Sam McDonald County Park
San Mateo County's Sam McDonald Park is located between La Honda and Loma Mar and is operated by the San Mateo County Department of Parks. The park is 867 acres (3.51 km2) of redwood forest, mixed woods and open meadows. Trails climb up to a ridgeline with views across the Pescadero Creek valley, Butano Ridge, and the Pacific Ocean. The park includes Heritage Grove and borders Pescadero Creek County Park through which it connects to Memorial County Park, Portola Redwoods State Park, and Big Basin Redwoods State Park (via a trail easement across private lands). Horseback riding is popular here, and many use Jack Brook Horse Camp.
Sam (Emanuel) McDonald began acquiring the La Honda property in 1917. When he died in November 1957, he left his La Honda property (400+ acres) to Stanford. San Mateo County acquired the land in 1958 and dedicated it for public use in 1970. An additional 450 acres were acquired in 1976 from Kendall B. Towne, bringing the total acreage of the park to 867 acres.
External links
- "Sam McDonald Park". Dept. of Parks, San Mateo County. Retrieved 2015-06-12.