A classic short hike in Castle Rock. A third of the route is over stony terrain providing beautiful views of Santa Cruz Mountains. The rest of the hike is shaded by forest.

Location: Castle Rock State Park

» Official Trail Map: Good for trails near Park HQ. Other trails are not shown in this map.

» Official Trail MAp: Shows all parts of the park. Mileage and contour information missing.

» Redwood Hikes Map: Bay Area Trail Map: Saratoga to Big Basin, First edition, 2010. This is an excellent map sold by Dave Baselt ($6.95 in Dec 2011). This map is useful for exploring many parks in this area. Highly recommended for avid hikers.

Route in brief: unnamed trail (0.5 miles) → Ridge Trail (1.8 miles) → Saratoga Gap Trail (2.0 miles) → unknown Trail (0.5 miles) → Castle Rock (0.6 + 0.2 miles).

Location: along Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35), 2.5 miles to the east of intersection with Big Basin Way (Hwy 9) . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: From Highway 85, take Saratoga Ave exit. Go south along Saratoga Ave. Continue on Big Basin Way (CA-9) → Left on Skyline Blvd (CA-35). After 2.5 miles on Skyline Blvd, free parking space is available right outside the park entrance.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: November 2011)

Capacity: Around 15 cars can be parked outside the park entrance for free. Paid parking inside the park.

Latitude: 37.230764     Longitude: -122.095324