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.

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.

To 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.

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