If you’re like so many San Francisco Bay Area residents, nearby Muir Woods National Monument is your go-to place for a redwood-forest experience. But did you know about these 16 redwood parks within a one-hour drive of San Francisco?
With its sandy beaches, rugged headlands and miles of trails, picturesque Sonoma Coast State Park offers a bounty of recreational opportunities for everyone.
The Forest of Nisene Marks, only 5 miles northeast of Santa Cruz, is wild and expansive. The property was clearcut in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. But it’s recovering nicely-and offers hikers and mountain bikers a chance to explore 30 miles of trails that rise from near sea level to 2,600 feet.
At the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Castle Rock State Park is just minutes from Silicon Valley. Yet it’s a perfect place to unwind from the wired world.
South of San Francisco, halfway between Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz, Butano State Park surprises almost every first-time visitor. A short drive from beaches along Highway 1, you’ll find yourself awed by mossy Douglas-firs, bigleaf maples, sword ferns and, through April, blooming calypso orchids. The redwoods are mostly second growth, but careful explorers can find some ancient ones, too.
othe-Napa Valley State Park lies near Calistoga in the heart of northern California’s wine country – farther inland than any other park with coast redwoods in California.
Nestled in the deep folds of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Big Basin is the oldest state park in California. It includes more than 18,000 acres of redwood forest, including the largest ancient stand south of San Francisco. About 10 percent of the park won protection with the help of Save the Redwoods League.
Just a few miles north of the Russian River at Guerneville, Austin Creek SRA and Montgomery Woods are complementary. Austin Creek is sunny and open, with grasslands and rolling hills dotted with other conifers and oaks.
Just a few miles north of the Russian River at Guerneville, Armstrong Redwoods and Austin Creek are complementary parks totaling more than 6,000 acres.
Just 5 miles north of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Portola Redwoods State Park offers visitors solitude and some of the tallest, most majestic redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The park centers on two creeks, Peters and Pescadero. Save the Redwoods League has helped win protection for 800 of the park’s 2,800 acres.
Here’s why I will be knocking on doors for Measure AA this week, and why I think you should too! I live in Palo Alto. As Peninsula residents know, one of the best reasons to live here is the amazing …
Grove of the Old Trees is an accessible, stunning 28-acre redwood stand on a ridgetop in Occidental.
Just north of Santa Cruz, Wilder Ranch State Park offers rich coastal habitats and layer upon layer of history. Some 10,000 years ago, the Ohlones used the site as a seasonal village.
A town called Taylorville grew up around his mill, which devoured a lush stand of redwoods. But some groves were spared, and you can see them today in 2,800-acre Samuel P. Taylor State Park. Redwoods and firs grow along Lagunitas Creek and its north-facing slopes, while chaparral and grassy meadows dominate the south-facing side of the canyon.
Halfway between San Rafael and Point Reyes, Roy’s Redwoods is a small, county-run preserve with lots to admire. It’s easy to get to, right off Sir Francis Drake Boulevard in western Marin County. It has old-growth redwoods without the crowds of a place like Muir Woods.
The slim, 150-foot trees you can see in these two regional parks are a generation removed from those that helped build the San Francisco Bay Area during and after the Gold Rush, but they represent the largest remaining stand of coast redwoods in the East Bay.
On the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, this 3,360-acre preserve has tall redwoods and a lively creek, as well as ferns, berry bushes and wildflowers.
Eleven miles north of the Golden Gate Bridge, Muir Woods National Monument is a redwood sanctuary near San Francisco. Its coast redwoods are more than 250 feet high and 400 to 800 years old.
Winter is the time to see the waterfalls of Webb Creek along Mount Tam’s Steep Ravine Trail, a magical, redwood-lined path. If you want company, the Friends of Mount Tam hosts several hikes on the mountain each month, even moonlight hikes!
Only 9 miles from downtown Oakland, Joaquin Miller Park offers amenities you can’t find in most cities: fern-lined creeks, wet meadows, redwood groves and oak woodlands.
All gifts matched up to $100,000 for ‘O Rew Redwoods Gateway!
