Location: County: San Mateo. Nearest City: La
Honda.
Campsites, facilities: There are 59 sites for tents
or RVs up to 24 feet long. Piped water, fire rings, and tables
are provided. Toilets, coin-operated showers, ice, and firewood
are available. There are nature hikes and campfire programs scheduled
from Memorial Day through Labor Day. The nearest gas is 13 miles
away. Pets are permitted on paved surfaces only.
Reservations, fees: Reserve by phoning 1-800-444-PARK/7275
($7.50 reservation fee); $14-$18 per night, $1 pet fee. No reservations
October through mid-May.
Contact: Phone 1-650-948-9098 or fax 1-650-948-0137.
Portola Redwoods SP
9000 Portola SP Rd Box F
LaHonda CA 94020-9717
Operating hours, seasons: Call park for information.
Park Kiosk Hours:
Directions: From Palo Alto on Interstate 280, turn
west on Page Mill Road and drive (slow and twisty) to Skyline
Boulevard (Highway 35). Cross Skyline and continue west on Alpine
Road (very twisty) for about three miles to Portola State Park
Road. Turn left on Portola State Park Road and drive about three
miles to the park entrance.
Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered
clothing is recommended.
Trip notes: Portola Redwoods State Park has a rugged,
natural basin forested with coast redwoods, Douglas fir and live
oak. The park is very secluded, the result of visitors being
required to travel on an extremely slow and winding series of
roads to reach it. Eighteen miles of trails crisscross the canyon
and its two streams, Peters Creek and Pescadero Creek. A short
nature trail along Pescadero Creek introduces visitors to the
natural history of the area. Visitors can see clam shells and
other marine deposits from the time when the area was once covered
by the ocean. The park has one of the tallest redwoods (300 feet
high) in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The park features redwoods
and foothill grasslands on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz
Mountains and the headwaters of Pescadero Creek. A four-mile
hike links up to nearby Memorial Park. At times in the summer,
a low fog will move in along the San Mateo coast, and from lookouts
near Skyline, visitors can peer to the west at what seems like
a pearlescent sea with little islands (hilltops) poking through.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
