Hiking: Harmony Headlands

Freedom is almost always on my mind.

Freedom from my desk and from the singing phone. Freedom from the syllabi and course calendars and dirty dishes and piles of laundry. Freedom from the anxious feeling that always settles in moments before I drift off to sleep, telling me there’s so much more to be done.

When I’m outside, in the sun, all of that noise gets quiet. The voices of expectation still to a murmur to listen to the sound of tree branches rustling in the wind, of squirrels and birds chattering away in the sky. These are the thoughts that preoccupied me as I crunched along the Harmony Headlands Trail last Saturday.

We’ve hiked here once before, way back when we moved to Morro Bay over a year ago, but this time, I was alone. I had actually been headed to Paso Robles to run a few errands when my heart tugged me Harmony’s way. Harmony Headlands sits about five miles past Cayucos and is one of the shorter and less taxing trails in the area. That being said, this is a walk that is accessible even in jean shorts and cheetah print slip-ons.

From the start, the terrain is mostly gravel or dirt and fairly flat for the whole front half. Tall, dry grasses stand on either side without much overhead canopy from trees to shield pale shoulders from the sun. There were a few families and a couple of single hikers, but even on a beautifully sunny Saturday, this area was fairly quiet.

The front half of the trail is sweet enough on its own, but about a mile in, you’ll see a bend in the road and a large tree looming overhead, granting a bit of shade to those who pass. This part backs up to a large hill on one side and a cliff-face on the other, so be careful (even though the path is wide). After this curve, you’ve reached my favorite part: the water. The back half of Harmony Headlands is distinct from the front: from here on out, you’ll be walking along a craggy cliff, distracted by shimmering ocean. The water is beautiful, but I also love this section because parts of the high rocks rise up over the beach and are fun to scramble onto.

The trail ends in a barbed-wire fence marking private property, so this is an out-and-back situation. All in all, it’s about a three-mile trek, and one that’s well worth it. This is a perfect pit stop, picnic spot, day hike, or simple reminder that the world is bigger than your office. If you’re taking time to get outside this weekend, the Harmony Headlands trail is an awesome choice for an easy-going hike.