Castle Rock Hike from Saratoga Gap - Route X
10.3 miles     1200 ft
31 Oct 2010
Summary

Pleasant, shaded walk through redwoods adjoining Highway 9 and Highway 35.

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

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 Beekhuis Road Trail (3.0 miles): Turn right on Skyline to the Sea Trail (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.

Photos

Full photo album — 31 October 2010

Photos are from a different hike with similar landscape: BART - Achistaca - Skyline to the Sea.
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

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