San Mateo County Memorial Park Loop Hike

San Mateo County Memorial Park is only about 500 acres, so it is not hard to do a 6.1 mile loop hike that covers almost the entire park. This hike will take you through shady old-growth redwood groves along beautiful Pescadero Creek and then up onto a chaparral and oak ridgetop with views of the valley and Skyline Ridge.

This is San Mateo County's first county park, dedicated on July 4, 1924 to the 52 San Mateo County residents who died in World War I. Roy Cloud, San Mateo County school superintendent, got the idea when he saw a for sale sign on the property after visiting a one room school house on Wurr Road.

We started our hike at the parking lot on Wurr Road, which is just west of the main park entrance. This is also an entrance to Pescadero Creek County Park. You can avoid the entrance fee by parking here. From the parking area we walked downhill (north) and across the bridge over Pescadero Creek, where there is a trail into the park on the left. We followed the road to the Legion Flat Picnic Area, which was constructed  by the WPA in the 1930's amid a beautiful grove of old-growth redwoods along Pescadero Creek. Nearby is a hollow fallen redwood log with a hole in the top and an exit hole on the side. Kids have been climbing on and through this log for generations.

From there we visited a sandy area where a dam once created a swimming hole. It was removed to allow salmon and steelhead to spawn up the creek. We continued west on the Creek Trail to see the biggest tree in the park, which is 13 feet in diameter. The redwoods in this park are not as big as those in Big Basin or Henry Cowell state parks. The trail then passes through the amphitheater and then swings north and through the Azalea Flat Campground.  Near the north end of the campground we entered the Homestead Trail, which can be hard to find because it involves walking through a campsite.

From the Homestead Trail we headed north on the Pomponio Trail. which will take you across Pescadero Road.  There is no crosswalk, so be careful crossing. The Pomponio Trail loop climbs above the redwoods into stands of Douglas fir, Bay Laurel, hazelnut, thimbleberry, and honeysuckle. On the south facing side of the ridge the vegetation turns to chaparral and oak. In October you can enjoy California fuchsia in bloom.

Next we turned left onto the Mount Ellen Summit Trail, which follows a

ridgeline before steeply descending back to Pescadero Road and the main entrance to the park. We rested at the memorial grove near the park headquarters and then walked the road through the picnic area, which has an ancient redwood with an arched hole that is a good photo op,

TO GET THERE... Wurr Road intersects Pescadero Road southwest of Sam McDonald County Park and is about 10 miles east of Highway 1. It is just west of the main entrance to San Mateo County Memorial Park. The Wurr Road sign is hard to see, so look for the sign that says "Redwood Glen".