Plaskett Creek Recon

Yosemite trip got scrapped last minute so I had to scramble to find an alternative camping destination.  Decided to attempt a walk-in campsite at Plaskett Creek in Big Sur.  Figured I’d recon the site for in advance of PK’s hookup on the 25th.

Sand Dollar Beach is across the street from Plaskett.  It’s a serious hump up and down narrow switchback stairs, didn’t want to throw a hernia so we figured chale on that tamale.  Plus, with those waves, there was no I could get my group of newbs in/out safely.  I mean, look at these badass sets!  Great for surfing, and for eating a face full of rotomolded HDPE.  Nice tidepools though.





Lotsa nice waves.







We headed to Mill Creek, 6 miles to the north.  Quick safety briefing before launch.



Only had rack capacity for two boats so we hit it two at a time.  I know, I know, no one was dressed for immersion.  All i can say is it was no wind, small swell, and I kept tight tabs on everyone during their short out and back paddles.  So FAC, I even stood up and did a little standup kayaking in my adventure (no pics dangit). 

Giving new meaning to the phrase “vessel assist.”







And he’s off.



Glad Kristal got to paddle in really nice conditions.



I also tried to help on the landings.  Not generally recommended, but it was small enough that I could justify the risk to myself to make sure people didn’t dump.







We all had a lot of fun, and nobody ate it.  Only saw two yakanglers out there, paddling in from the south at about 1530.  Got no response on 69 when I tried to hale OTW.  Kristal said they bagged about five apiece, no lings.  I tried dunking a 6 in swimbait for about 20 mins but no love.

Couple notes about accommodations.  You won’t believe how these parks and facilities do NOT post addresses to their websites! I’m listing addresses according to what my nav unit was reporting, so if the numbers are wrong, blame Daimler, not me.  

1.   Plaskett Creek Location: 69296 Hwy 1, Big Sur, CA

2.   The group sites appear to be at the top of the hill.  Very large area.  We stayed down the hill in Site 16.  Again very large sites.  Bathrooms are kinda eeeeehhhhhh - No pics.  At each mens room, there are two sinks, a urinal, and a toilet.  No showers, so bring portable shower and/or lots of water.  No shower was a little tough, especially after marinating in 55 degree water with no wetsuit.  I went through about a 20 Wet Ones moist toilettes to make due.

3.   Don’t count on cell phone coverage.  

4.   Nearest store is 3 miles south at Gorda Springs Resort and General Store.  Their prices are higher than Britney at the 2007 VMAs, but the staff is really cool.  $10/bundle of firewood.  Also, $6 hot showers, no time limit.  Also have the only 2 pay phones in the vicinity.  Bring a $hitload of quarters
      a.   805.927.8926 (Payphone A)
      b.   805.924.1409 (Payphone B)
      c.   Location: 74633 Hwy 1, Big Sur, CA



5.   McWay Falls is a good stop.  Located at Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park.



Purdy aint’ it?  Location: 54021 Hwy 1, Big Sur, CA

Cool pics and recon. Thanks for posting. Seems like a nice place. 55degree water?

Cool pictures and awesome job on the assist.

Jedmo

Did a similar solo recon a few years ago, and got a facefull of sand on the Mill Creek landing, much to the amusment of the other solo newb who had just done the same thing, we both ended up with a good laugh,

The most important thing I missed though was the $6 dollar shower that woula been worth it, and as far as the pay phones, I did a charge back to my home phone and ended up paying like $20 for 5 minutes.


Thanks for the area recon and beautiful pics, 

OK, I'm for toting my little wave ski down the steps for those tasty sets!

great pics & "food-for-thought"!

Looks like a great recon trip.  Thanks for the report and beautiful pictures Martin.

Damn you midweek anglers! I was drooling over the forecast for flat seas on Wed+Thursday....from my office at work.
Thanks for the fantastic recon report+info, Martin. Very much appreciated.
PK

Midweek??  This was from last Fri-Sat 8.21-8.23.   

Funny that you mention the weather.  The forecast for last saturday was 15-20 kts and a 4 foot NW swell (i think).  Even showed a slight chance of thunderstorms.  But at Mill, it was FAC, as you can see.  Just goes to show, once again, you never can tell until youve laid eyes OTW.  And if one spot is blown out, another spot just 6 miles up the road could be a real cakewalk.

I tried plugging in my the addresses that my nav unit was reporting.  Apparently won't give pinpoint directions through Google maps.  Hopefully those with nav units will still find it helpful.

Nice. I'll have to get more details from you. Looking for a spot to take the family with the pop up tent trailer. May suck for kayak launching but that Yak Board is begging to hit that water.

Nice report and scouting. Your report shows the importance of flexibility on launch sites. Always have a backup plan or two. The problem with using just swell forecasts is that each launch has a different orientation to the ocean swell--some places get it right in teeth while others with a different orientation are nice and protected even in a medium swell--and you hit the swell in water deep enough that shore break is unlikely. But of course changes in tide and swell direction plus wind waves plus wave refraction can change things by the time you head back in. The Bean is a great example of that. The North Pacific is a treacherous ocean and can go from purr to roar pretty quickly. My wife will not let me paddle it alone except at places like MBK--on penalty of losing mega-WAF.

Looks like a good time.  Thanks for the recon info.