Quarry
Park,
Midcoast Park Lands,
San Mateo County
In brief:
1.2 mile out and back hike through old quarry grounds in El Granada. The park
has a frightening amount of invasive plants, mostly notably eucalyptus.
Getting there:
From CA 1 in El Granada (San Mateo County, 4 miles north of Half Moon Bay), turn
at a traffic light onto Alhambra. Drive southeast on Alhambra about 0.3 mile,
then bear left onto The Alameda. Drive about 0.5 mile to a junction with Avenue
Cabrillo, turn left, then almost immediately, turn left onto Alhambra, drive one
block, then turn right onto Santa Maria. Drive about 0.2 mile, then turn right
onto Columbus, and make an immediate left turn into the parking area.
Trailhead details:
Small dirt roadside parking lot. No parking or entrance fees, although you can
make a donation to the park at a dropbox near the playground. There are portable
toilets, but no drinking water. You can study the park map at an information signboard,
but there are no paper maps to take with you. SamTrans bus #17 stops within walking
distance of the trailhead. Visit the Transit
Info website for details.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Stores, restaurants, gas, and pay phones are available in nearby Half Moon Bay,
El Granada, Pillar Point Harbor, Princeton-by-the-Sea, and Moss Beach. No camping.
Rules:
Park is open from dawn to dusk. Dogs are permitted on leash only. Fire roads are
multi-use, while the park paths are open to hikers and equestrians only.
Distance and difficulty:
This 1.2 mile out and back hike is easy, although there is one short
moderate climb. Total elevation change is about 400 feet.
The Official Story:
Midcoast Parks Lands' Quarry
Park page
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Map
from MPL
• Trails of the Coastside and Northern Peninsula (map) has a good
map of the park, and is helpful in getting there (available from Pease
Press).
Quarry
Park in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured
hike.
View
photos from this hike.
At a glance, Quarry Park doesn't seem to provide much
for bay area hikers. It's a small park with a few fire roads and trails which
wind through an old quarry property. Hillsides are tangled with mostly exotic
vegetation, including ivy and broom, and the dominant plant is eucalyptus. However,
a glance at Ben Pease's Trails of the Coastside and Northern Peninsula
offers a different perspective. Quarry Park is the only notable inland preserve
on the coast between McNee Ranch and Burleigh Murray. Although currently Quarry
Park is restricted by private property to the north and east, if that property
ever becomes publicly held (and recreation use of the Peninsula Watershed opens
up), hikers, equestrians, and cyclists could use the park as a gateway to long
treks along the spine of Montara Mountain. If this dream becomes a reality in
our lifetime, existing ranch roads which travel the 2 miles from Quarry Park to
the watershed and ridge would make perfect trails. Until then El Granada residents
use Quarry Park as a daily destination for dogwalks and jogs.
Rock culled from the property's 
quarry
was used in the construction of Highway 1 and the Half Moon Bay Airport (formerly
a World War II airport). San Mateo County purchased the land in 1995, and the
non-profit Midcoast Park Lands group maintains the park. Park volunteers work
to remove invasives, plant native vegetation, and restore the park, which is an
important community asset. Note that while the fire road are well signed (albeit
with slightly incorrect mileage estimates), the park's trails are not.
Start from the little parking area, and walk
east on a flat dirt road. Private property squeezes this access road on both
sides, so obey no trespassing signs, and do not bother the horses. At 0.04 mile
you'll reach a gate and information kiosk. Once through a gap between the fence
and the gate the flat fire road enters a eucalyptus forest. Although there are
a few native plants like thimbleberry and creambush, nearly the entire understory
is choked with invasive ivy. You may also see some blackberry and acacia. The
trail splits at a signed junction at 0.15 mile. Turn right.
After a level 
preamble,
the broad fire road begins an easy climb. More non-native plants flourish here,
including pampas grass, fennel, Pride Of Madeira, acacia, and lots of broom. Some
monkeyflower, coyote brush, alder, and lizardtail struggle against the invasives.
At 0.33 mile the trail forks at a signed junction. The trail to the right descends
to Highway 1. Bear left.
The grade picks up a bit to a moderate pace. Eucalyptus
continues to dominate the landscape, but pine and cypress are common as well.
At 0.46 mile, the fire road splits once more. Bear left.
Descending a bit, the trail passes a bench on the left,
then reaches a cleared spot with a picnic table and planted young redwoods. Turn
left onto a wooden boardwalk at 0.50 mile.
The boardwalk descends a few feet, then ends at a fenced
viewpoint. There are two benches from which, on clear days, you can enjoy views
to Pillar Point Harbor. When I visited it was nearly completely fogged in. Retrace
your steps back to the first junction with the trail to the quarry floor,
at 0.82 mile, then turn right.
After a short foray through eucalyptus and ivy,
the trail ends at the quarry floor, at 0.93 mile. From the flat cleared floor
you can see uphill, to the viewing platform perched at the edge of the cliff.
When ready, retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 1.19 miles
Last hiked: Tuesday, October 22, 2002
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
for bay area hikers. It's a small park with a few fire roads and trails which
wind through an old quarry property. Hillsides are tangled with mostly exotic
vegetation, including ivy and broom, and the dominant plant is eucalyptus. However,
a glance at Ben Pease's Trails of the Coastside and Northern Peninsula
offers a different perspective. Quarry Park is the only notable inland preserve
on the coast between McNee Ranch and Burleigh Murray. Although currently Quarry
Park is restricted by private property to the north and east, if that property
ever becomes publicly held (and recreation use of the Peninsula Watershed opens
up), hikers, equestrians, and cyclists could use the park as a gateway to long
treks along the spine of Montara Mountain. If this dream becomes a reality in
our lifetime, existing ranch roads which travel the 2 miles from Quarry Park to
the watershed and ridge would make perfect trails. Until then El Granada residents
use Quarry Park as a daily destination for dogwalks and jogs.
quarry
was used in the construction of Highway 1 and the Half Moon Bay Airport (formerly
a World War II airport). San Mateo County purchased the land in 1995, and the
non-profit Midcoast Park Lands group maintains the park. Park volunteers work
to remove invasives, plant native vegetation, and restore the park, which is an
important community asset. Note that while the fire road are well signed (albeit
with slightly incorrect mileage estimates), the park's trails are not.
preamble,
the broad fire road begins an easy climb. More non-native plants flourish here,
including pampas grass, fennel, Pride Of Madeira, acacia, and lots of broom. Some
monkeyflower, coyote brush, alder, and lizardtail struggle against the invasives.
At 0.33 mile the trail forks at a signed junction. The trail to the right descends
to Highway 1. Bear left.