We really enjoyed this hike at Purisima Creek Redwoods. We started at the North Ridge parking area…read moreand followed North Ridge Trail Whittemore Gulch Trail Harkins Ridge Trail, returning to the same parking area. The entire loop ended up being around 6.5-7 miles. About 75% of the hike was shaded, much of it through beautiful redwood forest, with a small creek alongside portions of the trail. There are also some more exposed sections with great views. Be prepared for the elevation changes! The extended downhill sections are harder on the legs and knees than you might expect, and the return on Harkins Ridge is a long, sustained and quite strenuous uphill climb. It was probably one of the more strenuous hikes I've done in California in many years. That said, it was absolutely worth it. Beautiful scenery, lots of shade, peaceful forest, and a great workout. I'd definitely do this loop again -- I'd just be mentally prepared for that climb back to the parking lot!

I think my mainest girl is trying to eliminate me. I don't know why, but she thinks I love taking…read morelong arduous hikes through the woods and huffing and puffing through beautiful scenery. Levity aside, this is a stunningly beautiful park to commune with nature. But be warned, if you're a novice (me), don't have broken in hiking shoes (me) or could be in better shape (also me), it will be challenging. Steep inclines and declines are the order of the day. Also plenty of banana slugs. The park is beautiful, the silence is eerily beautiful, and you will enjoy all of it.

Small Wunder A…read more940-acre park nestled in the eastern Redwoods and madrone-laden slopes of King Mountain. The name of the park is derived from contractor Martin Wunderlich, who donated the land to San Mateo County. The Good: * Free to visit * Parking lot * Picnic tables available * Restroom in parking lot * Seventeen miles of trails, including several loops. * If you like horses, then this is the place for you! There's a really cool old historic stable and lots of equine action to be found. * Camping available (https://www.smcgov.org/parks/make-reservation) The Meh: * Currently, no recreational horse activities like trail rides and lessons are available. * Crazy elevation gains, as trail elevations run from ±350' to over 4,300'. Be sure to check the trail guides to make sure you don't get in over your head. * No dogs allowed The Ugly: * The restroom has no running water, just hand sanitizer. * I'll admit, I'm not a fan of horses, and having to share trails with horses isn't my idea of a good time. Conclusion: Not the biggest park in this area that's full of fantastic OSPs, but it's certainly worth a visit--especially if you're a hippophile.

Hiked at Wunderlich Park on a sunny Saturday in March! We used AllTrails for directions and we…read morereached around 9am - to our surprise, the parking lot was full by then so definitely recommend coming earlier. There were multiple cars circling around looking for a spot as well. We ended up waiting about 30 minutes before parking. We did the Bear Gulch and Alambique trail clockwise. There are some brief steep sections, but for the most part, the trail was moderate in terms of difficulty. We didn't encounter too many people despite all the cars in the lot. We spotted a small snake on the trail and there was a lot of horse manure on the Alambique portions, so we had to watch our step closely. The trail was mostly shaded which was nice, but there wasn't much of a view. Overall, the trail was well marked and maintained (minus the manure on Alambique). Good hike for a sunny day, but the parking lot situation could be improved.

Its been years since I visited this part, but it was cute, good for hiking and some nature time…read more Its great to see the redwoods, peaceful and fairly calm. The trails are fairly easy to navigate

I did my first 50k/33 miles + hike here, about 4,500 elevation gain. It was "+" because we got…read morelost several times and did some extra credit. Amazing connecting trails and only some parts are overgrown. There are large redwood trees and a good size creek running through the park. There were a lot of hikers and bicyclists on the trail. There is poison ivy and oak on the trail in June. I saw deers, quails, rabbits, snakes, and possibly a mountain lion. We came at 8:00am and the park closed at 8:00pm. We exited at 8:04pm because of the lost situation. Parking is $6.00. Great experience overall. Good views. Please come and create your own adventure.

We drove to the Purisima Creek Road Parking Area, arriving at 9:50 on Friday as the 5th car in the…read more7 spaces lot. Toilet at trailhead; out of TP by afternoon so BYOpaper just in case. Walking next to the creek was easy and tranquil. Looped up Craig Britton Trail for vista views. Had a trail lunch at a u turn. Later at Harkins Ridge Trail, we were treated to see and hear a beautiful bird pecking on a tree trunk. I think the best part of hiking this trail is the lack of people; we had the forest to ourselves. We finished this 7.4 miles loop in 4 hrs, including a lunch stop.

Did the Whittemore Gulch and Harkins Loop trail a few weeks back and boy oh boy, the the hike was…read moreamazing. Route was strenuous, as advertised but awesome. The hike was about 80% shaded in some of the most gorgeous redwood forests, with crisp woodsy air, and lots of flora and wildlife. Wooded trails were nice and cool, which afforded a welcome respite from the warmer ambient temperature (non forested). Saw a lot of banana slugs, some dear, and a bunch of flowers of different types-some endemic and sadly some invasive to the bay. The hike offered views of the bay (at the expense of no shade) on top of the ridge, which was neat. Elevation gain of the hike was approximately 1500 feet, which was gradual in some parts but more steep on others. Didn't use a hiking pole, but wish I did because my legs felt like jello afterwards! The hike which was advertised as around 7 miles took my friend and me about 3h45m (advertised recommended time as 4h-4h30m) with a bunch of rest breaks. Definitely would be back to explore the other trails and get a good dose of trees and nature.

Came here for the Spring Ridge Trail hike on 8/1, which is 2 miles one-way. There is a public…read moreparking lot right where the trail head is, it does get full but there is street parking right outside the lot as well. There is a bathroom outhouse right in front of the trail. This trail isn't too steep, mostly slow incline all the way up except for a few short steeper parts. The path is mostly dirt and lots of small rocks especially on the hilly parts. On the way, we saw some insects like flies, dragonflies, and a warning sign for rattlesnakes. Also saw 1 lizard.

Had my first hike of the year, and it was a beauty! The weather worked in my favor, and hitting…read moregolden hour was a bonus. I should have stayed longer to hit sunset, but that can be for another time. It was definitely windy, so be mindful of that if you decide to trek here. The views were so worth it!

The Ravenswood Open Space Preserve is just that -- yet another local open space preserve. However,…read moreit's located along the bay. You get some great views of the area from a place that is relatively quiet. Cooley Landing Park is located here. It's a fantastic spot for a picnic or a stop while biking or running along the San Francisco Bay Trail. It is home to the Cooley Landing Education Center. Like the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center located just south in Palo Alto, it has some nice opportunities to learn more about local wildlife. One small caveat: Safety concerns. This is out on the bayside of East Palo Alto. It is quiet and clean. However, every time that I have visited Cooley Landing Park, there have been some interesting characters sitting in their vehicles while others drive up, walk up to the person sitting the parked vehicles, seemingly doing "deals" before driving off. It just looks exactly how films portray "drug deals." Obviously, this doesn't mean that something nefarious is going on. It just looks "sus." Of course, it could just be a remote place where people in their cars who sell things that they've advertised on Craigslist. Yet, I've seen this EVERY time that I've biked through Cooley Landing Park. Even during visits to Cooley Landing Park for an hour or more, I've never seen any police patrolling the park. With that in mind, you should visit this preserve and Cooley Landing Park in particular. It's definitely worth the views.

This open space preserve is similar to others in the bay area, nothing too unique about it, but…read morejust as beautiful. There are two observation platforms via the bay spur trail from the entrance (then you must back track, since it does not loop all the way around). I ran both, but the shorter one is pretty much just a few skips away. The longer one is a little over a mile one way. Less than halfway, it splits into a boardwalk that leads to University Ave (some informational boards and benches here). Otherwise there's not much on the gravel trail but you and nature (which includes swarms of gnats, especially in the heat). There was also lots of dog poop on the trail cuz apparently the dog owners here don't know how or have the decency to clean up after their furry friends. The Ravenswood Bay Trail closes late, around 10pm, but I didn't see any lights so I probably wouldn't come out here late... might accidentally step on dog poop in the dark!!?! There's a tiny parking lot near the entrance to the trail, with additional parking and restrooms available at Cooley Landing Park and Education Center just a bit further down the road (Cooley Landing is worth a visit as well).

Redwoods hike in the rain. We were in a cabin in the area and went out in a short window when the…read morerain wasn't so bad. The good thing about coming in the rain is no one else is around, we were the only ones on the windy roads and the only ones here. We did the bridge trail since the Tarwater trail was closed, wanted the kids to see the natural tar in the water and know why you shouldn't drink too much of the water from this area. The stream is full and alive during the rain and even the drive to here and back was epic. We came for redwoods and water but if you go on certain trails you can see the abandoned cabin and an old industrial water tank. There are amazing views of clouds and trees mixed together during this season. We stopped many times to take pictures of all this. We didn't see any animals because of the rain but the kids enjoyed seeing the different mushrooms, ferns along the creek, and looking for four leaf clovers.

Love this park! So glad San Mateo county parks used Pescadero Creek as part of the 2024 Take a…read morehike challenge. We've been back twice since going for the first time in February or March. Beautiful redwoods throughout the park. We tried the Pomponio trail; unfortunately all bridges over the creek are washed out so we weren't able to complete the loop trail. Regardless, hiking here is wonderful. Lots of banana slugs, a few cool spider webs, but still no elusive newts although I know they're there. We'll try the Pomponio trail again later this year once the creek flow has significantly reduced. Park at Memorial park, use the bathroom before (and after) starting, then walk about 5 minutes to the Old Haul Road trailhead

Kind of a hidden park in San Carlos, near Eaton Park, but a great local hike with decent distance…read moreand elevation change. There's more than one entry point, but I started my hike from the side across the street from Crestview park. Pros: Really breathtaking canyon vistas (hence the name) once you get farther into the park. It's kinda remarkable that some people have this as a local resource. Decent distance to hike, much more expansive of trail network than nearby Eaton park. Dogs allowed! Woohoo! Street parking is fairly easy in the neighborhood. Cons: The decline into the trail from the Crestview side is somewhat steep. Careful with your footing. This place was hot as hell when I went there in late spring, while there's tree shade, portions are very exposed. Part of me would be concerned about fire risk in the summer since it's not the easiest to get out of this forest, as the trail is narrow once you get farther in and single track (also something to consider if you're bringing your dog - you may have little room to pass other dogs) with a lot of brush. There doesn't seem to be bathrooms or water so definitely bring your own.

"One visit is enough."…read more Honestly, there's not much of a reason to come back here. It's not that there's anything especially wrong; rather, there's not anything especially right. The trails are just okay. Nothing special. The entrance is conveniently located off the street, with free parking. Right across the street is the trailhead to Eaton Park. There is an information kiosk right at the trailhead. There's also a box for trail maps. The day that I visited there were no maps. Take a lesson from East Bay Regional Parks and don't be cheap about distributing maps. Keep in mind there are no facilities here; however, Crestview Park is close by and has water and restrooms.