Location: County: Santa Cruz. Nearest City: Saratoga.
Campsites, facilities: 23 primitive hike-in (2.8 miles)
site. Please contact the park directly for detailed camping availability
information. Primitive campsites for backpackers are the only
overnight facilities. Equestrians are urged to call ahead for
current trail information. Dogs are not allowed on the trails
or in the campground.
Reservations, fees: Call the park for information.
Contact: Phone Castle Rock State Park at 1-408-867-2952.
Operating hours, seasons: Call the park for information;
open all year round.
Directions: From Saratoga, take Highway 9 south and
turn east on 35 (Skyline Blvd.). The park is located on Highway
35, just 21/2 miles southeast of the junction with Highway 9.
Weather, clothing: The weather can be changeable; layered
clothing is recommended.
Trip notes: Along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains,
Castle Rock State Park embraces 3,600 acres of coast redwood,
Douglas-fir, and madrone forest, most of which has been left
in its wild, natural state. Steep canyons are sprinkled with
unusual rock formations that are popular with rock climbers.
The forest here is lush and mossy, crisscrossed by 32 miles of
hiking and horseback riding trails. They are part of an even
more extensive trail system that links the Santa Clara and San
Lorenzo valleys with Castle Rock, Big Basin Redwoods State park,
and the Pacific Coast.
© 2001, Miwok Lodge 439, Order of the
Arrow, Santa Clara County Council Inc., BSA
Revision 1.2
