Attractions and Places To See in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve - Top 10

The preserve offers a variety of trails. The Purisima Creek Redwoods trailhead serves as a popular starting point for many paths. The Purisima Creek Trail, following an old logging road, is known for its gentle uphill grade, redwood groves, and occasional ocean views. For a more challenging experience, the Upper Purisima Creek Trail 🌲 features steep grades in its final two miles, while the Craig Britton Trail (formerly Soda Gulch Trail) is noted for some of the best redwood scenery and a lush ravine.

Yes, the Redwood Trail is a wheelchair-accessible trail that winds 0.25 miles through tall redwoods. It also provides accessible picnic tables and restrooms, making it an inclusive option for visitors of all physical abilities.

You'll encounter towering second-growth redwoods, many around 100 years old, creating a dense canopy. The lively Purisima Creek flows through the breathtaking Purisima Creek Canyon. The forest floor is rich with a lush understory of ferns, berries, and wildflowers like California polypody fern, giant chain fern, sword fern, hazelnut, stream violet, trillium, and sorrel.

Yes, the northern parts of the preserve, as well as the upper sections of the Harkins Ridge and Soda Gulch Trails, offer magnificent vistas of the San Mateo County Coast and Half Moon Bay. The Purisima Creek Trail also provides occasional views of the Pacific Ocean.

The preserve was once a major redwood logging site. You can still see evidence of this past along the Purisima Creek Trail, including large stumps of millennium-old redwoods, remnant ditches, clearings, and trees with char marks from slash fires. Remains of 'skid roads' and seven recorded mill sites along the creek banks also tell the story of its logging history.

The preserve is home to a variety of animals. Keep an eye out for bobcats, mountain lions, coyotes, and rabbits. Banana slugs are a common and interesting sight, often found along the trails, especially in cooler, wetter conditions.

The cooler, wetter weather in fall, winter, and spring enhances the greenery of the redwood forests and creates a magical atmosphere. These seasons are ideal for experiencing the lush understory and vibrant creek.

Yes, the Grabtown Gulch Trail/Borden Hatch Mill Trail Loop is a nearly five-mile option that can be accessed from Tunitas Creek Road or by walking a mile up the Purisima Creek Trail. This loop memorializes an 1880s lumber camp and offers a diverse experience.

The area around Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is excellent for various outdoor activities. You can find numerous road cycling routes, such as the 'Skyline Trailhead & Boulevard – Purisima Creek Trailhead loop', or explore gravel biking options like the 'Skeggs Point – Blue Blossom Trail loop'. For more details on these and other routes, visit the Road Cycling Routes or Gravel Biking guides for the preserve.

Yes, the Skyline Boulevard - Purisima Creek section, also known as State Route 35, offers a scenic drive through the majestic redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains. This section winds through forests and open spaces, passing directly by the Purisima Creek Redwoods, providing breathtaking views where the redwoods meet the road.

Visitors frequently praise the preserve for its peaceful environment and the captivating beauty of the redwood forests. The dense canopy provides ample shade, and the presence of Purisima Creek with its numerous bridges adds to the serene experience. Many find the trails, like the Upper Purisima Creek Trail 🌲, to be peaceful and soul-tickling, especially with the lush surroundings and diverse plant life.