Pescadero Creek County Park
San Mateo County's Pescadero Creek Park is located near Loma Mar and is operated by the San Mateo County Department of Parks. The park complex of 8,020 acres (32.5 km2) also includes the neighboring Memorial, Sam McDonald and Heritage Grove parks. The park borders Portola Redwoods State Park with seamless trails, and connects to Big Basin Redwoods State Park via a trail easement across private lands. The park is dominated by the Pescadero Creek, which provides winter habitat for steelhead trout, and a redwood forest with 26 miles of trails. Horseback riding is also popular here, and many use Jack Brook Horse Camp in San McDonald Park to connect. Hike-in camps are available to backpackers. Hiking trails that cross the Pescadero Creek do not have bridges (stepping stones provided), though the fire road crossings are bridged.
Pescadero Creek Park sits atop a deposit of natural gas and oil. Natural gas occasionally bubbles up through seams near Hoffman Creek producing a strong gas odor. Crude oil pools up in the channel of Tarwater Creek, and seeps into Jones Gulch Creek staining the rocks.
In the 1970s there had been a plan to dam and flood the valley, but that was opposed by the general public. Then a plan by the county to develop the park with facilities such as campgrounds, visitor center, picnic grounds, trails and interpretive programs was also opposed and cancelled. So, the park is fairly undeveloped with basic campsites and trails developed originally by Scouts, plus the original logging roads now left as fire roads.
Tributaries of Pescadero Creek in this park are:
Coordinates: 37°16′08″N 122°15′17″W / 37.26889°N 122.25472°W
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