Memorial County Park

Memorial Park is a 673-acre San Mateo County park at 9500 Pescadero Creek Road in Loma Mar, known for its old-growth redwoods and its big family campground. It opens at 8 a.m. every day of the year, charges $6 per vehicle, and has 126 campsites in two camping areas. It sits at the far end of the Old Haul Road from Portola Redwoods State Park, a 10-mile round trip by bike, horse or on foot.

Memorial Park vs. Portola Redwoods

They are neighbours but different parks run by different agencies. Memorial is a San Mateo County park reached from Pescadero Creek Road; Portola is a California State Park reached from Alpine Road. Memorial charges $6 a car, Portola $10. Memorial's campground is more than twice the size (126 sites against 55) and takes some RVs up to 35 feet. Dog rules differ too: Portola allows leashed dogs at any family campsite, Memorial only in one camping area. The two are joined by the Old Haul Road through Pescadero Creek County Park.

Hours and Fees

Memorial Park is open for day use every day of the year, holidays included. It opens at 8 a.m.; the county says the closing time changes through the year. The vehicle entry fee is $6, and the county offers fee waivers to those who qualify.

Camping

The park has two family camping areas, Azalea Flat and Sequoia Flat, with 126 sites in total and up to eight people per site.

• Azalea Flat is open all year.
• Sequoia Flat and the RV dump station are open from Memorial Day weekend to October 31.
• A limited number of sites take RVs up to 35 feet. There are no hookups.
• Firewood is sold on site; ask rangers about campfire restrictions.

Reservations open six months ahead of your arrival date on the county's online system. Holiday weekends require at least three nights. For help, call (650) 363-4021, Monday to Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; there is no phone help Friday to Sunday or on holidays. The county says midweek and off-season dates are easier to get.

Camping With Dogs

Memorial is stricter than Portola. Dogs are allowed only in the reservable Huckleberry Flat area, and campers there are required to bring a dog. Dogs are not allowed elsewhere in the park. See dogs for the rules at Portola and other neighbours.

Trails

The county lists more than eight miles of trails, from Pescadero Creek up to the summit of Mt. Ellen:

• Creek Trail, 1.2 miles along Pescadero Creek; azaleas bloom from early May through June, and small waterfalls appear later in the year west of the campground road
• Homestead Trail, 0.9 miles; with the Creek Trail it makes a 2.4-mile loop
• Mt. Ellen Nature Trail, 1.0 mile, self-guided with a handbook from the entry station
• Mt. Ellen Summit Trail, 1.6 miles
• Pomponio Canyon Trail, 3.5 miles, moderately steep, with a view toward Santa Cruz County and the ocean
• Sequoia Trail, 0.7 miles, named for the park's largest redwood
• Tan Oak Nature Trail, 0.5 miles, self-guided, in the Tan Oak Flat Picnic Area
• Wurr Trail, 0.3 miles, linking to the Pescadero Creek Park trailhead

The county notes its trail pages are being updated and its current map and brochure are more reliable. Bikes and motor vehicles must stay on paved areas.

Closures, October 19 to 31, 2026

The county is closing parts of two trails for culvert work under Pescadero Creek Road: the Homestead Trail between markers 7 and 14, and the Pomponio Canyon Trail between markers 2 and 6.

History

Loggers cut the surrounding timber in the late 1800s and early 1900s, for redwood lumber and tan oak bark, and four small sawmill sites lie in or next to the park. San Mateo County acquired much of the uncut forest in 1924 and dedicated it to the county's men who died in the First World War. During the Depression it was a Work Projects Administration camp, and many of its restrooms, roads and picnic sites date from that work.

Crumb Clean Here Too

Like Portola, Memorial runs a crumb-clean program to protect the endangered marbled murrelet, with a required video. Leave no food out.