Portola Redwoods Hike (6-10-2012)

Hike: Portola Redwoods State Park
La Honda, San Mateo County

Hike on Iverson Trail to Tiptoe Falls
and return to Sequoia Nature Trail
Sunday, June 10, 2012

By Peter Y. Chou
WisdomPortal.com

Preface: This is our first hike in Portola Redwoods State Park. Since this park is one of the 70 California's State Parks that will be closing on July 1, 2012 due to $22 million budget cuts, my friend wants to explore as much of Portola Redwoods as possible. The Visitor Center has many stuffed birds and wildlife in glass cases. While I spent ten minutes taking photos of them and the painting of Tiptoe Falls, my friend dragged me away to see the real thing. We began our hike at 2:40 pm on the Iverson Trail so we could visit Tiptoe Falls. Passing the Amphitheatre, we descended some steep stairs downhill to Pescadero Creek. However, there was no bridge across the creek, and the currents were rapid to risk waddling through it. After some time we came to the Iverson Cabin Site (4:10 pm) and saw a small waterfall nearby. It would take us another hour to reach Tiptoe Falls (5:20 pm). I had planned on seeing two Howard Hawks films at Stanford Theatre at 7:30 pm. But my friend convinced me to explore the Sequoia Nature Trail instead at 6:20 pm. The Park had a brochure outlining the highlights of the Sequoia Nature Trail which we completed at 7:20 pm. It was a surprise seeing a duck with six ducklings in Pescadero Creek at 7:08 pm. Since it was dark, these Ducklings Photos had to be brightened in Photoshop (1, 2, 3, 4). Below are 160 photos of today's hike.

Portola Redwoods Entrance Sign

Portola Redwoods State Park Sign

Ring Revelations Info Board

Redwood Slice at Visitor Center

Two Redwoods near Entrance

Two Redwoods Top

"Tiptoe Falls" Painting

Sequoia Loop Trail Sign

Steelhead Rainbow Trout Info

Rainbow Trout Display Case

Birds Info Board

"Watering Redwood" Info

Great Horned Owl Display Case

Fox & Squirrel Display Case

"Ohlone Indians & Chris Iverson" Info

Big Brown Bat Display Case

Bobcats in Display Case

Fawn in Display Case

"Voice of the Woods" Info

"Mountain Lions" Info

Mountain Lion Display Case

Belted Kingfisher & Acorn Woodpecker

"Carpenters of the Forest" Info

Tan Oak near Entrance

Start of Hike Path

Sunflare Through Tan Oaks

To Tiptoe Falls Sign

Giant Root Trunk by Service Road

Amphitheatre Back

Amphitheatre Front

Downhill Stairs Path to Creek

Path Through Tan Oaks

Rocks in Pescadero Creek

Pescadero Creek View

Gurgling Streams Pescadero Creek

Trillium Closeup

"Bear Head" Image in Trunk

Sunlight in Pescadero Creek

Stairs Up from Pescadero Creek

Y-Branch at Right Angle

Five "Lamdba"s to the Sky

Sunlight on Douglas Firs

Tan Oaks on Trail

Twin Redwoods

Canopy of Tan Oaks

Cutaway Tan Oak Logs

Crossing Steel Bridge

Bridge Across Creek

Bridge Sighting

Creek View from Bridge

View Creek from Bridge

"Lamdba" Shape in Creek

Bridge Across the Creek

Grassy Stairs to Sunshine

Tiptoe Falls Sign

Is This the Iverson Cabin?

Grassy Stairs to Nowhere

Iverson Cabin Sign

Iverson Cabin Site Info Board

Down to Wooden Bridge

Creek View Through Thin Trees

Goosepen Redwood

Tree Through Twin Redwoods

Devils Tower Tree Trunk (1)

"X Marks The Spot" Trees

See Through Goosepen Tree

Goosepen Redwood

Monster Root on Trail

Iverson & Tiptoe Falls Sign

Water Ripples at Tiptoe Falls

Tiptoe Falls Rocks

Tiptoe Falls Log

Tiptoe Falls Maple

Redwood To Blue Sky

Tiptoe Falls

Tiptoe Falls Closeup

Ripples & Rocks at Tiptoe Falls

Rock by Tiptoe Falls

Wooden Plank Over Stream

Water Flowing Through Rocks

Sunlight on Trail

Snake-like Branch by Creek

"Chair" Carved in Log for Rest

Shelf Mushrooms on Tree

Horsetail Grass

Iverson Trail Mileage Sign

Flowing Waters Pescadero Creek

Rocks in Pescadero Creek

"Boar Head" Rock

Redwood To Blue Sky

Pescadero Creek

Mosaic Rock & Creek

Goosepen Cave

Wooden Fence on Trail

Old Redwoods Trunks

"Bear Head" Trunk

Twin Redwoods to Sky

Totem Pole Redwood

Goosepen Redwood

Goosepen Redwood Top

Trail Through the Redwoods

Twin Goosepens

Three Goosepens

Three Goosepens Top

"Crocodile Head" Trunk

Three Goosepen Redwoods

Goosepen Redwood & Fallen Trunk

Rugged Goosepen Redwood

Rugged Goosepen Redwood Top

"Babies" Guarding Goosepen

Goosepen Redwood to Sky

Burnt Shell Tree (Closeup)

View Through Shell Tree

Shell Tree Monolith

Tall Coastal Redwoods

Coastal Redwoods Base

Rugged Goosepen Redwood Top

Logs in Pescadero Creek

Candle Redwood to Sky

Fallen Logs on Trail

Louise Austin Wilson Grove

Vertical Log in Pescadero Creek

Tan Oak Arch on Trail

"Platonic Lambda" Shape Ferns

Giant Candle Redwood (Post 10)

Fallen Log & Horsetail Grass

Redwoods in Sunlight

Long Log in Pescadero Creek

Cow Parsnip Bouquet

Sandstone Layers by Creek (Post 5)

Creek Reflections of Trees

Logs in Creek & Horsetail Grass

"Long Snake" Branch on Trail

Tan Oak Leaves

White Flowers by Tan Oak

Plant Growing from Rock

Banana Slug by Creek

Bridge Over Creek

Crossing to Creek Bridge

White Water in Creek

Sandstone Layers (Post 5)

Tan Oaks (Post 7)

Gurgling Waters in Creek

Sandstone Mural by Creek

Duck & Six Ducklings in Creek (1)

Duck & Ducklings Going Left (1)

Flowers and Ducks (Enlarge)

Sandstone Mural by Creek

Trail Post 5

Pescadero Creek ("Post" 6)

Riparian Zone (Post 4)

Bill & Ed Weber Grove

Spongy Topsoil (Post 2)

— Photographs by Peter Y. Chou, June 10, 2012