Bike Pescadero Creek County Park

Pescadero Creek County Park and the connected Sam McDonald and Memorial Park are located deep in the Santa Cruz Mountains holding a vast network of secluded trails. From biking to backpacking, this area is a perfect place for a day or weekend adventure. This area also has the added bonus having relatively few visitors compared to other outdoor hot spots in the Bay Area.

This area can be accessed from Skyline Boulevard or from Highway 1. If you are arriving from the coast, head east out of the town of Pescadero on Pescadero Rd.

There are a multitude of trails starting from the Hoffman Flat Trailhead. Highlights include:

Old Haul Rd: This and Town Fire Road are the only trails in the park that bikes are allowed on. This 6.5 mile one way abandoned logging road takes you through beautiful redwood forests with very little elevation change. If you have a bike that can shred road and dirt, you can take Old Haul Rd to Portola Redwoods State Park and make a loop connecting Portola State Park Rd with Alpine Rd and Pescadero Rd.

Pomponio Trail: This trail takes you through some of the most remote locations in the Park. You will absolutely forget about the sprawling metropolis on the other side of the mountain. There are also two primitive trail camps that are accessible from this trail which are on a first come first serve basis out of the Memorial Park Ranger Station.

Butano Ridge Loop: This trail takes you on top of Butano Ridge for spectacular views of the entire area. To make this truly a loop, you will either need to start or finish on Old Haul Rd.

After your adventure, dont forget to stop in the town of Pescadero for fresh Garlic Artichoke Bread at the Arcangeli Grocery Company.