Shaded Loop Around Portola Redwoods
8.8 miles     2000 ft
12 Nov 2011
Summary

A beautiful loop around various trails surrounding Park HQ in Portola Redwoods.

Location: Portola Redwoods State ParkPescadero Creek County Park

Elevation Profile
Trip Planning

Trail Maps

» Official State Parks Map: A map showing all the trails but hard to read.

» Redwood Hikes Map: Annotated trail map of Portola Redwoods State Park and Pescadero Creek County Park, Second edition, 2008. This is an excellent map sold by Dave Baselt ($6.95 in Dec 2011). This map is useful for exploring a bunch of parks: Portola Redwoods, Pescadero Creek, Sam Macdonald.

» 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

Route in brief: From Park HQ, follow Slate Creek Trail (1.4 miles) → right on Summit Trail (0.8 miles) → left on paved road leading up to Old Haul Road (0.4 miles) → Portola Trail (1.4 miles) → right on Butano Ridge Loop Trail (0.8 miles) → left on Old Haul Road (0.1 miles) → right on Bridge Trail (0.7 miles) → right on Pomponio Trail (1.0 miles) → left on Coyote Ridge Trail (0.7 miles) → continue on Coyote Ridge Trail (0.8 miles) → cross Portola State Park Road and continue along unnamed fire roads leading to campsites and eventually Park HQ (0.6 miles).

Notes: The route involves three hill climbs, each about 500 ft. Portola Trail and Butano Ridge Loop Trail lie in the adjacent Pescadero Creek County Park.

Photos

Full photo album — 12 November 2011

Photos are from a different hike with similar landscape: Coyote Ridge — Iverson Loop.
Trailhead

Location: (Park HQ) along Portola State Park Rd, La Honda, CA 94020 . No street address. Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: From I-280, take Page Mill Road 8.6 miles to Highway 35, cross the road and continue on Alpine Road for 3.8 miles. Turn left on Portola State Park Rd (there is a clear sign at the intersection of Alpine Rd and Portola State Park Rd). Drive for 3.5 miles to reach park headquarters.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: $10 per car (last visited: Feb 2010)

Capacity: Several cars

Latitude: 37.252505     Longitude: -122.218378

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