I love my weekend hiking getaways. Within a few hours drive I can be up in the mountains or somewhere along the coast, away from the hustle and bustle of city life and out on the trail. The change of scenery helps me to unwind and recharge. But I often forget that I don’t have to go that far. That I don’t have to scramble Friday afternoon to beat rush hour or sit in Sunday evening traffic that feels like a weekday commute. Recently perusing my dog-eared copy of 101 Great Hikes of the San Francisco Bay Area reminded me that there are beautiful parks right at my doorstep that have backpacker campgrounds. Translation: fewer people, more peace and solitude, all at a fraction of the time and effort to get out of the Bay Area.
Last Friday we made a trip to one of those parks – Portola Redwoods State Park. We had previously done the Peter Creek Loop as a long day hike, but this time we decided to slow down the pace and incorporate one night at Slate Creek Campground.
We arrived at the park around noon and while getting our packs out of the car noticed mosquitoes buzzing around. It hadn’t even occurred to me that there would be mosquitoes! Fortunately the gift shop inside the Visitor Center sold bug repellent.
Once we got moving the mosquitoes became less of a nuisance. We headed out on the park road and made our way to Old Tree Trail. After a few hundred feet we took a sharp left onto Slate Creek Trail and headed into the forest. There’s something indescribable about the feeling I had walking among the trees, moving further and further away from civilization (although here in Portola Redwoods SP, sounds from the occasional airplane overhead are a reminder that civilization isn’t really that far away). Within the hour we arrived at the campground, where only one other site was occupied, and dropped our packs onto the picnic table at Site 1.
Setting up camp took no time, the mosquitoes swarming about us a prompt to keep moving. Our Big Agnes Copper Spur 3-person tent took seconds to pitch. Just after 1 p.m. we took off for Peters Creek Grove, our heavy backpacks swapped for our day packs filled with only our water bottles. The familiar warning sign greeted us, but there was no rush on this day.
We followed Bear Creek Trail through forest and chaparral before descending into the canyon. Ducking under a few fallen trees we approached the junction of Bear Creek and Peters Creek and turned left onto the Peters Creek Loop Trail.
Walking among these towering redwoods, many 1,000-years old or more, is nothing short of magical. Maybe it’s because in this unbelievably peaceful setting we are transported back in time and reminded to slow down, take a deep a breath and consider what’s really important. We slowly completed the loop, our necks craned upward in awe at the majesty of these trees, thankful that this deep canyon spared them the fate that befell all the others.
Back at camp, we made dinner, cleaned up and were ensconced in our tent by around 7 p.m. Around this time, a father and his two children arrived, their voices temporarily breaking the silence. It was still light out and with not much else to do we read and relaxed before drifting off to sleep under the canopy of trees.
In the morning we prepared breakfast and broke down camp. The mosquitoes were out in full force so while we weren’t in a hurry, we didn’t linger longer than we had to. By 10 we were packed up and ready to go. For the return journey we took the Summit Trail. With our packs several pounds lighter, the short ascent was fairly easy. It was then mostly downhill to the park road. We passed a group huffing and puffing their way up and I gave myself a mental pat on the back – coming up Slate Creek, which was more gradual, and going down Summit was the right call. Once we got to the road we connected with the Iverson Trail and followed signs to Tiptoe Falls that led us down a set of steps and one creek crossing.
The falls are aptly named, probably only about 6 feet high, and cascade into a small pool surrounded by rocks and ferns. While they are not big, the opportunity to see running water in the Bay Area is often a treat given what seems like a permanent state of drought. We took our photos and headed back up to grab our packs and continued on Iverson until we reached its junction with the Sequoia Nature Trail. Along the loop we paused to look at the charred remains of a massive redwood tree . It was sad to contemplate how something which had presided over this area for hundreds of years could be gone in a flash due to the carelessness of a camper’s fire. What nature created over the centuries, humans destroyed in a second.
Leaving the loop we continued a few more minutes before finally emerging at the parking lot behind the Visitor Center, happy to see our car where we left it. After unloading our gear and buying a sticker, we said goodbye to the trees and headed back home.
Coda
I really enjoyed this trip because it was completely doable in a weekend and we didn’t feel like we spent half the time stuck in traffic (in fact, there was no traffic for us). And for such a short trip the park is sufficiently remote that we left feeling like we really had gotten away. A bonus is that it also gave us a reason to stop at Alice’s Restaurant for a late lunch.
Additional Information
- The Slate Creek Campground is part of the Santa Cruz Mountains backcountry trail camp network. Information about this network can be found here.
- To make a reservation use this form. After the request has been approved call them at (831) 338-8867 to pay. Reservations are not actually confirmed until payment is made.