Forest & Ridge Loops at Sam McDonald County Park

This is a lovely county park that I have written about a couple of times before (see here and here). I only had a little time this Sunday because the afternoon was dedicated to a Super Bowl Party. This short and sweet 4 mile hike was just what the doctor ordered!

If you check out the park's description of the trail, the rangers recommend doing the hike clockwise, but I did it counter-clockwise and I added the Big Tree Trail into the loop to extend my hike a little. I liked going in this direction because the winter sun wasn't in my eyes when I was hiking along the exposed ridge; however, either direction would be fine. This hike is so lovely because you get to see some nice redwoods at the lower elevations and then sneak views of the Pacific from the top of the ridge.