Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Hike Review

• I hiked a loop around the preserve starting at where Purisima Creek meets Highway 35. I hiked down Purisima Creek Trail to Craig Britton Trail which met Harkins Ridge Trail, before heading back on the Purisima Creek Trail.

• I parked on the side of Highway 35 as the small parking lot was full. There were a few dozen other cars that also parked along the highway.

• There was a restroom right next to the parking lot.

• Because of the abundance of trees, there was a ton of shade along the trail. There were a few viewpoints that allowed views of the Pacific Ocean, but for the most parts, the view was of the foliage.

What Happened?

10.4 miles, 3 hrs 42 mins, 2237 ft of ascent

I had hiked the northern part of this preserve in August 2021. I had also biked through the Purisima Creek Trail on my way from Half Moon Bay to San Jose during my bikepacking trip. At that time, I really could not enjoy the preserve much as the bike probably weighed 60 lbs and I was in the middle of a 50-mile bike ride that had 5000+ ft of ascent.

On this day, I was expecting a rainy day hike, but the sky only threatened to open up—it meant that the day would be nice and cool. I felt great during the hike as I felt strong and made great progress. I was happy to have kept up a 2.5+ mph pace, which I was happy with.

During the hike, the Harkins Ridge Trail did not look much familiar to me, even though I had hiked that part with Gene and friends back in 2021. However, the Purisima Creek Trail did feel familiar as I remembered exactly where I had abandoned riding the bike versus pushing it. I felt rather proud that I had biked so much (and such steep terrain).

After the hike, I hurried home to take a shower and to catch up with Cassie, who had worked hard while I spent the day recharging in the forest.