Thirty-six miles of multi-use trails are available for exploration at this 2,821-acre preserve. While this preserve is extremely popular with bicyclists, it also has lots of hearty hiking and horseback riding opportunities. Visitors to the preserve will find creekside trails, enjoy ocean and forest views, and experience a sense of remoteness while remaining close to an urban area.
As San Francisco flourished following the discovery of gold in California, logging of the coastal redwood forests was needed in order to supply the building materials for the growth. The remote nature of this preserve coupled with its steep terrains, kept loggers away until the 1860s. Resourceful entrepreneurs spent the next 50 years building and operating eight different mills along the creekbanks of the preserve. Around the turn of the century, the mills were closed or nearing the end of their economic viability. Modern logging continued off and on until 1988, shortly after the open space preserve was created.
Be watchful when visiting the preserve. With a little imagination and a good eye, telltale signs are still obvious. Visitors might notice a flattened pad where a mill or cabin once stood, or the rusted remains of the heavy equipment, abandoned here when the mills were no longer economical to operate. Nature has incredible healing powers. Left alone, the deep canyons have regenerated dense stands of redwoods. While most of the giant virgin redwoods were cut, enough spectacular giants remain to warrant a visit.
The cool redwood canyons yield to either mixed evergreen forest or chaparral as one travels up the drier, warmer ridges. The Manzanita Trail travels through an area of endemic, or local Kings Mountain manzanita. Surrounded by this unique hilltop "resident," visitors will find top-of-the-world views toward the San Mateo Coast.
The Resolution Trail, a multi-use, single track trail that winds through Corte Madera Canyon, was named for and dedicated to those who lost their lives on the ill-fated DC-6 airplane that crashed here in October 1953. The trail starts below the Vista Point, a knoll off of the Fir Trail that served as the base of rescuer operations following the crash. Please respect this historical site by leaving any artifacts where you find them.
The tafoni sandstone formation, located along the Tafoni Trail in the northern part of the preserve, is a short hike from the Skeggs Point entrance to the preserve. The large sandstone boulders have naturally eroded over thousands of years to create cave-like indentations in the rock, as well as lacy "fretwork," resembling a stone honeycomb, and "tree trunks" which have the appearance of being petrified. Please help the District preserve this valuable natural resource; do not climb on the formations.
Parking for the preserve is available at Skeggs Point 3.9 miles north of Highway 84 on Skyline Boulevard. Additional parking is available at roadside pullouts adjacent to the preserve.
• Stink-Foot: A jarring trek along old mill roads, dense redwood forests and obscure paths with restricted range.
• Whipsaw: Mammoth redwooods, breakneck slopes, a plane wreck and a washed out bridge. Use caution!
• Panic of '73: This gem traverses the entire periphery of the preserve. The sharp uphill at the end will drain any zest you have left.
Running Stinkfoot in El Corte de Madera Creek. In the video I'm heading down Methuselah to the creek crossing. It then transitions to a phat vista high up on Manzanita which faces west towards the San Mateo County coastline.
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