Hike – Butano State Park

Date/Time
Date(s) - 09/09/25
10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Categories

Monthly Events

Butano State Park

Meet at one of two places:

Carpool* from our regular location at 1501 Page Mill Rd, Palo Alto at 8:55 am.

At Butano State Park, 1500 Cloverdale Rd, Pescadero, CA 94060 at 10 am. If you drive there directly, drive to Half Moon Bay and then go south on Hwy 1 for 4.8 miles past the Hwy 84 junction at San Gregorio. That is 15.3 miles south of Hwy 92. Turn left onto Pescadero Road and go 2.6 miles through the town of Pescadero to Cloverdale Road and take a right. After 4.2 miles, turn left onto the entrance road for Butano State Park. The entry kiosk has a $10 parking fee ($9 for seniors), or you can use your State Parks Pass. Proceed to the picnic/parking area that is 100 or so yds past where you pay your entry fee to meet the group. It has restrooms. Driving time from the carpool location is about 60 minutes.

Butano (pronounced boo-ta-no) was last hiked in 2018. After the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire, Butano State Park in Pescadero closed for nine months after its utilities system and nearly 80 percent of its trails burned. It reopened in spring 2021 while crews continued to fix up the park. Kay Lindsay has a friend who works at Butano as a Park Aid and she said practically everything’s open. We will check it out.

Butano is the native Quiroste/Ohlone place name for “a gathering place for friendly visits.” This park is one of the best kept secrets on the coast. The steep terrain along Little Butano Creek prevented the usual 19th century practice of clear cutting, so some old-growth redwood and fir are mixed in with the very rapid second growth. The result is a stunning walk along a year-round running stream, which is at or near its original profile.

The park is just inland enough to be sunny when the coast is still overcast. Still, it can be in the 50s, so bring a layer. The route is only 5 miles, but has lots of ups and downs, including some steep steps.

If you want to cancel your reservation/sign up:
Call or send an email message to the event leader and inform the leader of your cancellation. (leonaandjohn@att.net or call John McCabe at 650-328-3472)