbridge is closed and direct you to the other route. Follow either path to the visitor center. Pick up a map, use the restroom, water the dogs and talk to the park docents if you’d like. Many trails disperse from the visitor center. Look for Cottonwood Trail to Lupine Loop Trail. Head that way.
Cottonwood Trail leads you south, towards the mountain, through the flat land of the park and quickly ties in with Lupine Loop. Here you’ll notice the trail begin to ascend into the oak canopy. Keep an eye out for Maple Canyon Trail. Veer right onto Maple Canyon Trail. You’ll begin to ascend further into the oak canopy, in fact you’ll gain about 400’ of elevation up the trail. Stop to notice the ferns and moss along the trail turning the canyon into an “emerald forest”. The bright green ferns and mossy oaks are full of color in the wet spring months. As you climb to the top of this canyon, the trail will turn back on itself. Keep an eye out for the Sage Trail post, a little further up the trail on your right.
Follow Sage Trail as it continues through the emerald forest. There are several spots along Sage Trail to get a peek of beautiful Carmel Valley. Sage Trail continues to a spring fed water trough at the junction of Sage Trail, Fern Trail and Sky Trail. This is another good spot to take a break, water the dogs and yourselves, before continuing up the trail about .2 miles to the high point of this hike. You’ll notice Fern Trail continue up hill and Sage Trail turns left, down hill. Give your legs a break and follow Sage Trail down.
Sage Trail winds down into a canyon. The trail has many junctions with other trails, stay on Sage Trail. At the bottom of the canyon you may notice a small stream crossing the trail. This is a good sign. That small stream feeds the Garland Ranch Waterfall. You’re close but still have some hiking to do to get there. Continue on Sage Trail to the open meadow. You’ll find a large trail junction near Mesa Pond, stay left and head down the Waterfall Trail.
The Waterfall Trail winds down the mountain towards the Carmel River. It’s a leisurely descent under a canopy of oaks. You’ll notice the brush under the oak canopy turn to vibrant green ferns and moss along the cliffs. You’re getting closer. Soon the wide trail turns to a single track trail along a mossy cliff. Be careful with your footing on the wet slippery wooden steps. As you continue down mossy path the steps descend to the bottom of the falls. You’ll hear the waterfall before you see it. As you turn the corner you’ll get a view of the Garland Ranch Waterfall. It’s no Yosemite Falls but it is a special sight around here. Stop to take a few pics and videos as you walk by the bottom of the falls and continue down the path, across the bridge and head towards the visitors center.
The Waterfall Trail turns into the Lupine Loop Trail. You’ll likely hear the Carmel River on your right. A small path leads to the rivers edge, a nice spot for another picture, to water your dogs or to just sit and listen to the river flow.
A short walk back to the visitor center then to the parking lot completes this loop trail. Hopefully you were one of the few lucky enough to see the ephemeral Garland Park Waterfall.
Download the .GPX file for this trail at the button below.
🍔🍺 Garland Park is just east of “Mid-Valley”, a good spot to be if you’re hungry and need a refreshment. Our favorite stop is the Bear & Flag Roadside. Five miles west of the park, the Bear & Flag Roadside is a modern California Roadside Eatery & Wine Shop featuring a Chef Todd Fisher inspired experience with a wide selection of grab-n-go sandwiches, salads, BBQ, exceptional beer and wine selections, as well as coffee and ice cream.
Other nearby great stops are Baja Cantina, a fun, friendly Mexican cantina featuring vintage automobile memorabilia, great food and drinks and an outdoor patio to take in the Carmel Valley sun, Earthbound Farm Stand, a “Little slice of organic heaven” serving organic food the Earthbound way. If it’s Sunday you might find the farmers market at Mid-Valley Shopping Center open. Here you’ll find local produced goods for sale and several food trucks serving serving a variety of foods. It’s a fun place to stop.
Carmel Valley has many, many great restaurants. These are just a few of our favorites. Try these or try something new. You can’t go wrong. Carmel Valley has something for everyone.
Garland Park will definitely be featured in more “Dirt” on our Trails. To see more of our RADVENTURES, follow along on IG @ur_radventures.
