Butano Ridge to Gazos Creek Road
 Distance:
Between 32 to 35 Miles Round Trip
Difficulty: Strenuous - Very long climbs
Elevation: Sea Level to 2,308 ft.
Location: Santa Cruz / San Mateo Counties
Big Basin Redwoods State Park & Butano State Park
Directions: Highway 1 to Gazos Creek Road and park
in clearing as shown below. There is also free
parking in the Gazos Creek Parking Access across Hwy
1.
Provided is an unofficial map that outlines my route
based on GPS coordinates. For a more accurate map
please visit the parks official website. The actual
map route information may have errors and is not
guaranteed.
My History With This Trail
This ride has been one of my favorite mountain bike
rides since 1982. Back in that day I rode from Los
Altos, up Page Mill Road, to Skyline Blvd where I
took an unmarked trail down to Big Basin and then
rode to the beach. After lunch on the beach I turned
around and headed back the same way. The round trip
mileage was close to 120 - 130 miles. When mountain
biking became popular in the late 80's most of the
trails I used to ride in the Santa Cruz mountains
became off limits to bikes and now there is no way
to ride off-road from Skyline to Big Basin.
Trail Overview
 If
you are looking for the most beautiful mountain bike
ride in Santa Cruz, this is it. My second favorite
is Wilder Ranch.
This ride utilizes mostly well maintained dirt fire roads,
not gravel. I love this ride because it
is phenomenally beautiful and very enchanting. It is
also one of the best cardiovascular workouts in
Santa Cruz. It does involve a lot of climbing and
you need the lungs for the job.
On this trail take time to stop and smell the air.
You will notice that different parts smell very
different and all are refreshing.
 The
route traverses through a coastal
redwood rain forest. Temperatures in the valleys
rarely get above 70F. July and August are the
hottest times of the year. My favorite time to ride
this trail is when there is a heavy fog or a few
days after a rain.
Be careful not to run over a Banana Slug! They are
one of my favorite creatures in the Santa Cruz
mountains and they can be found in heavily vegetated
areas that are cool and moist. They are also the
mascot for UC Santa Cruz.
Route Navigation
 This is a jumbo loop that involves several trails.
Start on paved Gazos Creek Road and go right on to
Cloverdale. Ride Cloverdale until you reach the
unmarked trail head to Butano Fire Rd, which is
passed the Butano State Park entrance. You will be
starting on the north side of Butano State Park. The
trail head is hard to see so start looking for it
immediately.
 The trail head looks like a paved road
coming off of Cloverdale and within a few yards you
will come to a locked gate that allows you to go
around. That is the beginning of the fire road.
Take the fire road for a long time. You will pass an
abandoned USF airstrip close to the top of the ride.
Along the way you will
 encounter several unnamed
forks. Stay right on the main fire road until you
hit a big wooden sign pictured below on the left.
You have an option to take Johansen Road/ Middle
Ridge Road if you want a shorter and all off-road
route. Otherwise continue straight on to China Grade
which becomes paved.
 Take
China Grade down to Hwy 236 and go right on a fast
downhill to unmarked North Escape Road which is easy
to miss. Your only indication is a locked gate on
the side of Hwy 236. North Escape Road is an
abandoned paved road that is very beautiful to ride.
This takes you to into Big Basin camp grounds and
then to the park headquarters.
  
Between the headquarters and the campgrounds go
right onto Gazos Greek. After riding Gazos Creek for
many miles you will come a 3 way split at the site
of what used to be an old cabin and go right down a
big hill. As you near the end of the ride you will
meet up with a gate on Gazos Creek. Go around the
gate and Gazos Creek becomes paved and will lead you
right back to Hwy 1.
Other Nice Pictures
 
 
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