Pleasant hike in south-west section of Castle Rock.

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.

From the trailhead near the intersection of Hwy 236 and Hwy 9, find signposts for Skyline to the Sea Trail going south towards Big Basin Park HQ. Follow Skyline to the Sea Trail (0.6 miles) → left on a connector trail that goes to Saratoga Toll Road (1.5 miles). The connector trail crosses Hwy 9. Upon reaching Hwy 9, turn left and walk a few steps to see a signpost marking the connector trail. Continue along the Connector Trail (0.2 miles), then turn left on Saratoga Toll Road (2.9 miles) → left on Beekhuis Road Trail (0.3 miles) → left on Skyline to the Sea Trail (3.0 miles) to return to the trailhead.

Notes: Along Saratoga Toll Road, near the intersection with Beekhuis Road Trail, there were some unmarked intersections in Dec 2012. We followed the strategy of avoided trails going down, losing elevation quickly, and didn't get lost.

Location: Intersection of Hwy 9 and Hwy 236, CA 95006 . Parking area is not visible in Google Maps.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: Dec 2012)

Capacity: About 10 cars may be parked along the dirt pullout along Hwy 9, near the intersection.

Latitude: 37.211676     Longitude: -122.156641