The Northern
Loop in San Gregorio Basin
El Corte de
Madera Creek Open Space Preserve
(In Search of
Sawmills on the Peninsula)
"One sees great
things from the valleys only small things from the peak." - C.K.
Chesterston
Directions: From the Skyline
Boulevard (Highway 35) and Highway 92 intersection, go south on Skyline for 9.3
miles (or 4.4 miles south of Kings Mountain Road) to the rest stop at Skaggs
Point. You cannot make a left turn from Skyline into Skaggs point, so go beyond
the rest area, turn around, and double back.
Grade: Strenuous, elevation
gain and loss of about 700 feet.
Distance: 7 miles.
Time: Four hours.
Special Conditions: Stay on trails to avoid poison oak. Watch for bicycles. No dogs allowed. Port-a-Potties available at Skaggs Point. The preserve is managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District phone: (650-691-1200) Web Site: http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_madera.asp
On the west
side of Skyline Ridge, the San Gregorio Basin is a watershed that drains some
50 square miles of rugged, dense forestland. On the south, the basin is
bordered by La Honda Creek and on the north by El Corte de Madera Creek. In
between, a number of smaller creeks and tributaries flow westerly, joining San
Gregorio Creek as it flows to the sea.
This week our hike follows El Corte
de Madera Creek from its headwaters near Skyline Boulevard into a deep canyon
some 600 vertical feet below. Along the way are signs of the A. Saunders Mill
(1860-1868) and the Pharis Shingle Mill (1865-1870). Climbing out, hikers pass
by the crash site of the Resolution, a DC-6 that crashed into the ridge in
1953, killing all 19 on board.
I will lead this hike on Saturday, Sept. 27, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. To register and for hike details, call the San Carlos Parks and Recreation Department at 802-4382. Enrollment is limited.
This walk starts at the Skaggs Point viewpoint on Skyline Boulevard. From the parking area, walk north along Skyline Boulevard a few hundred feet to the marked trailhead (Gate CM01) on the west side of Skyline. Proceed on the Tafoni Trail, a well-graded former logging/ranch road. After .1 mile, turn right onto the El Corte de Madera Creek Trail. The trail quickly drops into the drainage basin. Forget-me-nots, which line the trail, will be in beautiful full bloom during February and March. During this .7-mile stretch, the trail is wide, showing signs of an old logging road.
This is the probable location of
the A. Saunders Mill, which operated from 1860 to 1868, after which he sold the
mill and 500 acres to the firm of Hanson and Ackerson for the sum of $20,000. (Unless
otherwise noted, all historic references to sawmills are obtained from the
book, “Sawmills in the Redwoods” by Frank M. Stanger, published by the San
Mateo Historical Association, 1967.)
At the next
signpost, cross a wooden bridge, and head for the Tafoni Trail, one mile ahead.
This segment is fairly new and a single track. From the bridge, you will gain
about 200 feet and then meander through ridges and ravines until the trail
turns south and soon intersects with Tafoni Trail. Continue another .9 miles to
the intersection with Resolution Trail. Through this area, the “micro climate”
changes to a drier, warmer environment that supports Douglas fir, oaks, and
madrones.
At the junction with the Resolution Trail, you have come 2.6 miles, turn right and down for one-half mile to El Corte de Madera Creek. During the turn of the century logging era, as many as eight mills were constructed along these creek banks. As you cross the creek over a steel culvert, notice small wood buildings to your left and right. Farther to your right is an old reservoir, now filled and overgrown with water plants. The nearby pump station appears to be still operating, presumably for irrigation.
This is
most likely the site of Purdy Pharis’ first single mill, which was moved to
Purisima Canyon in 1870. Pharis was known as the “Shingle King,” a successful
logger for 31 years who found even the most remote canyons adaptable to his
trade.
From the
creek channel, return to the Resolution Trail junction and go straight ahead
for a 1.1-mile jaunt and a 400-foot elevation gain. Along the way, you will see
larger than expected fir and redwood trees that seem to have escaped the
loggers’ saws. The trail rises out of the shady canyon into a sunny, exposed
hillside, where, if you look sharp, you can see small parts of the wreckage of
a DC-6 plane that crashed into the ridge in 1953, killing all 19 on board. The
aircraft was named “Resolution,” and it was headed for San Francisco, following
a transpacific flight from Sydney, Australia.
Its last
transmission was normal at 8:41 a.m., and then the radio was silent. After the
investigation was concluded, the CAB report stated that the probable cause was
“the failure of the crew to follow prescribed procedures for an instrument
approach.”
Continuing
on, the trail enters a dense redwood forest, then moves to an exposed hillside
before joining Fir Trail. Turn left on Fir Trail for0.3 miles to the next
junction. Take the short trail west to Vista Point for good views to the west.
This area and Vista Point were cleared by bulldozers to serve as the base for
rescue and recovery operations associated with the Resolution crash.
Continue on
the Fir Trail for 0.2 miles to the next junction, and then take the Tafoni
Trail 1.2 miles back to Skyline Boulevard and the parking lot at Skaggs Point.
Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome. Email tom@tomdavids.com