Mount Madonna Count Park is better known for its campsites and the ruins of a Gold Rush-era land baron’s summer home, but it does have one charming, little-used trail I happened upon primarily because I was too cheap to pay the parking fee at the main entrance.

About 4.8 miles west of Gilroy on Highway 152, there’s a big dirt lot on the north side of the road with a sign that says “Sprig Lake Recreation Area” (or words to that effect). The Sprig Trail is on the far left end of the parking area. I last hiked the Sprig Trail in October 2007 and haven’t forgotten the experience of unexpectedly happening upon yet another excellent redwood hike in the Santa Cruz Mountains. You’d think these hills’d run out of ’em after awhile, but it seems like they never do.

A healthy second-growth redwood forest doesn’t exude the cathedral vibe you get among the ancients at Big Basin. It’s more like the Oklahoma Land Rush in extreme slow-mo — the redwoods are on ideal growing turf, so they’ve already got a huge lead, but the understory is a wild tangle of lesser species scrapping for every drop of water and ray of sunshine. Changes in terrain and elevation give other competitors the upper hand (well, limb) but inevitably you step back into the redwood-ruled domains and realize the uncanny change. Darker, colder, quieter … just plain different.

Here’s a suggested hike on the Sprig Trail (click on the map for the high-res version).

Sprig Trail at Mount Madonna County Park

It’s all uphill for about a mile and a half; the trail zigzags a bit but it’s definitely a slog. All the more reason to rest up and enjoy the forest, I figure. The trail starts out with the usual assortment of oak and madrone but before too long the redwoods take charge.

I drew a loop between 5 and 6 miles (with at least 1,000 feet of elevation gain) that takes in the ruins of the Henry Miller summer house and returns on the Ridge Trail, but there are ample options for shorter or longer treks. You could just turn back at when you hear the first peals of enthusiasm from campground urchins.

More Mount Madonna links:

Here’s a Google map to get you there:


View Mount Madonna County Park entrances in a larger map

Sprig Lake area is on the right.