Purisima Creek - West Entrance - Route V
13.4 miles     2900 ft
26 Dec 2010
Summary

A long loop visiting the north entrance via Whittemore Gulch and Harkins Ridge trails. Also visits Grabtown Gulch and Borden Hatch Mill trails.

Location: Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Elevation Profile
Trip Planning

Trail Maps

» Official Trail Map: High quality map.

» Redwoodhikes Trail Map: Great map showing many parks like Purisima Creek, Huddart, Wunderlich, El Corte De Madera, Foothills, Hidden Villa and Rancho San Antonio. Trail maps for individual parks are available online for free. However, the RedwoodHikes map shows the big picture and is helpful for planning hikes that go through multiple parks.

Route

North Loop (7.1 miles): From West Entrance, follow Harkins Ridge Trail (3.3 miles) to North Entrance. From the North Entrance along Skyline Blvd, follow North Ridge Trail (1.0 miles) → left on Whittemore Gulch Trail (2.8 miles) to reach West Entrance.

Borden Hatch Mill - Grabtown Gulch Loop (6.3 miles): From West Entrance, follow Purisima Creek Trail (1.0 miles) → right on Borden Hatch Mill Trail (2.7 miles) → left on Grabtown Gulch Trail (1.5 miles) → left on Purisima Creek Trail (1.1 miles) to return to West Entrance.

Trailhead

Location: Intersection of Purisima Creek Rd and Higgins Canyon Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 . Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: From the junction of CA 1 and CA 92 in San Mateo County, drive south 1.2 miles, then turn east onto Higgins Canyon Road (formerly Higgins-Purisima Road). Drive on this narrow road about 4.2 miles, to the trailhead on the left side of the road (just past the tiny white bridge).

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: December 2010)

Capacity: About five to seven cars. Parking is relatively tight here.

Latitude: 37.437555     Longitude: -122.370583

Photos
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