Muir Woods National Monument, Marin County
Muir Woods National Monument
Mill Valley, CA 94941 (415)388-7059
The classic with Ansel Adams vibrations everywhere. This park is crowded and has lots of human noise, joy and activity. The primary walks
are fenced off and you really must stay on the trails to preserve the park. If you go to the far end of the major walks, there are trails without borders.
In the winter, it is very reclusive and a great rejuvenation spot.
Sameul P. Taylor Park, Marin County
Sameul P. Taylor Park Redwood Forests is 15 miles west of San Rafael on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.
Mailing Address: P.O. Box 251, Lagunitas, CA 94938
Samuel P. Taylor State Park has wooded countryside in the steep rolling hills of Marin County north of San Francisco. The park features a unique contrast of coast redwoods groves and open grassland.
Its a lesser known Redwood park, but boasts beautiful creeks, woods and wildlife. For more information click for
Samuel P. Taylor Park, California State Park Webpage
Butano Redwoods State Park, Pescadero
Pescadero, California Butano Redwoods State Park is located in a secluded redwood-filled canyon. The park is on the San Mateo Coast, off Highway One. Three miles northeast of the Gazos Creek Coastal Access Point by way of Gazos Creek Road, and about 4.5 miles southeast of Pescadero by way of the Pescadero and Cloverdale Roads.
Butano Redwoods State Park features miles of hiking trails, 21 drive-in campsites and 18 walk-in campsites. Restrooms with running water are provided. Drinking water is available at the park in both the campground and in the day use areas. There are no showers.
Guided nature walk and weekend campfire programs are offered during the summer.
Dogs are permitted in the campground and in developed areas, providing they are controlled with a leash of no more than six feet at all times. Dogs are not permitted on the trails.
(650) 879-2040 Butano Redwoods State Park parks.ca.gov.
Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve, Half Moon Bay
Half Moon Bay, California
One of the few Redwood Parks that admission is Free.
The centerpiece of this 3,360-acre preserve is Purisima Creek Canyon, with its towering redwoods, rushing creek, and understory of ferns, berries, and wildflowers. Coastal scrub and hardwood forests of tanoak, madrone, and Douglas fir border the cool moist canyon. Magnificent views of the coast and Half Moon Bay are visible from the northern part of the preserve.
(650) 691-1200 The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District openspace.org.
Portola Redwoods State Park, La Honda
One redwood here tops 300 feet, one of the tallest in the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Portola Redwoods State Park has a rugged, natural basin forested with coast redwoods,
Douglas fir and live oak. Eighteen miles of trails crisscross the canyon and its two streams,
Peters Creek and Pescadero Creek. A short nature trail along Pescadero Creek introduces visitors
to the natural history of the area. The park is rich in natural history. There is evidence of the when the sea covered
this area throughout the park.
(650) 948-9098 Portola Redwoods State Park parks.ca.gov.
Many of the biggest Redwood Trees are in the are South on the Penninsual and in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Here are some more to look up if the list above
does not fill your search for a breath of fresh air. Big Basin Redwoods State Park, Boulder Creek; Huddart County Park, Woodside; Wunderlich County Park, Woodside; San McDonald County Park, La Honda; Memorial County Park, La Honda; Henry Cowell Redwoods, Santa Cruz; Forest of Nisene Marks, Aptos.
In the novel "THE CELESTINE PROPHECY", part of the story is the necessity to go into Redwood Forests to breath purer air.
