July 2012 Trail run

Portola Redwoods State Park

Sunday, July 1, 2012

In July, the Monthly Trail Run ventures deep into the Santa Cruz Mountains directly over the hill from Palo Alto. Water is still flowing in the creeks and falls, and there are plenty of lush ferns and majestic redwood trees. This is a mostly-shaded course with a waterfall and a historic cabin site (with a who-dunnit mystery). Our route will also include neighboring Pescadero Creek County Park -- two parks for the price of one! This is a very beautiful course, and well-worth the slightly longer drive.

When Sunday, July 1, 2012. Meet at 8:20am for an 8:30am start. Carpools will leave promptly at 7:40am from the Park&Ride lot at 280 and Page Mill Road.

Where Portola Redwoods State Park. Bring $10 per vehicle (exact change) for the parking fee (carpool to save money!). Allow a few extra minutes to pay the fee.

How to get there Follow this Google Maps route, or set your GPS to lat=37.252629, lon=-122.218453. Take Page Mill Road all the way up to Skyline Boulevard (8.6 miles from 280) and cross Skyline. Drive down Alpine Road for 3.2 miles. Bear left onto Portola State Park Road (try not to miss this!) for another 3.4 miles. Pay the $10 vehicle fee at the Park Headquarters and then turn around and go back the way you came, about 200 feet, to the Madrone parking area on your right.

What An 11.5 mile long route and an intermediate 7.8 mile route. You can also do a 9.5 mile run by combining the first part of the long route with the final part of the medium route. Printed trail maps (like the one below) will be available at the start of the run. This is a remote trail run and each runner must carry at least one water bottle. To avoid having to search for lost runners we ask every runner to find other runners of approximately the same running ability to form a group. As usual, there will be a potluck after the run, so please bring food or drink to share. There is a very nice picnic area next to the parking, so think about hanging out and enjoying nature after the run.