HMB: Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve: Purisima Creek Trail

How about spending the day outdoors after a stressful week? Get all the fresh air combined with exercise and catching up all at the same time... Cannot beat that!!!

After last week's strenuous hike at the Nisene forest, we decided to take it easy and pick a closer, easier hike. We went to the Purisima Creek trail near Half Moon Bay (HMB). Trail Map

It was a lovely Saturday with the sun shining bright after it rained Friday night. The morning was nippy but too good to miss out. We started later than usual - I guess we are all ready for spring and the longer days it brings ☺. 

We started around 11 and it took us an hour to get there. The drive took longer as we hit beach-going traffic. After you are past the HMB beaches you come across ocean views on one side and mustard fields on the other. We had to take a left on Verde Rd to reach our destination. After the left, you feel like you have left the beach town behind and are entering farmland. After about 3 miles inland we reached the Purisima-Higgins Road parking lot. The parking lot is tiny with a capacity of 6-8 cars - but there is plenty of street parking.  Cell phone coverage is really bad with no signal so just like last time we ended up waiting for an hour for our bubble to find each other.

While we were waiting, we decide to start with a picnic-style lunch of couscous salad, sauteed veggies,  Caprese sandwiches, and Indian-style veggie sandwiches.

While eating we saw a banana slug munching on a leaf on the side of the road. The slug count begins from here. More on it as we continue the hike. Here's a picture:

After a fun lunch, we were ready to start! This hike is rated moderate on AllTrails. We started walking while enjoying the serene beauty of redwood trees and the sounds of the babbling brook. The giant redwood trees make you realize how small you are in comparison to nature and that we must respect nature.

Our first mile went by really first as we were energized by serenity all around. The trail is about 2 feet wide and wasn't crowded. We shared the trail with a few hikers and mountain bikers along the way but it was so wide that we weren't worried about being too close to anyone. There are many moderate and steep inclines along with the way which made for a good workout and made us stop to catch our breath. The kids were super energetic and began their challenge of who gets the max count of banana slugs. 

After another 2 miles with intermediate peaks and valleys, we reached the halfway point of the trail. The trail is a loop and would start our descent from this point onwards. No benches anywhere but it merges with other trails if you wish to continue longer. We decide to take a few minutes of snack break. Our snacks were fruits, leftover sandwiches, chips, and cotton candy for the kids.  

After a 20-25 minutes break, we started our descent. Walking poles are really helpful downhill. We saw some completely hollowed-out trees and some colorful mushrooms. 🍄 

Slug count... any guesses.. about 100. All slug counters continued throughout the trial super excited and energetic so beat their counts and get to a high score. There was no "Mom I am tired," from the kids. The trail never ends for any of the younglings. 

The downhill trek took us about an hour and a half and we were back at the parking lot. Our overall hike was a leisurely pace, a good workout and we clocked 7 miles and 4 hours with an average pace of about 2 miles per hour

Any guesses, what was our final slug count?? 179 😁😁. The kids beat the grownups at this hike. 

Key Tips:

1. Hiking shoes are a must. It was especially important since it had rained last night the trail was wet and muddy

2. Restrooms are only at the beginning of the trail

3. No benches along the way

4. Amazing babbling brook

5. Walking poles/ sticks are really useful

6. The trail without the bridge wraps around to meet at the start

Snacks we took:

1. Sandwiches: Caprese and Indian style vegetable

2. Salad: Couscous and chickpea salad and sauteed veggies

3. Fruits: Oranges, Bananas, and Apples

4. Dates and Coconut bites, Cashew cluster bites, Chai tea, and cotton candy

Picture credits: V, Food credits - MAPP

Metrics:

Hike Count: 6

Total Mile Count: 45