We met at the Castle Rock main entrance along Skyline Boulevard south of where it intersects Highway 9. Some of the students found parking along Skyline in order to avoid the $8.00 parking fee. Others of us parked in the park parking lot because all the parking spaces along Skyline Boulevard were taken. Because this is a very popular park on weekends with nice weather it is a good idea to get there early.
The weather was perfect as we headed down the Saratoga Gap Trail to the junction at the bridge. From there we paused to admire an enormous Douglas fir tree and then hiked uphill to Goat Rock. After viewing the mighty rock from below, we took the trail to the uphill side, which is much easier to ascend. I took a section of thick rope out of my pack to assist the more adventurous of the students as they made it to the top for spectacular views of the entire San Lorenzo River valley, Monterey Bay, and the Santa Lucia Mountains south of the Monterey Peninsula. We then visited a hollowed out sandstone boulder to see the concretions called "cannonballs", which are the result of differential accumulations of calcium carbonate.
Our next stop was an amazing rock called "Hole-in-the-Wall" Rock, which can only be accessed by climbing to the top of the rock and then lowering yourself through a small hole into the hollowed out interior. We then stopped for lunch at a magnificent old coast live oak.
After lunch we took the Interconnector Trail south to the Saratoga Gap Trail and headed east to complete our loop. We enjoyed the sight of red wild fuchsias, one of the few flowering plants this time of year. After observing the meager trickle that is called Castle Rock Falls, we headed uphill to the the intersection with the Castle Rock Trail. Those who had enough hiking for one day continued on the Saratoga Gap Trail to the parking lot. The more adventurous students charged uphill to Castle Rock, the namesake for the park. You couldn't design a more fun and interesting rock. Castle Rock has overhangs, knobs, and caves that make it fun for skilled rock climbers and those of us who just enjoy crawling into dark places.
TO GET THERE... The main park entrance is on the west side of Skyline Boulevard about 2.5 miles south of Saratoga Gap (the intersection of Skyline Boulevard and Highway 9).
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