ButanoState Park - California |
Butano State Park is showcasing a secluded redwood-filled canyon. Located in San Mateo County near Pescadero, the 4,728-acre (1,913 ha) park was established in 1956. The 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. Butano also has a backpacking site along a trail 5.5 miles (8.9 km) up from the entrance. There is no water at the site but there is water nearby from seasonal streams. Guided nature walk and weekend campfire programs are offered during the summer.
featured in
![]() | California Pocket Maps | ![]() |
location
maps
Trail Map of Cloverdale Ranch Open Space Preserve (OSP) in California. Published by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.
Vintage 1957 USGS 1:250000 Map of San Francisco in California. Published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
brochures
Brochure of Butano State Park (SP) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Brochure of Butano State Park (SP) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
Campground Map of Butano State Park (SP) in California. Published by California Department of Parks and Recreation.
https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=536
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butano_State_Park
Butano State Park is showcasing a secluded redwood-filled canyon. Located in San Mateo County near Pescadero, the 4,728-acre (1,913 ha) park was established in 1956. The 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. Butano also has a backpacking site along a trail 5.5 miles (8.9 km) up from the entrance. There is no water at the site but there is water nearby from seasonal streams. Guided nature walk and weekend campfire programs are offered during the summer.
Our Mission
Butano
State Park
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(650) 879-2040. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
SaveTheRedwoods.org/csp
Butano State Park
1500 Cloverdale Road
Pescadero, CA 94060
(650) 879-2040
© 2003 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
Visitors to Butano,
astonished at the
breathtaking beauty of
this park’s lush central
canyon, have just
begun their adventure.
B
utano State Park, situated in the Santa
Cruz Mountains midway between Santa
Cruz and Half Moon Bay, is prized for the
diversity of its habitats and wildlife, and
for the depth of its solitude. Many visitors
to Butano — thought to be named after a
drinking cup made from a bull’s horn — find it
the perfect place to shed everyday stresses.
Nature’s vital processes can be seen
everywhere. The unusual bend of a redwood
tree tells the story of a long-ago earthquake.
Elsewhere, the root of an alder tree begins
eight feet up its trunk before reaching the
ground, revealing the history of flooding in
this area. The Candelabra redwood tree, with
five huge branches jutting upright parallel to
the trunk, is an odd natural phenomenon on
a parcel recently added to the park.
Those who take the time to stroll along a
park trail or set up a tent will discover the
beauty and solace of one of California’s leastknown parks.
park
Native People
The human and natural histories of Butano
State Park are closely linked. Though the
indigenous people profoundly altered the
natural landscape, they both depended
upon and had intimate knowledge of it.
When the first Spanish explorers reached
California after 1769, what is now Butano
State Park lay within the territory of the
Quiroste tribe — a large group of Native
Americans who had settled the area many
thousands of years before. The Quiroste
hunted game, harvested plant foods, dined
on a great variety of seafoods, and sold
coastal resources to their inland neighbors
using shell beads as money. In autumn, the
people burned large tracts of meadowlands
to manage the foods they ate — especially
hazelnuts and acorns. The fires improved
plants that fed the deer, pronghorn, and
tule elk they hunted. Their once-managed
landscape has reverted to wilderness.
In the San Francisco
and Monterey Bay
regions, the Quiroste
numbered among more than
fifty tribes whose descendants
are today called the Ohlone.
European Settlement
European migration brought new settlers
to the region, beginning with the 1769
Portolá expedition. The new crops and
grazing animals cultivated by these settlers
decimated traditional Quiroste food
sources, so most of the Quiroste gave up
their land and were taken into the Spanish
mission system. Some Quiroste hid in
the mountains. After the missions were
secularized in 1834, the land passed into
private hands.
Redwood Logging and Preservation
In the late 1860s, three families resided
in the area — the Jacksons, Taylors,
and Mullens. These settlers and a man
named Purdy Pharis logged the canyon,
NATURAL HISTORY
Redwoods get about 30 percent of
their vital moisture from fog.
As the Earth’s climate warms,
reduced fog threatens the redwoods’
long-term survival.
Butano State Park harbors six distinct
natural communities — each named for its
most prominent natural features.
Redwood / Douglas-Fir Forest — Much
of the interior of Little Butano Canyon is
dominated by towering redwoods and
mossy Douglas-firs. Huckleberry bushes
top the stumps of fallen redwoods. Western
wake-robin and false Solomon’s seal bloom
at ankle height. Purple calypso orchids
bloom from February to April. Redwoods
hollowed out by ancient forest fires provide
homes for bats. In wet weather, watch out
for newts and banana slugs along the trails
through the ground cover. Look for tiny
pacific wrens, nearly invisible until their
resonant songs give away their locations
among the logs and stumps.
Coastal Grassland—The entrance area is
grassland dominated by bush lupine and
coyote brush. Blue-eyed grass and coastal
suncups grow here. Sunrise and sunset are
the best times to see such predators as
bobcats and coyotes.
Alder Woodland—The first half-mile of Little
Butano Creek is shaded by alders. Under
their canopy, blackberries, stinging nettles,
elderberries, dogwoods, and willows provide
food and shelter for insects, small mammals,
reptiles, and a variety of birds. Trout,
crayfish, and endangered red
Our Mission
Butano
State Park
The mission of California State Parks is
to provide for the health, inspiration and
education of the people of California by helping
to preserve the state’s extraordinary biological
diversity, protecting its most valued natural and
cultural resources, and creating opportunities
for high-quality outdoor recreation.
California State Parks supports equal access.
Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who
need assistance should contact the park at
(650) 879-2040. If you need this publication in an
alternate format, contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
CALIFORNIA STATE PARKS
P.O. Box 942896
Sacramento, CA 94296-0001
For information call: (800) 777-0369
(916) 653-6995, outside the U.S.
711, TTY relay service
www.parks.ca.gov
SaveTheRedwoods.org/csp
Butano State Park
1500 Cloverdale Road
Pescadero, CA 94060
(650) 879-2040
© 2003 California State Parks (Rev. 2017)
Visitors to Butano,
astonished at the
breathtaking beauty of
this park’s lush central
canyon, have just
begun their adventure.
B
utano State Park, situated in the Santa
Cruz Mountains midway between Santa
Cruz and Half Moon Bay, is prized for the
diversity of its habitats and wildlife, and
for the depth of its solitude. Many visitors
to Butano — thought to be named after a
drinking cup made from a bull’s horn — find it
the perfect place to shed everyday stresses.
Nature’s vital processes can be seen
everywhere. The unusual bend of a redwood
tree tells the story of a long-ago earthquake.
Elsewhere, the root of an alder tree begins
eight feet up its trunk before reaching the
ground, revealing the history of flooding in
this area. The Candelabra redwood tree, with
five huge branches jutting upright parallel to
the trunk, is an odd natural phenomenon on
a parcel recently added to the park.
Those who take the time to stroll along a
park trail or set up a tent will discover the
beauty and solace of one of California’s leastknown parks.
park HISTORY
Native People
The human and natural histories of Butano
State Park are closely linked. Though the
indigenous people profoundly altered the
natural landscape, they both depended
upon and had intimate knowledge of it.
When the first Spanish explorers reached
California after 1769, what is now Butano
State Park lay within the territory of the
Quiroste tribe — a large group of Native
Americans who had settled the area many
thousands of years before. The Quiroste
hunted game, harvested plant foods, dined
on a great variety of seafoods, and sold
coastal resources to their inland neighbors
using shell beads as money. In autumn, the
people burned large tracts of meadowlands
to manage the foods they ate — especially
hazelnuts and acorns. The fires improved
plants that fed the deer, pronghorn, and
tule elk they hunted. Their once-managed
landscape has reverted to wilderness.
In the San Francisco
and Monterey Bay
regions, the Quiroste
numbered among more than
fifty tribes whose descendants
are today called the Ohlone.
European Settlement
European migration brought new settlers
to the region, beginning with the 1769
Portolá expedition. The new crops and
grazing animals cultivated by these settlers
decimated traditional Quiroste food
sources, so most of the Quiroste gave up
their land and were taken into the Spanish
mission system. Some Quiroste hid in
the mountains. After the missions were
secularized in 1834, the land passed into
private hands.
Redwood Logging and Preservation
In the late 1860s, three families resided
in the area — the Jacksons, Taylors,
and Mullens. These settlers and a man
named Purdy Pharis logged the canyon,
NATURAL HISTORY
Redwoods get about 30 percent of
their vital moisture from fog.
As the Earth’s climate warms,
reduced fog threatens the redwoods’
long-term survival.
Butano State Park harbors six distinct
natural communities — each named for its
most prominent natural features.
Redwood / Douglas-Fir Forest — Much
of the interior of Little Butano Canyon is
dominated by towering redwoods and
mossy Douglas-firs. Huckleberry bushes
top the stumps of fallen redwoods. Western
wake-robin and false Solomon’s seal bloom
at ankle height. Purple calypso orchids
bloom from February to April. Redwoods
hollowed out by ancient forest fires provide
homes for bats. In wet weather, watch out
for newts and banana slugs along the trails
through the ground cover. Look for tiny
winter wrens, nearly invisible until their
resonant songs give away their locations
among the logs and stumps.
Coastal Grassland — The entrance area is
grassland dominated by bush lupine and
coyote brush. Blue-eyed grass and coastal
suncups grow here. Sunrise and sunset are
the best times to see such predators as
bobcats and coyotes.
Alder Woodland — The first half-mile of Little
Butano Creek is shaded by alders. Under
their canopy, blackberries, stinging nettles,
elderberries, dogwoods, and willows provide
food and shelter for insects, small mammals,
reptiles, and a variety of birds. Trout,
Butano State Park
Ben Ries Campground
1500 Cloverdale Road • Pescadero, CA 94060 • (650) 879-2040
Located in a secluded, redwood-filled canyon, Butano State Park features 40 miles of hiking trails, 20
drive-in campsites, 18 walk-in campsites, and a backcountry trail camp. Restrooms with running water
are provided. Drinking water is available in both the campground and the day-use areas. There are no
showers. Guided nature walks as well as Junior Ranger and weekend campfire programs are offered during
the summer.
PARK FEES are due and payable upon entry into
the park. Fees include one vehicle. Extra vehicles
will be charged a per-night fee, with a maximum
of three vehicles per drive-in campsite. Walk-in
campsites are allowed one vehicle per site.
CAMPGROUND SCHEDULE: The campground
is closed December 1 through March 31.
Campsites are available for reservation by calling
(800) 444-7275 or visiting www.parks.ca.gov. All
reservations are site-specific.
OCCUPANCY: Eight people maximum are allowed
per campsite.
VEHICLE PARKING: Vehicles may be parked only
in your assigned campsite. They must not extend
onto the pavement. Extra vehicles must be parked
in the overflow parking below the campground.
CAMPSITES: The Ben Reis campground is a
crumb-clean area. All food and garbage must
be properly stored in the food lockers provided
unless in immediate use. Please place tents
within campsite limits. Tying/nailing hammocks
or objects to trees causes damage and is not
allowed.
CHECK-IN TIME is 2 p.m. Reserved sites will
be posted at the entrance station by noon the
day of arrival. Visitors without a reservation may
self-register for one night only into an unreserved
campsite when park staff are not present.
CHECK-OUT TIME is 12 noon. Please vacate your
site by that time.
CAMPSITE RESERVATIONS can be made as far as
7 months or as few as 48 hours in advance.
TRAIL CAMP: We offer eight undeveloped,
hike-in campsites. These sites are approximately
5 ½ miles from the park entrance. No campfires
or dogs are allowed. Self-contained campfire
stoves are permitted. Seasonal streams are
generally available for pumping water. A pit
toilet is provided. All sites are subject to
reservations. Trail camp reservations can be
made by calling (831) 338-8861, Monday through
Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
SPEED LIMIT: The maximum speed limit is 15
mph. Watch for pedestrians and wildlife, including
hard-to-see California newts (salamanders) and
banana slugs.
DOGS must be kept on a leash no longer than
six feet and under human control at all times.
They are allowed only on paved roads, fire
roads, picnic areas, and in your campsite. Except
for service animals, dogs are not permitted on
single-track trails. Dogs must be confined to a
vehicle or tent at night. Do not leave your dog
unattended in the campground. Please clean up
after your pets.
QUIET HOURS are from 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. Voices,
radios, and other sound-producing devices must
not be audible beyond your immediate campsite.
GENERATORS may only be operated between
the hours of 10 a.m. and 8 p.m.
BICYCLES are allowed only on paved roads
and fire roads. Single-track trails are closed to
bikes and horses. Bicycle riders under age 18
must wear a helmet by law.
CAMPING RESERVATIONS: You may make camping reservations by calling (800) 444-7275 (TTY 800-274-7275).
To make online reservations, visit our website at www.parks.ca.gov.
ALTERNATE FORMAT: If you need this publication in an alternate format,
contact interp@parks.ca.gov.
RULES AND REGULATIONS, CONTINUED
FIRES/FIREWOOD: Fires are only allowed in
fire rings provided. Camp stoves are permitted.
Collecting dead or downed wood is prohibited.
Purchase firewood from the camp host or at the
kiosk. Fireworks are prohibited.
LOADED FIREARMS AND HUNTING are not
allowed. Possession of loaded firearms or air rifles
is prohibited.
GAMES/ACTIVITIES: For safety and resource
protection, such games as ball, horseshoes,
For Emergencies Dial
911.
badminton, and similar activities are not allowed
in the park.
WILDLIFE: Please do not interfere with or feed
park wildlife. Sensitive species and habitats are
present throughout the park.
DAY USE offers upright barbecue grills, picnic
tables, and pit toilets. Picnic tables in the
campground are only for registered campers. Day
use is open from sunrise to sunset.
Butano State Park—Ben Ries Campground
© 2014 California State Parks (Rev. 2016)
to park
entrance,
overflow
parking
Legend
Paved Road
Campfire Center
Fire Road
Drinking Water
Trail
Locked Gate
Campground
Parking
Campground: Hike & Bike
Restrooms