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Me seeing the Methuselah Tree! The Methuselah Tree is a huge redwood on Skyline Boulevard. It’s not actually part of El Corte de Madera Creek, but it’s just across the street on Cal Water land. It’s right next to a pullout so no hiking is needed to get there. The tree is unusual because big redwoods are usually found in low-lying areas, and there are few old-growth redwoods of any kind on Skyline Boulevard. At 14 feet in diameter it’s about as big as the lowland redwoods of Big Basin, which have the advantages of a year-round creek and a much more sheltered location. I was with my cuzz at the time. It's been a while since we've done a hiking trip. This time, we went to The El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve around San Mateo County. The preserve is characterized by dense second-growth redwood and mixed evergreen forests. Certainly a nice place to escape the busy, fast-paced life nearby!
*A bit about this preserve: More than 34 miles of multiuse trail are available for exploration at the 2,908-acre El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve. While this preserve is extremely popular with bicyclists, it also has lots of hearty hiking and horseback riding opportunities. Visitors will find creekside trails through mixed evergreen and redwood forests, enjoy ocean views, admire rare sandstone formations and experience a sense of remoteness. Visitors to this preserve can see unique sandstone formations called tafoni. Cave-like indentations and delicate honeycomb structures are formed in the sandstone by just the right combination of weather and atmospheric conditions. Numerous logging roads are also still evident, most of which are now trails. With a little help, nature has incredible healing powers: the deep canyons have regenerated dense stands of second-growth redwoods. While most of the giant old-growth redwoods were logged, a few awe-inspiring giants remain to be seen (like the Methuselah Tree). With 36 miles of trails, there's plenty to explore!
(Outing taken place Monday, ‎May ‎25, ‎2026)