The giant stumps along Purisima Creek Trail are reminders of what this canyon used to be. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District says the original redwood forest here was logged in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The largest trees were probably close to 1,000 years old when they were cut, with trunks 10 to 20 feet across. Most of the redwoods standing today are about 100 years old, a second-growth forest that has turned the canyon into one of the Peninsula's best redwood hikes.

The preserve

Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve covers 5,412 acres on the western slopes of the Santa Cruz Mountains, overlooking Half Moon Bay. It was established with a $2 million gift from Save the Redwoods League. Its centerpiece is Purisima Creek Canyon, with redwoods, a rushing creek and an understory of ferns, berries and wildflowers. The northern part has wide views of the coast. Wildlife includes bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes and rabbits.

Trails to try

  • Redwood Trail: a flat quarter-mile loop through tall redwoods just off Skyline Boulevard, suitable for visitors of all abilities, with wheelchair-accessible picnic tables and a restroom. It was built with a grant from the Peninsula Open Space Trust.
  • Purisima Creek Trail: an old logging road on the west side of the preserve. It climbs gently for its first mile, with a few short sections at 10% to 15% grade, and crosses the creek on several bridges. Look for the old stumps along the way.
  • Grabtown Gulch/Borden Hatch Mill loop: a nearly five-mile loop reached from pullouts on Tunitas Creek Road, or by walking a mile up the Purisima Creek Trail from the Purisima Creek Road parking area. The district says its remoteness lets you fully hear the forest. Pullout parking is limited.
  • For views: the upper Harkins Ridge and Soda Gulch trails, and part of the Whittemore Gulch Trail, which drops steeply into the canyon and is popular with mountain bikers.

Know before you go

  • Dogs aren't allowed.
  • Some trails may close to bikes and horses in wet weather. Check the preserve page before a winter ride.
  • Most Midpen preserves don't have trash cans, so pack out what you bring.
  • Hikers and cyclists must yield to horses.
  • The North Ridge parking area has 41 spaces and two accessible spots. The main Skyline entrance is about 4.5 miles south of Highway 92.

Why redwoods matter here

The district notes that coast redwoods, the world's tallest trees at up to 380 feet, grow only in a narrow band from southern Oregon to just south of Monterey. The oldest known redwood is 2,200 years old, though most mature trees are 500 to 1,000. At Purisima, the forest is still young. Come back in a few centuries.