Hiking loop from Salt Point State Park

01:26

4.56km

190m

Hiking

Easy hike. Great for any fitness level. Easily-accessible paths. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is right next to a parking lot.

Last updated: August 2, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through a protected area

Please check local regulations for:

Salt Point State Park

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

1.06 km

North Trail — Salt Point State Park

Highlight (Segment) • Forest

This is a key segment of one of Salt Point State Park's world wonders: a pygmy forest. The Bishop and Bolander pines, Mendocino cypresses, and redwoods here are fully mature (and in some cases, more than a century old), but at only a few feet tall, are uniquely miniature.
These trees’ stunted growth is caused by an inhospitable combo of highly-acidic, nutrient-free soil and a below-surface hardpan layer that blocks soil drainage and prevents the trees from setting the deep roots they need to thrive.
The 3.8-mile, two-hour loop of the Pygmy Forest Trail takes you through a mixed evergreen forest, a grassy prairie surrounded by pines, and lots of mushrooms and wildflowers (in season) before you reach pygmy tree territory.
Start out on Central Trail, located near the ranger station. You’ll pass madrone, Douglas fir, tan oaks, and eucalyptus as you ascend steadily upward. The occasional interpretive signs are interesting, describing various plants and the way they were used by the area’s first residents, the Kashaya Pomo.
After you’ve walked about one-and-a-half miles you’ll come to an intersection; turn left onto this North Trail, which brings you through the pygmy forest. Turn left again at the Water Tank Trail; it’s short, less than a quarter mile, at which time you rejoin the Central Trail by turning right. This brings you back to the ranger station parks.ca.gov/?page_id=453

Tip by