Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve,
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District,
San Mateo County
0.6 mile out and back hike is on an all access trail through redwoods and huckleberry.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 0.6 mile out and back hike is very easy, with minimal elevation change.
Exposure:
Mostly shaded.
Trail traffic:
Light.
Trail surfaces:
Dirt trail.
Hiking time:
1/2 hour or less.
Season:
Nice any time.
Getting there:
• From Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, exit Woodside Road (CA 84), Drive west about 6.5 miles, to the junction with Skyline Boulevard (CA 35). Turn right and drive north about 6 miles, to the small parking lot on the left side of the road (it's easy to miss).
• From Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, exit CA 92. Drive west about 3 miles, then turn left onto Skyline Boulevard (CA 35). Drive about 7 miles to the parking lot on the right side of the road (it is the last Purisima parking lot -- if you get to the Tunitas Creek Road junction you've gone too far).
GPS Coordinates* for Trailhead:
Latitude
Longitude
(* based on Google Earth data, shown as degrees, minutes, seconds)
Trailhead details:
Two designated handicapped parking spots. Parking for about 6 other cars. Wheelchair accessible pit toilet inside the preserve. No entrance or parking fees. Maps available at information signboard. There is no direct public transportation to this preserve.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phone, restaurants, and picnic supplies available at the junction of 35 and 84, about 6 miles south. No camping.
Rules:
Most trails are multi-use. A few trails are open to hikers only. Dogs are not permitted in the preserve.
The Official Story:
MROSD's Purisima page.
MROSD field office 650-691-1200
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get to the preserve.
• Map from MROSD (download pdf).
•
Peninsula
Tales and Trails, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has an overview of the preserve, descriptions
of hikes, and simple maps.• Afoot and Afield: San Francisco Bay Area, by David Weintraub (order this book from Amazon.com) has a great map and descriptions of a Purisima Creek hike.
• Peninsula Trails, by Jean Rusmore, has a simple map and trail descriptions (order this book from Amazon.com).
• Tom Taber's The Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Book has a simple map and trail descriptions (order this book from Amazon.com).
• View 15 photos from the hike.
Most
paths through 
redwoods
in the bay area are either flat and crowded or not-so-flat and no-so-crowded.
Purisima Creek's Redwood Trail is neither. This short, all-access dirt
trail allows nature lovers in wheelchairs, or parents with children in
strollers a chance to wander among the giants, without getting trampeled
by the tourists.
Redwood Trail begins a few steps from the
handicapped parking spots, in the deep shade of redwoods. The path gently
descends through tanoak and madrone, with lot of huckleberry bushes lining
the way (the berries are edible when dark blue, usually
in September and early October). If you're visiting in late summer, children
may enjoy looking for nuts on hazelnut shrubs. In the winter, look for
grape-sized berries on madrone trees. Solitary picnic tables are spaced
along the sides of the trail. Redwood Trail crosses Purisima Creek Trail
at a signed junction, then continues winding through the trees, until
the path ends at a junction near gate PC03A. Turn around and retrace your
steps (or wheels!) to the trailhead.
Total distance: about 0.6 mile
Last hiked: Friday, September 15, 2000
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