I had the somewhat dubious pleasure of spending a very soggy weekend backpacking with a Wilderness Basics Group to the San Mateo Canyon Wilderness area this last weekend.  This fast, high mileage backpack from the northern edge of the park down into the canyon bottom was punctuated by almost continual rain from lunchtime on Saturday, until it finally tapered off sometime late into the evening.  Despite the meteorological challenges, the trip was a grand success, with a weekend of great hiking and camping in one of the most beautiful wild places in the region.

San Mateo Canyon Wilderness area is on of the few big open spaces in Southern California that are close enough to the Pacific Ocean that the habitat is affected by its vast body of water.  The area is lush,  with the canyon bottoms filled with oak and sycamore trees (and tons of poison oak).  Our campground was situated on an old sand bar above a pretty stream tumbling through the rocks, with a small beach where one could relax and listen to the water gurgle if the weather was more cooperative.  While it is still early, the wildflowers in the area are set to explode.  A trip through this area next month should be a very colorful experience.

San Mateo Canyon Wilderness