Three thousand four hundred acres of second-growth redwood, Douglas fir and tanoak climbing the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains directly above Saratoga. The park's lower section is a popular day-use area with picnic tables, a small nature museum, and easy access to the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail; the upper sections include walk-in tent camping, a hike-in hostel, and a steep ridge trail that climbs 1,600 vertical feet to Skyline Boulevard.
Welch-Hurst, an 1880s log house at the park entrance, is the centrepiece of the lower park and is used for weddings and events. For visitors with a half-day to spare, the 4-mile out-and-back to the Indian Rock viewpoint is the classic Saratoga hike — moderate effort, big payoff in the redwoods.
Address: 16055 Sanborn Road, Saratoga, CA 95070.