Pleasant, shaded walk through Castle Rock.

Location: Castle Rock State Park — Saratoga Gap Open Space Preserve

» 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.

To Saratoga Gap Parking Lot (Intersection of Hwy 9 and Hwy 35) (3.1 miles): Cross Hwy 35 and turn left onto Skyline Trail (3.1 miles) to reach the trailhead.

Saratoga Gap / Long Ridge (3.8 miles): From the trail head, follow Saratoga Gap Trail (1.7 miles) → Bay Area Ridge Trail (0.3 miles) to reach Highway 35. Cross over the highway. Then enter Long Ridge Open Space Preserve. Follow Bay Area Ridge Trail (0.1 miles) → Achistaca Trail (1.7 miles).

To Castle Rock Park HQ (9.3 miles): Turn left on Skyline to the Sea Trail and cross Hwy 9. Within 0.1 miles, turn right on Saratoga Toll Road (2.0 miles) → left on Travertine Springs Trail (2.0 miles) → right on Saratoga Gap Trail (3.4 miles) → right on Castle Rock Loop (1.0 miles) to reach Castle Rock Park HQ.

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