Hiking at Portola Redwoods

Portola Redwoods State Park has 18 miles of hiking trails, from easy creekside walks to a strenuous all-day hike. The easiest is the ¾-mile Sequoia Nature Trail near park headquarters, and the Old Tree Trail is an easy half mile. The Slate Creek Trail is a moderate three miles, and the Bear Creek and Peters Creek trails make a 13-mile round trip to an old-growth grove. Dogs and bikes are not allowed on the trails.

Easy Walks

Sequoia Nature Trail (¾ mile)

The park's starter walk begins near park headquarters and crosses Pescadero Creek. An accessible section of it is the only accessible trail in the park: a compacted gravel path, 0.18 miles each way and mostly under a 5% grade, to a bench at an overlook of Pescadero Creek. Accessible parking is behind the visitor center.

Old Tree Trail (½ mile)

A second easy option, about half a mile long. The park map shows it beside Old Tree Creek.

Moderate: Slate Creek Trail (3 miles)

The Slate Creek Trail winds three miles through redwoods to the site of William Page's shingle mill, the man whose haul road became Page Mill Road. The Slate Creek Trail Camp is about 2.5 miles along it, so this is also the backpacking route. More on Page on the about page, and on the trail camp on the camping page.

Strenuous: Peters Creek Grove (13 miles round trip)

For a full day, the Bear Creek Trail leads to the Peters Creek Trail and its 1.3-mile loop through ancient old-growth redwoods. State Parks rates the 13-mile round trip strenuous. Full details on the Peters Creek Grove page.

Waterfalls

Waterfalls on Fall Creek and Pescadero Creek spill down mossy banks over rocks and fallen wood. The park map marks a trail to Tiptoe Falls. See Tiptoe Falls and the waterfalls.

Seasonal Bridges

The State Parks trail map marks several seasonal bridges, open May 15 to October 15. Outside those dates some loops may not connect, so winter hikers should ask at the visitor center which crossings are open before choosing a route.

What You Can and Can't Bring on the Trails

• Dogs: not allowed on hiking trails or dirt roads (service animals excepted). See dogs.
• Bikes and horses: not allowed on any hiking trail. The Old Haul service road is open to both, and apart from paved roads it is the only route open to bikes; see Old Haul Road.
• Drones: not allowed anywhere in the park.
• Picking or removing: all natural and cultural features are protected by law.

Hazards

The brochure lists four: ticks (some carry Lyme disease; tuck in cuffs and check yourself after), yellowjackets (they nest underground and in cavities and are drawn to meat and sugar), poison oak (leaves of three, and even bare winter stems cause a reaction; stay on the trail) and stinging nettles along damp stream banks. The forest gets 40 to 60 inches of rain a year and summers can be foggy and cool, so pack a layer in July too.

What You'll See

Coast redwoods are the main tree, with tan oak, madrone, California bay, bigleaf maple, live oak and Douglas-fir. Huckleberries fill the understory, and ferns, elk clover and horsetail line the creeks. Leopard lilies bloom along streams and trails from May to July. Look for banana slugs on wet days.

Good For / Maybe Skip If

Good for: families (Sequoia Nature Trail, Old Tree Trail); a half-day forest walk (Slate Creek); serious hikers after old growth (Peters Creek).

Maybe skip if: you want to hike with a dog (try the paved park roads, or nearby parks), or you want ridge views; Portola sits in a basin, and the views are up on Russian Ridge.