Half Moon Bay/Purisima Creek Redwoods

July 27, 1999

Located on the West Slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains just South of San Francisco.

    Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Reserve is located about 35 miles South of San Francisco and just minutes from downtown Half Moon Bay. There are several places to enter the area and on this day we entered from the western side, off of Higgins Purisima Road.

This road intersects Highway 1 about one mile South of Half Moon Bay. There is plenty of parking at the trailhead.

      You may also enter the park from the main entrance which is located on Skyline Blvd. (Route 35) 4.5 miles south of Highway 92. This gives you access to the North Ridge Trailhead.

     Leaving from the Higgins Purisima entrance takes you up either Whitmore Gulch Trail or Purisima Creek. Purisima Creek is absolutely beautiful and very green (right). Though this region does not get very much rain in the summer months, the fog that lingers in the area gives all of the plants and redwood trees adequate moisture (until the pounding rains hit later in the fall).

      Along this trail if you keep your eyes open you may see some of the stumps that were left behind from a 1000 year redwood forest that was harvested in the late 1800's.

FYI:

     Redwoods are the tallest trees in the world, growing up to 360 feet tall (36 stories). Their trunks may reach as far as 44 feet around. The trees in Purisima Creek Redwoods are about 100 years old and they are known as a second-growth Redwood forest.

     This due to the harvest mentioned before. Some of the old trees are still around, possibly due to luck or a lack of appropriate shape during the harvesting era. The wood from this area was used for shingles in the building of San Francisco after the Gold Rush. Half Moon Bay received their share of the wood as well.

     Some may wonder how a tree can live 1000 years? Well, Redwoods are armed with some special features that enable them to withstand the punishing natural forces of time and nature. Most importantly Redwoods possess an acid that wards off insects and fungi. They also have incredibly thick bark which also aids in insect prevention and more importantly-fire protection.

     Lastly, if a Redwood tree is ever cut or burned new trees will sprout from the predecessors root system enabling them to continue to thrive in the regions they have dominated for thousands of years.

     The network of trails in this area is fairly diverse. There are over 2600 acres and 21 miles of developed trails in the preserve. Some climbs are very challenging and exceed 1500 feet in elevation gains.

     Since the area was used for logging in the past, the trails are mostly old, old, double-track that basically resemble a fairly wide single-track. This trail (right) is known as the Borden Hatch Mill Trail. It descends from the Tunitas Creek Road which also intersects Highway 1 about 6 miles South of Half Moon Bay. This is another way to access the preserve.

     This trail can either be a demanding climb or a screaming downhill. If you start from the Tunitas Creek Road entrance, you may be very pleased to find a really fun downhill. If you approach this trail from the Purisima Creek Trail it will be a very challenging climb for all riders.

For more information on the area and a map please see:

www.openspace.org