Location: County: San Mateo. Nearest City: Pescadero.
Campsites, facilities: There are 21 sites for tents
or RVs and 18 walk-in sites with pit toilets. Piped water, fire
grills, and picnic tables are provided. A rest room with flush
toilets is available. Pets are permitted.
Reservations, fees: Reserve by phoning 1-800-444-PARK/7275
($7.50 reservation fee); $15-$17 per night, $1 pet fee.
Contact: Phone the park at 1-650-879-2040 or 1-415-330-6300.
Operating hours, seasons: Call park for information,
hours vary.
Directions: From San Jose, take Interstate 280 north
to 92. Take Highway 92 west to Half Moon Bay. In Half Moon Bay
at the junction of Highway 1 and Highway 92, drive south on Highway
1 for 18 miles to the Pescadero Road exit. Turn left (east) on
Pescadero Road and drive past the town of Pescadero to Cloverdale
Road. Turn right and drive about five miles to the park entrance
on the left.
Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered
clothing is recommended.
Trip notes: Butano State Park is a 3,200-acre redwood
park in the Santa Cruz Mountains, featuring excellent hiking
through the redwood groves. Only three miles from the coast,
the park's trails offer views of the ocean. The campground at
Butano is set in a redwood forest, so pretty and with such good
hiking that it has become popular enough to make reservations
a must. The reason is that there is a series of exceptional hikes,
including one to the Año Nuevo Lookout (pick a clear day),
the Mill Ox Loop, and, for the ambitious, the 11-mile Butano
Rim Loop. The latter has a backpack camp in the park's most remote
area, where no water is available.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
