Bay Nature

5228 acre Park managed by: California Department of Parks and Recreation

Along the crest of the Santa Cruz Mountains, rugged Castle Rock State Park offers lovely views and large expanses of coast redwood, Douglas-fir, and madrone forest.

Castle Rock’s sculptured sandstone outcrops (called tafoni) are a mecca for rock climbers. But non-climbers can appreciate their beauty along with that of the park’s 5,000 acres of oak woodlands, redwood forests, and chaparral-covered slopes. Its 35 miles of trails are part of an extensive system that links Castle Rock with the Santa Clara and San Lorenzo valleys, Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and the coast.

Read more in the Bay Nature article about Castle Rock State Park or on the .