Ben Weston Beach Overlook

View of Catalina Harbor in the distance
Ben Weston Beach is to the right

This hike features great views of the backside of Catalina Island and of Ben Weston Canyon and Beach. The first section, to Camp Cactus, is fairly easy but the rest is more difficult. On the whole, I would grade this as a moderately difficult hike.

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Nuts and Bolts:

Date: 26 February 2012

Who Hiked: Me, Hubby, Things 1 and 2

Route: Ben Weston Beach Overlook

Time: 1115 - 1405 hr

Weather: overcast and cool (upper 50s), clearing to partly cloudy and warmer

Distance: 6.3 mi round-trip (measured on GPS)

Elevation Range: 757 ft (327 - 1084 ft)

GoogleEarth map at the end of the post!

We parked at the junction of Middle Ranch Road and Camp Cactus Road, skirted the bar gate and headed over the ridge toward Camp Cactus. The air was cool enough today that I wanted my fleece jacket, but warm enough that I had to take it off several times.  Then I'd cool down as my sweat evaporated and I'd put it back on again.  I continued in this manner for much of the hike.

At the trailhead

The road is named for Camp Cactus, a radar installation in WWII. We hiked here in May 2011. Today we passed the old fox pens (read about them here) and the turn to the ruins of the old buildings and continued to the right, up the hill to the top of the ridge.  The trail is more or less uphill the entire way to the ridge, but not so steeply that one feels as if one might die. After nearly two miles and about 45 minutes, we had arrived.  The ocean was completely flat, its surface uninterrupted by much more than ripples. The higher clouds had cleared, leaving puffy white cumulus clouds, though a lower marine haze was still hanging above the water. San Clemente was just visible in the distance, a low long smudge on the horizon.

At this point Camp Cactus Road intersects an unnamed road that runs along the ridge. We took a break here, had a snack and drank some water. I was not feeling very good, which surprised me. I didn't really feel like I had pushed myself particularly hard going up the hill to the ridge, but just a few feet from the top I felt light-headed and a bit nauseous, and then my vision started darkening at the edges.  It was odd -- my legs were feeling the exertion, but still strong and my breathing was heavy, but not too labored. A 15-minute stop, an apple, and a nice long drink was enough to restore my equilibrium.

Thing 1 at one of the steep sections

We turned to the right to follow the trail as it followed the ridge. This section of the hike had an overall tendency toward downhill, a feature that was remarked upon by all of us at some point.  Because, you see, we all realized that on the return trip these downhill stretches that were challenging my knees would be uphill sections that would challenge my quads and lungs. The Things, more than once, suggested that perhaps we had hiked far enough for one day, that we could get the full effect of hiking to the overlook without actually hiking to the overlook and that they were ready to turn around.  This was vetoed by the executive branch of the family (i.e. Hubby and me).

Upon reaching the point, we walked around a bit, took some pictures, and I watched a bald eagle soar up Middle Canyon, pursued by several smaller birds diving at its body the entire way. It brought to mind a jogger harassed by yipping chihuahuas, all nipping at her heels. Not big enough to be a real threat, but probably annoying nonetheless.

The boys with Ben Weston Beach in the background

About 1315, we started our return trip.  The previously downhill portions were, indeed, quite difficult and our progress was not particularly fast. We reached the junction with Camp Cactus Road about 1405. The long (mostly) downhill stretch to the truck was quick, and by 1455 we were loading up our gear for the drive home.

Birds seen:  Northern raven, Orange-crowned warbler, Bald eagle, House finch (not many!)
A few flowers are blooming -- scarlet pimpernel, yarrow, shooting star, prickly pear, lupines

GoogleEarth image of our hike
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