Do you have a favorite picnic table? Because I do. In fact, I have two.
The first table I fell in love with is in Wilder Ranch State Park, a wooden one placed in a lovely spot along the Wilder Ridge Trail where you can stop and eat, drink, or just soak in the views of the Pacific Ocean in Monterey Bay. The views are so expansive, I think you can see all of the bay, which to me is one of the most beautiful sights in the world, though I will admit that growing up along that stretch of ocean most-definitely makes me biased in that department.
When I first found that table a few years ago, I remember thinking: “Wow, is this the best picnic table in California?! Like, could this table have the best view you could possibly see from a humble wooden table, completely open to the public?”
I definitely thought so at the time, and kept thinking that until this summer, when I found another picnic table with an even better view: another humble, weathered picnic table atop Valencia Peak in Montaña de Oro State Park near San Luis Obispo.
It took me two days to climb Valencia Peak, but the views were worth every sweaty minute! (Justine Frederiksen/The Ukiah Daily Journal)That table also is on the central coast of California, but a bit further south, and a lot higher up, so you can see for a lot more miles. And since it is higher up, of course, it is more than a bit harder to reach, as the top of Valencia Peak is more than 1,340 feet in elevation.
And I almost never made it up all those feet to my new favorite picnic table, because heat and hunger had me turning back about halfway up the mountain on that first Sunday morning. But luckily I came back the next day, setting out much earlier with more food in my belly to happily discover that the trail was basically empty of other humans on a Monday morning, and so I finally made it to the top to see just about the best view in California.
(Yes, last summer I found what I also thought was the best view in California, atop the Sierra Buttes fire lookout, but that view does not have the Pacific Ocean, so to me it just can’t be the best anymore.)
If you have the opportunity to head to Valencia Peak, located about six hours south of Ukiah on Highway 101, try to climb it early in the morning, preferably a weekday one, as the trail is very popular and gets very narrow near the top. Also, be sure to continue up past Valencia Peak sign, as the picnic table is another 50 feet or so past it at the very top.
And while Wilder Ranch charges vehicles a day use fee to enter its parking lots, Montaña de Oro allows all vehicles to drive into its sprawling gorgeousness, and does not charge them to park at trailheads. Which is yet another reason why I’ve decided that the picnic table sitting atop Valencia Peak in San Luis Obispo County is the best picnic table in California.
Until I find the next one, of course. Which brings me to a request for you readers: What is your vote for the best picnic table view in Mendocino County?
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