purisima creek redwoods

从湾区开过去只要不到1小时的单程，虽然是山路但很好开，两边都是参天红木，氧气充足，适合周末郊游，夏天尤其舒适，游人也不多，trail都比较容易走

beautiful area just outside of SF with some great roads near byenice place to hang out and rest with nature

What an amazing drive. I was in Woodside and had time to kill. I happen to be in a Fiat 500 rental car so the winding scenic road was shear joy. I ended up on Highway 1 and watched the sun set over the Pacific.

Quiet little park up in the hills outside of Half Moon Bay on the western slope of the Santa Cruz mountains with great nature trails through the redwood preserve. Look for the enormous yellow banana slugs! Very limited facilities but there is a pit toilet.

I hiked this park twice while on vacation. The first was a short out and back along Purisima Creek trail. The second was a brutally steep hike up Purisima Creek to Grabtown Gulch, then down on Borden Hatch Mill trail. Despite the hellish hills up and down, the trails are exceptionally beautiful – even in the fog and overcast. Be sure to bring water on these trails as you will get a workout up and down these trails (Purisima Creek is a cake walk). The redwoods are lovely and it’s so, so peaceful in the forest. During my up/down I saw five other people in four miles. Nice!

I was driving on beautiful highway 9 in the Santa Cruz Mountains. its one of those iconic highway drives. There is a winery and several parks and open spaces on this drive. On a clear day, one can see to the Pacific Ocean on the West and to the East beautiful views of the urban area of the San Francisco Bay Peninsula.Purisma Creek Redwoods is one of the parks on this drive. This is a great park. There are various hikes for all levels of ability. There is a short half mile or so trail that is nice for all, including those wheel chair bound.There are longer hikes. It is also an area for bikers. It has 24 miles of trails and once used logging roads.The area is open during daylight hours 365 days a year and is always free.

A great alternative to the more well known forests in the Bay Area. We parked at the top of the mountain, walked down to the creek and then walked back up to the top again...never climbed a mountain that way before!There is a range of hiking paths which are well signposted. We were only there for three hours, so we only explored a fraction of the trails. My sons were particularly excited to see the sign explaining what to do if you encounter a mountain lion (we are from the UK, so mountain lion etiquette is new to us).We visited during August and only encountered three other people during our visit. It felt like we had found a secret corner of California that was just for us.

i consider myself to be an enthusiastic hiker with only a moderate amt of stamina. i can hike forever on flat/mostly flat trails, but peeter out quickly with steep uphills. Hiked around 7 miles and got a great workout surrounded by beautiful redwood trees and ferns in the forest canopy. we started on the popular Purisima creek trail then turned onto the grabtown gulch trail and then followed the borden hatch mill trail which winds back to the purisima creek trail. a fair amt of uphill walking along the grabtown gulch trail and then it was mostly downhill all the way on the borden hatch mill trail. very beautiful. only 1 bathroom at the entrance of the Purisima trail. cool, mostly shaded trail hike. definitely recommend this Reserve if you want to do a short or long hike and get away from it all for a few hours.

Very nice hike, but kinda steep; Beautiful tree, lovely fresh evergreen smell, beautiful vistas! You can do a long or short hike. Easy parking, however drive up the windy road (steed limit is 50 mph - some were going well over that) was scariest part.

I love Purisima Creek trails. You can do a 7 mile loop that goes through the redwood forest and into the open areas around it. Parts of the trail are very steep, but totally manageable, but the walk through the redwood forests is magical.

We chose this location because we did not have time to get to one of the parks to see the Giant Redwoods. We were there on a quiet Monday and there were still a number of cars in the parking lot. We passed mountain bikers, walkers and joggers on the trails. The paths are wide and maintained but there is a single port-a-potty for the park. You will definitely find mosquitoes within because of the dampness... The road to the park was fun as it was long and winding through the rolling hills, very picturesque and we pulled off to take photos since there was very little traffic. If you are going south on Highway 1, turn left at the new fire station and just follow the road. Small to medium size redwoods, a small creek and a quiet place to spend an hour or two.

I did the Purisima Creek trail, to Craig Britton trail, then back down on the Harkins Ridge trail. I think Purisima is my favorite, close-to-Pacifica, park. The trails, while steep at the top, are beautiful through second-growth redwoods, a creek, many bridges, and a few open sunny spots. My only complaints are this park has gotten more popular than when I lived here 12 years ago resulting in parking woes, and the downhill portion of the Harkins Ridge trail is super, super steep. I was dog tired going down. Once I got back into the redwood forest the trail was much more gradual (and pretty).Despite the steepness of the trails, this park is wonderful. Quiet, pretty, redwoods, and banana slugs. Who could ask for more?

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is our favorite local place for a good hard hike starting from Skyline. Alice's place is a treat after. You can also start in Half Moon Bay and for the round trip hike - and then go get some fresh seafood! We climb up Harkins ridge with its 7 switchbacks which can feel like 17. Gorgeous views, fabulous redwoods, hikes of differing lengths and trails. Bikes on some paths.

It took about 2.5 hours to hike the Purisima Creek trail (7.7 miles). On the path, there are nice redwoods, flowers & view of half moon bay. I started from skyline blvd side. I saw banana slugs and several kids of butterflies on the way. The park does not have many amenities but it is a nice one nonetheless.

There are several ways to reach this beautiful park. Easiest trailhead to find is on Skyline Boulevard (Highway 35), about 4 miles south of the intersection of 35 and 92. This trailhead can accommodate about 20 cars. But the best way to do this hike, imho, is from the bottom. Take highway 1 South of Half Moon Bay about 8 miles to Verde Road on the left. Continue straight on Verde and it becomes HIggins Purissima Road which takes you to the small trailhead. Among many choices are:1-- moderate and about 8-9 miles. Park at the Higgins Purissima trailhead. Just past the information boards look to your left and cross a bridge to begin your hike up on Whittemore Gulch Trail. This begins with a pretty steep grade but after beating you up for a about a half mile settles into a gentle uphill ride. A dense fern grotto opens up to great views of the ocean (on clear days, of course). Great diversity of topography and vegetation. When you arrive at the top, take a right toward the North Ridge Trail and then Harkins Ridge Trail. After about a mile, go left on the Craig Britton Trail. Amazing redwood "cathedrals" abound here with deep shade everywhere. At the end of Craig Britton veer right to Purissima Creek Trail, a gentle downhill slope all the way back to your car. 2-- For the more masochistic approach (shorter but steeper--about 6 miles). Start at the Skyline parking lot. Go down the hill on Whittemore Gulch and at the bottom of the hike, go left and start the climb back up on Harkins Ridge Trail. Harkins is about 3.3 miles of huffing and puffing and alternating moments of agony and joy. Relentless is a good word for it. Once you've completed this, you're about .3 miles from the parking. To get the full agony, skip the flatter "hiker only" route and opt for the gravel road up. Trust me, you'll feel great when it's over. Overall, take a map and find what's best for you among many great trails. If you have little kids, I recommend starting from the bottom at Higgins Purissima and wandering up the gentle Purissima Creek Trail just as far as you want. Many opportunities to veer off the trail slightly and play in the lovely creek.