The is a 34.5 mi. (55.5 km) hiking trail which decends from the ridge of the
Santa Cruz Mountains in Northern
California to the
Pacific Ocean , passing through
Castle Rock State Park and
Big Basin Redwoods State Park .
The trail usually takes two to three days to complete, with nearly all thru-hikers traveling from East to West (towards the ocean). It is possible to walk the entire trail in one day, though this is unusual and very difficult. Many hikers like to take a detour up Berry Creek Trail to see the waterfalls or to camp at Sunset Trail Camp, adding an additional 2.7 mi. (4.3 km) to the hike.
The trail begins at
Saratoga Gap on the ridge, at the intersection of
CA-9 and Skyline Boulevard (
CA-35 ). It parallels Highway 9 through Castle Rock, crosses the highway, and then follows
CA-236 to Big Basin park headquarters. It then decends through Big Basin, following
Waddell Creek to its outlet at
Waddell Beach .
There is a proposed plan to expand the trail into a "Saratoga-to-the-Sea" Trail.
{Link without Title} The plan would create an extension starting at Saratoga Gap, dropping down the other side of the ridge, paralleling Highway 9, and terminating somewhere near
Hakone Gardens in
Saratoga . The current Skyline terminus is on a completed section of the
Bay Area Ridge Trail .
