Although Año Nuevo State Park is well-known for viewing one of the world’s largest populations of northern elephant seals, the view from it’s Upper Vista Point includes breathtaking scenery from the coastal plains to a historic lighthouse and the Pacific Ocean beyond. The Whitehouse Ridge Trail to Upper Vista Point is a vigorous 1.2-mile uphill hike, almost 2.5-miles roundtrip. To begin your hike, find the signpost for the Whitehouse Ridge Trail 2.4 miles east of Highway 1 along Whitehouse Road within Año Nuevo State Park. The steep trail leads directly into dense fern-covered redwood forests. At 1.2 miles you will reach the Upper Vista Point. You may be tempted to turn off at the lower elevation vista point about .5 mile from the trailhead but if you can make it to the upper lookout, it’s well worth the effort. Once there, look westward for beautiful views of the coastal plain at Año Nuevo, the Pacific Ocean and Pigeon Point Lighthouse. Look northwest and you’ll see the upper Whitehouse Creek watershed where Sempervirens Fund is currently working to protect redwood forests and extend the connection between Año Nuevo and Big Basin Redwoods State Parks.