Paso Robles Attractions
Fort Hunter Liggett
- Critic's rating
- LAT
Jolon, CA 93928
Tel. (925) 875-4298 [Garrison Public Affairs Offce]
pao.parks@usar.army.mil
Ft. Hunter Liggett, the Army's main reserve training center in the West, occupies more than 165,000 acresof remote scrubland, oak-studded hills and mountains in Central California. King City, the nearest town, is about 20 miles away.
Besides military maneuvers, munitions, Humvees and other hardware, the post is home to the lovingly restored 1771 Mission San Antonio de Padua and an imposing hacienda designed in 1929 by Hearst Castle architect Julia Morgan for the late publishing baron.
THE VIBE
Decidedly eclectic: Mission-era California meets Desert Storm meets "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous."
When your head stops spinning, consider this: Where else can you overnight at a Spanish mission or a junior-sized Hearst Castle, hoist a glass with Army troops and soak up more than two centuries of California history?
Don't expect to be pampered. Bring a sense of adventure and a well-stocked cooler. (I'll explain later.)
"If you see a poisonous snake -- stay away -- and notify the gift shop clerk, please."
This genteel notice, posted outside the mission, said a lot about where my friend Wendy and I found ourselves after a 280-mile drive from Los Angeles.
So did this sign, posted a few miles up the road: "DANGER: Live firing area. Unexploded (dud) shells. KEEP OUT."
After flashing IDs and being waved through the checkpoint at the fort, 22 miles west of U.S. 101 on Jolon Road, we bid goodbye to the comforts and certainties of civilian life.
But we soon found helpful people and intriguing places.
Follow the link to read our full review of Fort Hunter Liggett and environs in Monterey County.
wherever it appears.