Purisima Creek - West Entrance - Route VII
14.0 miles     2700 ft
26 Dec 2010
Summary

Long loop visiting the north entrance via Whittemore Gulch and Craig Britton trails. Return journey via Grabtown Gulch and Borden Hatch Mill trails.

Location: Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Elevation Profile
Trip Planning

Trail Maps

» Official Trail Map: High quality map.

» Redwoodhikes Trail Map: Great map showing many parks like Purisima Creek, Huddart, Wunderlich, El Corte De Madera, Foothills, Hidden Villa and Rancho San Antonio. Trail maps for individual parks are available online for free. However, the RedwoodHikes map shows the big picture and is helpful for planning hikes that go through multiple parks.

Route

To North Entrance (10.2 miles): From West Entrance, follow Purisima Creek Trail (1.0 miles) → right on Borden Hatch Mill Trail (2.7 miles) → left on Grabtown Gulch Trail (1.5 miles) → right on Purisima Creek Trail (1.2 miles) → left on Craig Britton Trail (2.6 miles) → right on Harkins Ridge Trail (0.9 miles) → right on North Ridge Trail (0.3 miles) to return to trail head.

To West Entrance (3.8 miles): From North Entrance, follow North Ridge Trail (1.0 miles) → left on Whittemore Gulch Trail (2.8 miles) to reach West Entrance.

Trailhead

Location: Intersection of Purisima Creek Rd and Higgins Canyon Rd, Half Moon Bay, CA 94019 . Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: From the junction of CA 1 and CA 92 in San Mateo County, drive south 1.2 miles, then turn east onto Higgins Canyon Road (formerly Higgins-Purisima Road). Drive on this narrow road about 4.2 miles, to the trailhead on the left side of the road (just past the tiny white bridge).

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: December 2010)

Capacity: About five to seven cars. Parking is relatively tight here.

Latitude: 37.437555     Longitude: -122.370583

Photos
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