Portola State Park & Pescadero Creek County Park hike

Today I lead my Foothill College class on a 5-mile redwood loop hike from Portola State Park, through Pescadero Creek County park, and then back to where we started.

After carpooling at the Highway 280/Page Mill Road park & ride lot, we assembled at the Ramada Group Day Use Area in Portola State Park. We then headed down the Service Road, where we admired a banana slug, crossed the bridge over Pescadero Creek, and paused at the Iverson Cabin Site. We then followed the Old Haul Road west and then headed northwest on the Bridge Trail, taking a side excursion to the twisted old Snag Tree. We stopped for lunch along Pescadero Creek at the bridge.

After lunch we continued north on the Bridge Trail and then east on the Pomponio Trail. We climbed over a fallen tree and stopped to admire some beautiful Douglas irises on our way back to Portola State Park. We visited the small museum at the Park Office & Visitor Center. Before continuing back to our cars, part of the group hiked the .7-mile round-trip side trip to the Old Tree on the Old Tree Trail. Here we saw the best old-growth redwoods of the field trip, including the namesake tree, which is 280 feet tall, 12 feet in diameter, and estimated to be 1,200 years old.

TO GET THERE... From Highway 280 take Page Mill Road west, which turns into Alpine Road west of Skyline Boulevard. From Alpine Road turn south on Portola State Park Road.