Oak Ridge Trail

Dogs No Dogs

Features River/Creek

Oak Ridge Trail begins at a marked trail junction along the Old Growth Loop Trail, as decribed in the Old Growth Loop Trail description.

Starting off in the redwood forest, Oak Ridge Trail soon veers left and begins climbing. As the trail climbs, the redwoods are left behind. The trees, mostly oak, are smaller, and the trail is sunnier. At the 0.2 mile mark, the trail flattens out for about 0.1 mile, before beginning to descend the hillside to the right of the trail.

Oak Ridge Trail switchbacks back down into the redwoods and lush vegetation of the Aptos Creek Valley. As it descends, the trail passes a marked connector (Terrace Trail Connector) that leads to Terrace Trail, and then a second connector cutoff (Terrace Trail Connector Cutoff) that goes to (Terrace Trail Connector).

At the bottom of the switchbacks, now in the dense redwood forest again, Oak Ridge Trail heads toward Aptos Creek and follows it for a short ways. The creek can be heard to the left (east) below the trail. The trail then veers right at an unmarked junction with Twisted Grove Trail, leaves the creek behind, and returns to Old Growth Loop Trail, where it ends.

Redwoods, firs, oaks, and low vegetation grow here.