The Tarwater Loop Trail

Pescadero Creek County Park

(In Search of Sawmills on the Peninsula)

"You aren’t a logger until you own a dollar watch and have your picture taken with a tree." - Dee Kinsey, photographer, late 1800s

Directions: South on Skyline Boulevard to Alpine Road. Continue for three miles; pass by the entrance to Portola State Park and continue .4 miles to Camp Pomponino Road (also marked for "County Jail"). Turn left and continue one mile on the narrow paved road to an unpaved parking lot and trailhead.

Grade: Moderate, elevation loss and gain of 700 feet.

Distance: Five miles.

Time: Three hours with lunch break.

Special Conditions: No dogs or bikes allowed. Horses not allowed during winter months. No restroom or water at trailhead. The park is managed by San Mateo County. For information, call 650-363-4020.

In the deep reaches of Pescadero Creek County Park are the ruins of an old shingle mill. The mill is located in a level area along what is now called Shingle Mill Creek. In the area you will find rusted parts of a steam engine and large support timbers for the mill.

The book—“Sawmills in the Redwoods” by Frank Stanger (published by the San Mateo County Historical Association)--describes a shingle mill as “a much smaller operation than a sawmill.” It generally required a smaller building, less machinery, and a smaller crew than the timber or board mill. Many of the mills in this area were for the production of shingles because the mills were too deep in the canyons and the hillside too steep to accommodate the transport of large boards and timbers. Shingles, on the other hand, could be cut, packaged, loaded on mules or carts, and hauled up the steep roads to Skyline Ridge.

According to Stanger, the earliest shingles and shakes cut from redwood rounds—16 inches for shingles and 36 inches for shakes. In the 1850s and ‘60s, machines were invented to cut more quickly and with a taper. In Stanger’s book, (pg. 140) is a picture of “Huntington’s Patent Shingle Machine,” capable of cutting 3,500 to 4,000 shingles per hour for a price of $450. This catalog offer appeared in 1876 and referred to a number of millmen using the machine, including Hansam, Redwood City; Rice and Halliburton, Woodside; Harrington and Wurr, Pescadero; and Pharis, Woodside—names that we see over and over again as we search for Peninsula sawmills.

From the parking lot (this is as far as you are authorized to drive unless you have business at the county jail--honor farm), walk across the road to the signed Tarwater Trail. The trail starts through open grassland with good views to the north and west.

Continue over the grassland, and turn left down a narrow trail through an oak and bay woodland and along the east edge of a long meadow. As the trail cuts across the meadow, watch for an old barn next to a grove of eucalyptus trees. This is Tie Camp, part of a dairy herd operation that provided milk and cheese to the locals. The elevation at the old barn is about 300 feet below the trailhead. From the barn, the trail circles around the eucalyptus trees, crosses to the other side of the meadow, drops into a forest of second-growth redwoods, and passes over a small feeder stream heading to Tarwater Creek.

This is a quiet area of large redwoods with remnants of the people who lived here many years ago--a rusty bucket, tin cans, and an old leather shoe sole. The trail continues downhill, alongside an old barbed wire fence line and through a wallow, fringed with water plants.

The junction with Canyon Trail is just ahead with a seasonal gate to block horseback riders during the winter season. At the junction, turn left onto the wider Tarwater Trail, which becomes an old service road. A right turn on Canyon Trail will quickly take you to Tarwater Creek. The name, "Tarwater," refers to the shiny, oily substance that you are likely to see in the water.

Continue along the wide Tarwater Trail, which runs parallel to Tarwater Creek. You will find large redwoods alongside the trail. Many of these are standing alone, so you can view and gain a better appreciation for the tremendous height of these trees.

After about one-half mile of pleasant shaded and mostly level hiking, the trail crosses Camp Pomponino Road. The road continues into the county jail after it crosses the bridge over Tarwater Creek.

Turn up Camp Pomponino Road, and follow the signed trail bordered by redwood and fir trees that runs parallel to the paved road for a short distance. As you hike over Shingle Mill Creek, watch for a junction and a left turn onto Tarwater Loop Trail. This is a single-track trail; bikes are not allowed and horses are restricted during the winter season. Pass through the horse gate and gradually ascend along the creekside. After about 10 minutes of hiking from the last junction, watch on your left for the remains of an old shingle mill. Some large support timbers are still in place as well as rusted parts of an old steam engine. This is a beautiful area of second-growth redwoods and an area worth exploring.

As the trail gains elevation, it turns into an unpaved road that was probably used years ago to transport the newly cut shingles to market. Along the way, watch for a very large redwood perched on a steep hillside on the left side of the trail. The tree is some 15 feet in diameter, with a burned-out core and two elbow-shaped limbs high up the trunk. This classic specimen somehow survived the heavy logging activity of the early 1900s. As the trail gains altitude on the ridge, the forest changes to mostly oak and madrone with scattered fir trees. Clumps of forget-me-nots in full bloom (March) brighten the trail. Good views open up to the south and west, and before long the trail passes through a broken-down, barbed wire fence. Deep in the ravine below is Wally's Creek, and you will also see portions of Camp Pomponino Road. In a short distance, the trail loops down through a gate to the parking lot.

Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome.

E-mail tom@tomdavids.com

Footnote: Check out the Weekly Walker Web site at www.weeklywalker.com.