New Castle on the Peninsula

Castle Rock State Park has a Brand New Entrance to Hiking Trails

Castle Rock State Park in the Santa Cruz Mountains is giving hikers the royal treatment with a brand-new park entrance. The Robert C. Kirkwood entrance and visitors center is exactly what you might demand from a Silicon Valley favorite outdoor space: free Wi-Fi, downloadable trail map app, plenty of parking, picnic areas, and trail connections!

Use the app, or go old-school and grab a brochure with a map at the park ranger’s office.

Then head out on a 6-mile loop showcasing some of this park’s best stuff. Start on the Waterfall Connector Trail, which immediately descends into a valley filled with moss-covered fir and oak trees.

Follow the path to the right after the first footbridge, onto the Saratoga Gap Trail. After crossing a second footbridge, follow the Ridge Trail and signs to Goat Rock, the first of many giant natural outcrops exposed after repeated tectonic shifts from the nearby San Andreas Fault.

Continue along the Ridge Trail as you pass through a mix of madrone, Douglas fir, and coast redwood forests. Occasionally you will burst out of the forest to amazing views of the surrounding hills and nearby parks. Take your next left after passing Russell Point and follow the signs listed for the Saratoga Gap Trail, which travels along a lower section of ridge. The exposed area and steep drop-offs are covered in chaparral and rocky outcroppings. From here you have a wide-open view of the forested Santa Cruz Mountains for miles.

After nearly 2 miles, you’ll reach the massive Castle Rock Falls, with great views from the platform. Continue on Saratoga Gap Trail, crossing the footbridge and following signs to Castle Rock. Ascend to the peak.

Near the top, multiple offshoots lead you to your final highlight: the sculpted, cavernous sandstone of Castle Rock.

To make your way back to the parking lot, pass the restroom and follow the signs to the old parking lot. A connector trail leads you back to the Robert C. Kirkwood entrance on the far side of the old parking lot near the restrooms.

Thank the Sempervirens Fund, California State Parks, Friends of Santa Cruz State Parks, and other partners for making this happen.

The new Robert C. Kirkwood entrance is located a quarter mile north of the old entrance. Google Maps. Restrooms are available at the entrance and at Castle Rock. Water is only available at the entrance. Parking fee is $10 and can be paid in cash at the desk when an attendant is on duty or via credit card at the pay station. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Bikers and walkers on the Bay Area Ridge Trail with the Golden Gate Bridge behind them

    National Park City Walk

    See San Francisco the way locals do by hiking the Presidio, a national park right in the city! Wooded trails, secluded beaches, and epic views of the Golden Gate Bridge feature on this 5.5-mile out-and-back on the Bay Area Ridge Trail. It’s a lovely slice of the City by the Bay.

    View
  3. Bucks Up!

    Come on in, the water is beautiful. Whether you like swimming, kayaking, stand-up paddling, or heading out on a bigger boat, Bucks Lake is a high mountain haven that’s easy to access, blissfully uncrowded, and surrounded by sandy beaches, picnic areas, pines, and aspens.

    View
  4. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. Bear Hug

    This 5.5-mile loop through Coyote Lake-Harvey Bear Ranch County Park explores one of the newest segments of the acclaimed Bay Area Ridge Trail, one redolent with trees ranging from madrone and manzanita to buckeye and blue elderberry (with a bubbly post-hike bonus).

    View
  2. Two kayakers on Upper Klamath Basin on tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures

    Zen & the Art of Kayaking

    It’s the most meditative and relaxing experience you’ll ever have on a kayak. Yes, you read that right, a Zen experience on a kayak. It all happens in beautiful Klamath County when you head out on a guided tour with Sky Lakes Wilderness Adventures.

    View
  3. A Rose in the Pines

    A crackling fire, a bottle of wine, a bubbling Jacuzzi tub with a waterfall … now the big question: Marvin Gaye tunes or not? In the morning (ahem) it's breakfast in bed and a leis

    View
  4. Alex Villicana, Villicana Winery and Re:Find Distillery

    Locals' Feature: Alex Villicana

    Tech booms, AI revolutions, okay that’s all fine, but you wanna know what else is really cool? Being a pioneer in a world-famous industry that—in Paso Robles—remains solidly down to earth. When Alex Villicana established Villicana Winery in 1993, he clearly had grape expectations...

    View