Trail Center Workday - Pescadero Creek County Park

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Pescadero Creek County Park

This vast parkland of 8,020 acres is comprised of San McDonald, Memorial, and Heritage Grove parks. The park contains a significant amount of forest and watershed related resources. Pescadero Creek, which flows all year round, is a major Steelhead spawning stream. The stream is an important steelhead trout habitat and may be restored for coho salmon.

The park has remained in its initial state with the development and maintenance of multi-use trails and two primitive trail camps. The Boy Scout facility Camp Pomponio, was closed in the late 1960's - early 1970's when the area was logged by Santa Cruz Lumber Company. The boy Scouts had developed many of the trails, some existing logging roads that are still in use today. Camp Pomponio was part of the County's acquisition and became the Men's Correctional Facility operated by the Sheriff's Office.

Hiking Trails: With just a one-hour hike you can explore either Mt. Ellen, Huckleberry, Homestead, Creek, Big Tree, or Heritage Grove trails. On a half-day venture, you can hike Ridge Loop, Tarwater Loop, or Towne Trail. Butano Ridge Loop or the Pomponio Trail Provide all-day experiences for the avid hiker or jogger.

A Park map is here.

Location: Pescadero Creek County Park, San Mateo, California - Pomponio Trail

Directions: We will be meeting at the Hoffman Flat trailhead on the east side of Memorial Park.

From 101 or 280: Take Highway 84 west to La Honda (passing across Hwy 35 in the process). Turn left 1/2 mile past village center in La Honda on Pescadero Road. After 1.2 miles, make the sharp right turn up the hill staying on Pescadero Road (straight ahead is Alpine Road). Continue another 4.25 miles to Wurr Road on the left (wide paved road). Turn left and go 0.2 miles to the large trailhead parking on the left. Note: If you made it to the main Memorial Park entrance on Pescadero Road, you went a quarter mile too far past Wurr Road.

From Highway 1: Take Pescadero Road about 11 miles to the park entrance. Then go another 0.25 miles to Wurr Road and turn right. Then go 0.2 miles to the large trailhead parking on the left.

Expect 30-45 minutes from Interstate 280 on Highway 84 to the trailhead.

Agency: San Mateo County Parks - Carla Schoof, Volunteer Coordinator

Supervisor: Dave Croker

Project Lead: Dave Croker

Additional Information: Participants should bring water (2 quarts/liters suggested), sunscreen, sturdy shoes (hiking boots recommended), lunch and normal precautions against poison oak exposure (work gloves, long sleeved shirts and long pants). The Trail Center provides tools, training, gloves, and refreshments after the workday.

Saturday, December 01, 2012 - Reroute on the Pomponio Trail near Shaw Flat Campground - CANCELLED DUE TO RAIN

Activities: Ranger Mark Schneider has been working on a new realignment of the Pomponio Trail within Pescadero Creek County Park and has urgently requested assistance from the Trail Center.

Here's a unique opportunity to build new trail from scratch. The area, known as Parke Gulch, is a hidden gem within the Santa Cruz Mountains. This typical redwood forest was not heavily logged, so many medium-sized trees remain in Parke Gulch. This is the first time in the Trail Center’s 29-year history that we will be working in a first-growth redwood forest. What a treat.

New trail construction for this project will be on the order of a quarter of a mile. Mark, along with other volunteers, has built the other quarter mile of trail already. This reroute will eliminate a confusing section of trail that included a piece of an old dead-end road. It also eliminates a steep section of trail. But, most importantly, it allows hikers the chance to see more of the beauty of Parke Gulch.

This will be the first of a few workdays to Parke Gulch, but we won’t be back until summer of 2013, so come out and help get the project started now.

Please Note: Access to this section of the Park depends on decent, non-wet weather, so in the case of any serious rain the week before the trailbuild, there is a good chance the event will be cancelled. RSVP’s are recommended so that we can notify you if that occurs. We will also be shuttling volunteers in vehicles from the trailhead to the worksite so it’s imperative that you arrive on time. Also, due to the shuttle and distance back to the trailhead, it is recommended volunteers stay the entire workday for this project.
Volunteer