Heritage Grove

The smallest redwood park

Length 0.5 miles · Climbing 80 feet

California > San Francisco Bay Area > Portola and Pescadero parks

Lower Grove

This tiny redwood grove contains at most a few dozen old-growth redwoods, but it's nonetheless quite attractive. There's a lush carpet of sorrel and ferns, trunks turned copper-colored by lichen, a burbling stream - all the kinds of scenery found in the best redwood groves, just not very much of it. The grove is much more lush han the nearby redwood groves of Big Basin, Portola, or Henry Cowell Redwoods. It's located on Alpine Road, a narrow, winding, and scenic road that runs from Palo Alto to the ocean and is a favorite of motorcyclists.

There are, unfortunately, signs of logging in the grove; at least five of the biggest trees have been cut. And although it doesn't get much traffic, Alpine Road is always just a few yards away.

Hike description

Click here to see the trailhead location in Google Maps or in Google Street View.

From the parking area, a narrow bridge leads to the grove. A short trail passes through the lower grove, ending in a second large footbridge which is currently closed.

Another trail branches off to the upper grove. The upper grove is a group of four large trees right next to the trail; these are the largest trees in the grove. Nontheless it's easily missed; if you come to an intersection with a sign pointing the way to "Hiker's Hut", you've gone too far. A stroll through both the upper and lower groves covers less than half a mile.

Lower Grove