Preservation In the News

Portola Redwoods State Park, San Mateo County

The public needs more parks in the Bay Area, not fewer. Yet Portola, which provides hiking and camping amid redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains south of La Honda, is on the closure list. It can be tough to get a campsite reservation at nearby parks, especially at Portola, and for good reason: Spend a night here, and you'll feel like you're a million miles away from all your problems. Highlights include hikes to see the Shell Tree (pictured above), a fire-ravaged redwood that is 17 feet in diameter, along with a pretty second-growth forest, and the opportunity to extend hikes to a matrix of trails in neighboring parks. The headwaters of Pescadero Creek run through the park, and in early summer, I've seen it full of steelhead smolt. The park is filled with cathedral groves of redwoods, but on one trip, rangers told me about a 300-foot redwood here, one of the tallest trees in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The only reason I can think that Portola got put on the list is a long-term issue with the water system for the restrooms and coin showers.

Projected savings: About $161,000

Contact: Portola Redwoods State Park, (650) 948-9098; www.parks.ca.gov

Henry W. Coe State Park, Santa Clara County

Maybe Coe was an easy one to pick off because of the horrific wildfire last year that burned more than half the park. Yet the place is huge, 87,000 acres, with three access points an hour's drive apart, and 350 miles of ranch roads and trails for biking, hiking, horseback riding and camping, and more than 100 ponds for bass fishing and swimming. Watching the burned landscape explode back to life each spring will be a landmark event for years. With all the new forage, wildlife populations will thrive. On a personal level, closing Coe would break my heart. It has the best mountain biking-to-bass fishing in small remote lakes of any public land in California. The volunteers that support this park are among the most passionate in California. I can hear them now: "What? Close Henry Coe? Over my dead body!"

Projected savings: About $67,000

Contact: Henry W. Coe State Park, (408) 779-2728; www.coepark.org

Clear Lake State Park, Lake County

This is the No. 1 park and campground at Clear Lake, once voted the top bass fishing lake in America. The park is on the west side of the lake, along a tule-lined shore with deep coves, bays and points - perfect as a base camp for a fishing trip. I've had many fantastic trips here catching bass, bluegill, crappie and catfish, including right from shore along a protected slough near the boat launch. The campground provides coin-operated showers, a big plus. A nature trail is routed through the site of what was once a Pomo Village. This protected landscape is a mix of oak woodlands, riparian habitat and wetlands, all with lake frontage. That attracts an array of birds - residents and migrants, songbirds and waterfowl. Hot summer temperatures keep the campground from filling. Maybe that's why it got flagged by the governor's office.

Projected savings: About $333,000

Contact: Clear Lake State Park, (707) 279-4293; www.parks. ca.gov

Plumas-Eureka State Park, Plumas County

Where else can you find a gorgeous park where the campground isn't completely full all summer? Plumas-Eureka, near the town of Graeagle, is one of only a handful. The camp is at 5,200 feet, a perfect launch point for hiking and exploring the park's 5,500 beautiful acres. The feature trek is the ambitious (but short) 1,100-foot climb (3-mile round trip) from pretty Eureka Lake to 7,447-foot Eureka Peak. The payoff is a fantastic 360-degree view of countless mountain tops, crowned by Mount Elwell (7,818 feet) above the Gold Lakes Basin. Another great hike is the Upper Jamison Trail, with access to the Lake Basin Recreation Area and your choice of many pristine lakes and campsites for backpackers. In the spring and early summer, Little Jamison Falls is a little-known gem. Perhaps this park got tabbed for closure because there is no direct driving route to southern Plumas County, unlike Tahoe to the south.

Projected savings: About $109,000

Contact: Plumas-Eureka State Park, (530)836-2380; www.parks. ca.gov

Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Del Norte County

Driving north on Highway 101 up through the Redwood Empire is the fantasy of vacationers from across America. Along the way, Del Norte Coast Redwoods provides the ideal layover camp for many. There is a series of loop roads set in forest with 145 campsites, and even on weekends, you can often find a campsite, and reservations always seem easy to come by. There are several excellent loop trails in the park, but the feature trek is the Last Chance section of the Coastal Trail. It climbs to dramatic cliff-top lookouts with views that extend to forever across the ocean. The Footsteps Rock Trail and Damnation Trail (both signed) provide tricky routes down the face that lead to the most secluded state park beaches in California. It's a big park, 6,400 acres, that extends from beach to cliffs to forest. It's a resource not only for Californians, but for all Americans who dream of touring the Redwood Empire.

Projected savings: About $189,000.

Contact: Redwood National and State Parks, (707) 465-2146 or (707) 464-6101; www.nps.gov/redw