Castle Rock Hike from Saratoga Gap - Route I
7.2 miles     1000 ft
11 Nov 2012
Summary

Pleasant, shaded walk through redwoods adjoining Highway 9.

Location: Castle Rock State ParkSaratoga Gap Open Space Preserve

Elevation Profile
Trip Planning

Trail Maps

» 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

To Beekhuis Road Trail (3.5 miles): From the trailhead at the intersection of Hwy 9 and Hwy 35 (Skyline Blvd), start walking south along Hwy 9. Within 0.1 miles, there is a sign for Skyline to the Sea Trail on the left. Follow Skyline to the Sea Trail (0.5 miles). Then cross Highway 9 to continue along Skyline to the Sea Trail on the other side of Highway 9 (1.5 miles). Cross Highway 9 again to continue along Skyline to the Sea Trail (1.5 miles). At this point, there is a junction with Beekhuis Road Trail. In Nov 2012, this junction was unmarked. We continued, hoping to reach 'Cutoff Trail', which was shown on the VirtualParks trail map. However, we never came across any such junction. Turning left on the unmarked junction with Beekhuis Road Trail is important, otherwise, you will continue walking on Skyline to the Sea Trail for 2.6 miles to reach Waterman Gap Trail Camp.

To Trailhead (3.7 miles): Turn left and continue along Beekhuis Road Trail (0.4 miles) and read the signs carefully at the junction with Saratoga Toll Road. Turn left on Saratoga Toll Road (0.8 miles) to reach a junction with Travertine Springs Trail. Continue along Saratoga Toll Road (2.0 miles) → continue along Skyline to the Sea Trail (0.5 miles) to return to trail head. In Nov 2012, we noticed an unmarked intersection along Saratoga Toll Road. Going south to north, it was obvious which option to follow. Going north to south, it would not have been so obvious.

Trailhead

Location: Intersection of Highway 9 and Highway 35 (Skyline Blvd) . Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: From Highway 85, take Exit 14 for Saratoga Ave going south. After 1.8 miles, continue along Big Basin Way (Highway 9) for 7.3 miles to reach the junction with Highway 35 (Skyline Blvd)

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: October 2010)

Capacity: About 20 cars.

Latitude: 37.258513     Longitude: -122.121955

© Copyright 2008—2023, Gurmeet Manku.