 |
|
|
|
||
|
|||
    |
 
|
|
|||||
|
Length: |
6.2 miles round trip |
|
|
Hiking time: |
4 hours |
|
|
High point: |
1,100 feet |
|
|
Total elevation gain: |
1,300 feet |
|
|
Difficulty: |
strenuous up the Año Nuevo Trail, otherwise easy |
|
|
Water: |
none; bring your own |
|
|
Maps: |
USGS 7.5' Franklin Point |
|
|
Information: |
Butano State Park |
This mostly shaded excursion into whisper-quiet, old-growth redwood forests travels four different trails past a variety of plant habitats.
From Highway 1 near Pescadero Beach (15 miles south of Half Moon Bay), head east for 2 miles on Pescadero Road. Turn right onto Cloverdale Road, then park 2.3 miles farther near the kiosk.
After visiting the nature center and garden next to the kiosk, begin climbing steeply on Año Nuevo Trail past lush fern gardens and Douglas fir, the latter covered with staghorn lichen. Tree shade coupled with constant moisture from the nearby Pacific Ocean nourishes this rich, green jungle.
The path climbs relentlessly until you reach a crest at 0.8 mile, where a bench offers great views on clear days of Año Nuevo Island and the Pacific Ocean. The rare Douglas iris flower grows here beneath a canopy of madrone and Douglas fir.
At 1.1 miles turn right onto Olmo Fire Road Trail, and then go left 0.2 mile farther onto the Goat Hill Trail connector. Bear right 0.1 mile farther on the actual Goat Hill Trail. Travel past level, lush, and shaded scenery for 0.5 mile to the Doe Ridge Trail marker, where you bear right.
For the next 1.4 miles, travel through a huge redwood forest on the serene Doe Ridge Trail. These huge redwoods survived two fires long ago, which explains the charred trunks. Twin redwood stalks sharing a 10-foot-wide trunk catch your attention at 2.9 miles.
Bear right onto Olmo Fire Road Trail at 3.2 miles. The next 1.8 miles stays level past coast live oak, a few redwoods, and Douglas fir. Enjoy occasional views of the Pacific Ocean by leaving the trail when you see parting branches. Reach a crest at 5 miles, then walk downhill for 0.1 mile, where you turn left onto the previously encountered Año Nuevo Trail.
|
|
100 Classic Hikes in Northern California, Copyright © 2000 by John R. Soares and Marc J. Soares, published by The Mountaineers Books, Seattle. Maps by Jody MacDonald.