Portola Redwoods State Park — Attraction in Los Altos

A hidden gem for day hiking on the peninsula of the Bay Area. A little over an hour drive from San Francisco, the visitor center is about 20-30 minutes from Hwy 35 and Alpine Drive. There was a $10 fee for day use which can be used at any of the other state parks and beaches. I arrived on a cool November Sunday morning at 10:15 am. There was plenty of available parking since all the campgrounds were closed for the season. I grabbed a nap from the visitor center and mapped out a nice loop that begins near the Big Tree trail. The Big Tree trail was a nice short hike with educational signage all along the path detailing the Coastal Redwoods and their growth, the local wildlife, and other vegetation. I proceeded around the Slate Creek Trail to the Summit trail. I was immersed in absolute joy after noticing how quiet the forest was. At the point one is several miles from any road or city. There were only a few others along the trail. I traversed over to the Tiptoe Falls which were a hidden little alcove with a 3 foot tall waterfall with a trickle of water leftover from the recent rain. I continued to navigate the back country of the park via the Iverson trail to the Coyote Ridge trail. The Iverson trail was named after the first settler, a Danish immigrant Christian Iverson. The trail crosses the Pescadero Creek which has a bridge crossing between May and October. That morning I had to navigate some rocks and trust my waterproof hiking shoes. After climbing to the top of Coyote Ridge it was a speedy down hill back to the visitor center and my parking spot. It is important to note the bridge that crosses Peters creek just past the road was closed due to danger and need for repairs. I had to finish the last half mile hiking along the Portola State Park Road. I chose to wrap up the day hiking the short loop around the Sequoia Nature Trail. I recommend this short hike for anyone since it is easy and provides an epic view of the remnants of a 2000 year old Redwood burnt down on the 1989 fire. Overall a great park to make the effort to visit. I hope to come back someday during the camping season and...

Not recommending this park for a couple reasons.

The (cliffside) roads are all chipping away on both sides, only have buffers along about a third of their total length, and have constant roadwork making the already-thinner-than-two-lanes roads even more obnoxious to take.

The campsite sucks. Unnecessarily strict staff imposing absurd magnifications of what would otherwise be reasonable rules and citing campers incorrectly. Quite a few of the sites are slanted and can't be used as comfortably as others. Even if there isn't treecutting happening you won't hear very much birdsong. The hikes nearby the campsite are underwhelming, littered with construction tape, and the trails themselves are practically not maintained at all. The only real landmark is a waterfall a few miles out and a burnt tree; they certainly love to drop signs calling random spots groves every hundred feet though. The only redeeming factor is that it has a dishwashing station for whatever reason.

Also the mosquitoes were genuinely some of the worst in the entire state. You are not safe at any temperature or time of day, wearing long sleeves, or using multiple types of spray. They are relentless, and the stagnant water in open irrigation running through the entire campsite certainly helps keep them around. You will not be able to relax anywhere.

If you decide to go to this park, don't take the entrance off of 35, don't stay overnight, and don't bother with anything but Tiptoe Falls. Best of luck with the mosquitoes.

Google wants me to "share more about these topics" in another text box before posting this review, so I'll just do it here:

Playground: What playground?

Restrooms: Can't believe I forgot this in my original draft. The restrooms are terrible, broken glass and bugs everywhere. The stalls are so short you can make eye contact with the person next to you. Also the showers are paid and some doors don't close.

Dog Friendliness: Dogs are not allowed on trails.

Picnic Area: It's...

If it’s a Saturday, ask for Sue :) Remote, but worth it for great camping and local hikes. Everyone there was super helpful and kind from checking in to chatting about trails and the status of the poison oak. Sue, one of the volunteers, was particularly kind, helpful, and knowledgeable of the ecosystem and the trails accessible from the camp - as well as generally a joy to talk with. My husband and I were going back and forth about whether to do the 12 mile out and back up Slate Creek Trail, and Sue said if she could still do twelve miles, she’d do that trail. So this is for you, Sue - we did it and it was 1000% worth it!! The end loop is just magical (Peters creek loop), I don’t know how else to describe it. Took us 6 hours including two snack stops (two 30 year olds who haven’t hiked more than 5 miles in about a year). Steepest parts are just starting out and down into the valley loop with the creek and old growth redwoods. If you can hack it, take your time and be rewarded with one of a kind views. Wear long pants and long sleeves because of poison oak, though! One or two spots with overhead vines and a bit encroaching the trail at some spots - it was a good excuse to go slow :P trail is otherwise well kept, marked, and fairly trafficked.

We had campsite #2 which had 3 nice big redwoods. Right at the beginning of the grounds with a somewhat steep driveway, only shared an immediate area with #3, and in between is a little trail down to the creek. Crumb clean isn’t too difficult to manage for the sake of the endangered murrelet, and bear boxes were nice to have. Also highly recommend doing the Heritage Grove trail just 15 min away down Alpine Road - also a really...