Portola Redwoods

https://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=539 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portola_Redwoods_State_Park Portola Redwoods State Park is located in San Mateo County. Peters Creek and Pescadero Creek meet in Portola, and are the park's primary watercourses, and feature numerous tributaries. Tip Toe Falls is a small waterfall along Fall Creek, a tributary of Pescadero Creek. Portola Redwoods State Park contains approximately 18 miles of hiking trails in the 2,800-acre park, a small car-camping campground of about 50 campsites, four group campsites, and 6 trail sites at Slate Creek Trail Camp. Portola Redwoods State Park is also home to the site of Page shingle Mill, for which Page Mill Road is named.

Portola Redwoods State Park Our Mission 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. A hidden escape from the city, Portola Redwoods State Park provides visitors with their own secret place in a natural basin of California State Parks supports equal access. Prior to arrival, visitors with disabilities who need assistance should contact the park at (650) 948-9098. 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 Portola Redwoods State Park 9000 Portola State Park Road La Honda, CA 94020 (650) 948-9098 © 2011 California State Parks (Rev. 2017) evergreen forest. t Portola Redwoods State Park, silence and tranquility rule. The road leading to the 2,800-acre park follows a ridgetop that drops down into a deeply shaded redwood forest. Portola Redwoods offers a hushed getaway from the suburban bustle of nearby Silicon Valley and the South Bay. Several trails follow meandering creeks where moisture-loving coast redwoods stand tall among thick ferns and redwood sorrel. Waterfalls on Fall and Pescadero creeks tumble down mossy banks and over sticks and rocks. PARK HISTORY Native People Native people have lived in the vicinity of Portola Redwoods State Park for thousands of years. The Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco peninsula were home to a mosaic of tribes. The Quiroste Tribe (pronounced Ki-raw’-stee) was the largest tribe; their territory ranged from what is now Año Nuevo to Pescadero and up towards Skyline Ridge, including Portola Redwoods State Park. Here, the Quiroste fished for steelhead trout and coho salmon, and they collected naturally forming asphaltum (tar) from Tar Creek to use as an adhesive and sealant. Shaped Olivella shell beads from the coast were used to barter and trade with inland tribes. Trading involved travel along established routes; one route passed through this park. Abalone, mussels, fish, and other seafoods    —  plus flints used to chip stone tools like knives, spears, and arrowheads    —  were among the many coastal resources that they traded. In return, inland materials like obsidian for stone tool making, foods, and bows from distant lands were brought to the Quiroste over mountain trails. European Contact Portola Redwoods State Park is named for the Spanish explorer Gaspar de Portolá. In 1769, the Portolá expedition traveled overland along the San Mateo coast to the San Francisco Bay, but never reaching it. This journey, along with others that Photo courtesy of The Bancroft Library A Gaspar de Portolá expedition “Discovery of the Bay of San Francisco” Painting by Walter G. Francis, 1909 followed, led to Spanish settlement of the San Francisco and Monterey Bay areas. This area’s first settler, Danish immigrant Christian Iverson, built a cabin along Pescadero Creek in the 1860s. In 1889, Iverson sold his property to lumberman William Page. Page ran a shingle mill just east of the present day Slate Creek trail camp. He also established a haul road connecting several mills to the Embarcadero in Palo Alto. This haul road, later named Page Mill Road, still exists. In 1924, the Masonic Lodge’s Islam Shrine acquired the property for a summer retreat, building cabins, kitchens, a stage, and a recreation hall    —  today’s visitor center. Because membership had dropped by 1945, the lodge sold the property to the State to create a new state park. The park has since doubled in size, due to the efforts of such donor organizations as Save the Redwoods League. NATURAL HISTORY Huckleberries dominate the redwood understory; their thick, bushy branches provide shelter and nesting habitat for forest birds, which eat the berries and spread the seeds throughout the forest. Ferns, elk clover, and horsetail plants grow along the creeksides. In summer, look for bright blooms of leopard lilies. During winter rains, dormant lily bulbs wash downstream, where they start new colonies. On dry, south-facing hillsides and high ridges, redwoods give way to live oak, manzanita, and chamise. The dominant forest tree in Portola is the redwood, but tan oak, madrone, California bay, big leaf maple, live oak, and Douglas-fir grow among the park’s other tree species. Protected coho salmon and steelhead trout live in Pescadero Creek. Old-growth trees provide important habitat for the marbled murrelet, an endangered seabird that nests high in the redwoods. Black-tailed deer, raccoons, gray squirrels, coyotes, and mountain lions call this area their home. Climate change affects all living things within the redwoo

v Clo d 236 R id ge T rail Co y 61 ad Ro 62 Family 63 Walk-in Sites 64 Ivers on Madrone Day Use n ad sc true Tr a il il Footbridges across Pescadero Creek are removed in the fall and replaced in late spring. S Circle d e ro Bridge Picnic Area: Group Camp Host Ranger Station Campfire Center Restrooms Campground Showers Campground: Group Telephone Campground: Hike & Bike Campground: RV Dogs Allowed on Leash Waterfall Water Faucet Map not to scale SPECIAL EVENTS: Weddings, family reunions, company picnics, and other group activities require a special permit. The Ramada Group Day-Use Area and the Campfire Center can be reserved for these events. Groups are limited to 75 people and 25 vehicles. Call (831) 335-3455. ADDITIONAL PARK INFORMATION: • Be aware that the last six miles of road to the park are steep, narrow, and winding. • Fill up the gas tank of your vehicle before driving to this area. The nearest gas station is 14 miles away in Sky Londa (the intersection of Hwys. 84 and 35). No gas is available in the park. • The nearest grocery store is nine miles away in La Honda (on Hwy. 84) • There is a pay phone outside the Visitor Center. mmit Trail Su Tiptoe Falls Ive O ld H aul R o ad (U ra il No dogs beyond this point np ) Picnic Area ed Bicycle Trail Iverson Trail av Locked Gate Parking k Ro vice ad er ved S Cree Unp a sca T on rs Accessible Campsite Accessible Feature © 2006 California State Parks (Rev. 2016) d Point LEGEND # Upper Escape Roa Old Tree Trail Ramada Group Day-Use Area Pe WILDLIFE: This is a CRUMB-CLEAN park. Portola is home to the endangered marbled murrelet, a seabird that nests in old-growth forest. The wildlife that is attracted to your food also preys on the marbled murrelet. Do not feed the wildlife. Leave no trace, not even a crumb. Park visitors are required to stay within arm’s reach of all food, trash, and any other food items (dirty dishes). This rule is strictly enforced. WARNING: Be aware of the presence of poison oak, stinging nettles, ticks, and yellow jackets. No day-use parking in campground areas. eq To Co Mem un ty orial Pa rk TRAILS: Free trail maps are provided at the Visitor Center. Detailed foundation maps can be purchased for $2 at the Visitor Center. If you would like to purchase one by mail, please send a $2 check made out to Portola and Castle Rock Foundation, and a stamped, self-addressed envelope to the park’s address. DAY USE AND PICNICS: Picnic sites and dayuse parking are available year round first-come, first-served. Picnic tables and barbecue grills are provided. There is a daily parking fee per vehicle. 53 Park Office & Visitor Center uoi a Na n so er Tra PLEASE RECYCLE: Recycling stations for aluminum cans, as well as plastic and glass bottles, are located throughout the park. Main Campground Tan Oak Day Use Pe Iv 39 38 4 er oC re ek 3 2 Here the rugged terrain of the Santa Cruz Mountains forms a deep canyon with a natural stream basin of mixed evergreen forest, featuring old and second growth redwoods. Popular activities include hiking, picnicking, exploring, camping, and backpacking. 30 8 7 9 6 5 Tr ai l il rs o Ive To Slate Creek Trail Camp 37 40 31 36 41 42 33 32 26 34 43 44 25 22 35 24 21 23 20 45 Hillside 47 19 Overflow 49 46 Parking 16 48 15 18 50 51 14 17 11 12 52 Huckleberry 10 Tr a io T r a il 9000 Portola State Park Road, #F • La Honda, CA 94020 (650) 948-9098 Slate Creek Trail Pom pon S Portola Redwoods State Park 27 Ravine ice erv Up per Escape Road Parking 9 d ve pa n U r s Cree k eP a St Saratoga 9 9 35 S ky lin Castle e Rock State Park e ot 29 Overflow 28 vd Bl R ale erd 1 Portola Redwoods State Park Big Basin Redwoods State Park l Pete La Honda Alpi neR R ero Butano State Park rt o Po Sk y ad sc Pe 280 vd Bl line age R d d 101 a 35 d O l d St 1 84 Pag e Mil l Rd 94 San Gregorio Mountain View 85 To Hwy. 35 (Skyline Blvd.) (Mid-Peninsula Regional Open Space District and County Parks) at Palo Alto To Half Moon Bay Sky Londa rk R oa d Portola Redwoods State Park Iverson Cabin Site Poison oak Stinging nettle Tick Yellow jacket Banana slug WOOD: Wood collecting, including leaves and twigs, is not allowed. This material protects the soil, decaying over time and forming the natural mulch necessary for the health of the forest. VEHICLES: The wheels of all vehicles must stay on pavement. Park in designated spots only. No parking along the roads or in any dirt area. Day users park in Madrone or Tan Oak picnic areas. RULES AND REGULATIONS Because of the many visitors to this fragile area, the cooperation of everyone is needed to preserve the qualities that make Portola Redwoods State Park a very special place. Please remember to follow these rules and regulations. HOURS: The park is open at 6 a.m. for hiking and picnicking and closes at sunset (including all trails). Only registere