WEEKLY
WALKER
"Three Short
Hikes at Castle Rock"
Castle Rock State
Park
". . .I dressed and went for a
walk--determined not to return until I took in what nature had to offer." Raymond Carver (1938-88)
American writer and poet
Directions: Castle Rock State Park is
located on the west side of Skyline Boulevard, 2.2 miles south of the Highway 9
intersection, 15.5 miles south of the Highway 84 intersection, and 27.7 miles
south of the Highway 92 intersection.
Grade: Moderate.
Distance: Two walks are less than one
mile. One is slightly more.
Time: Two to three hours for all
three walks.
Special Conditions:
o
No
dogs.
o
Watch
for poison oak near the trail.
o
Park hours: 6 a.m. to sunset.
o
Drinking
water and toilet facilities available at the parking lot.
o
Parking
fee is $2. Smoking is prohibited. For information, call park headquarters
(408-867-2952).
Castle Rock State is located high on the western slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains. It includes 3,700 acres of semi-wilderness and a wide assortment of outdoor opportunities--more than 30 miles of hiking and equestrian trails, picnic tables, backpack campsites, climbing rocks, a 50-foot waterfall, and splendid views.
And
there is more to come. Last month, the Sempervirens Fund announced plans to
purchase an adjacent 1,340-acre parcel of old-growth forest that will be added
to Castle Rock State Park and extend the park boundary west to Waterman Gap.
The fund is now in the process of raising $13.4 million to complete the
transaction and take title to one of California's most pristine old-growth
forests.
The
park has a long history. After the Civil War, the Castle Rock area was settled
by loggers and farmers who lived self sufficiently along the ridge, fishing,
hunting, farming, and trading among themselves. In the 1870s, settlers could
take a six-and-one-half-hour stagecoach trip along the Saratoga Toll Road from
Santa Clara to Santa Cruz. By the turn of the century, Castle Rock, owned by
J.R. Welch of San Jose, was a tourist attraction. Residents of Santa Clara
Valley rode by streetcar--the Interurban--to Congress Springs above Saratoga
and then hiked to Castle Rock and back.
Given
its long history, what makes this park so unique? It's the rocks. According to
the park brochure, the ridges of Castle Rock State Park began rising from the
seabed about 25 million years ago. Since then, they have been gradually folding,
faulting, and uplifting, exposing remarkable rock features that are so popular
with local climbers. The rocks, especially Goat Rock and Castle Rock, are
excellent examples of what geologists call "cavernous weathering."
The sandstone caves and honeycombed surfaces are created by the interaction of
carbon dioxide carried by rainwater and calcium carbonate that holds the grains
of sandstone together. As the dry weather draws moisture from the inner parts
of the rock, the capillary action sucks out the cement, the sand falls out, and
interesting honeycomb depressions and shallow caves result. (For more
information on this "tafoni effect," see "The Santa Cruz
Mountains Trail Book," eighth edition, by Tom Taber.)
From
the parking lot, you have three short hiking opportunities. Castle Rock is less
than a half-mile south. It is well worth your time, and if you are into rock
climbing, you may spend the rest of your day there. The rock--at 3,214 feet--is
very popular with local climbers from novices learning the sport to advanced
climbers sharpening their skills.
Incidentally,
during the 1880s, Ida M. Jones, the first teacher at Castle Rock School, lived
in a cave at Castle Rock while her cabin was being built.
A
second short hike from the parking lot is on a nearby level whole-access trail
that starts near the restroom. This recently completed trail extends a hundred
yards or so along the hillside past the upper part of a large rock formation
and on to a nice picnic table. The level trail, short distance, and good views
to the canyon below and the surrounding hillside make it an ideal walk for
families with small children in strollers and for the physically limited.
A
third short walk (.7 mile from the parking lot) descends down a ravine, passing
through a mixed woodland of fir, oaks, and maple trees. Uphill to the right is
the large rock formation you walk by on the whole access trail described above.
The trail continues over two small wooden bridges and then a larger bridge just
before a junction. Going straight, you will ascend the Ridge Trail. Turn left,
and you are only steps away from a large platform overlooking Castle Rock
Falls. This time of year the 50-foot waterfall is just a trickle, but during
the rainy season the falls take on a misty, veiled appearance. From the
platform you have clear, down-canyon views of the San Lorenzo River Watershed
with Big Basin State Park, Butano Ridge, and the Pacific Ocean in the distance.
You may also see rock climbers rappelling down the sheer rock face along the falls.
Written by Tom Davids