Slate Creek Gear Checklist
Slate Creek Trail Camp is a six-site walk-in camp under second-growth redwoods, roughly 3 miles from the Portola Redwoods visitor center. It has no drinking water, no fires, a food box at every site and no phone signal. Backpackers write about hauling water in when the creek runs low, a filter for when it runs, a head net for summer mosquitoes, wipes for poison oak and food sealed up against raccoons.
What shapes your gear on Slate Creek Trail Camp
- Distance from the visitor center
- Writers disagree. One guide says 2.7 miles, a redwoods group says 2.5 miles from the Old Tree Trailhead, one trip report guessed about 3 miles after a GPS fault, and a tracked hike measured 3.27 miles with 1,005 feet of climbing.
From Trees and Tents, Save the Redwoods League, Avid Backpackers and littlegrunts.com
- Water
- The camp has no water. A creek under a mile from camp can be filtered when it flows. On one September trip two hikers found it barely flowing and carried in water for two nights.
From California State Parks, littlegrunts.com and Avid Backpackers
- Sites and food boxes
- There are six sites, each with a picnic table and a large food box, and each holds up to six people. Sites are first come within your reservation. Most offer good ground for one tent and a so-so patch for another.
From California State Parks, Avid Backpackers and littlegrunts.com
- Sunset and signal
- The park requires hikers to be off the trails by sunset and refuses to let a late arrival start. Neither the trailhead nor the camp gets a cell signal.
From California State Parks and Avid Backpackers
- Toilet
- The camp has a pit toilet that the park services from May 1 to October 31. In winter a writer says to bring your own toilet paper and carry out all your trash.
From Save the Redwoods League and Trees and Tents
- Booking
- Reservations open 60 days ahead through an online request form. After the park approves the request, you pay by phone, and the park lists $15 per site per night plus an $8 reservation fee.
- Deadfall in winter
- Two writers climbed over downed trees on the way to camp in March, one in a low-rain year, and one chose to walk back the same way instead of looping.
From littlegrunts.com and Trees and Tents
What the agency requires on Slate Creek Trail Camp
Water for the stay, plus a way to treat any creek water
The park says trail camps are primitive, to bring your own water, and to treat surface water before drinking it.
A backpacking stove
Ground fires are banned, though stoves are allowed in trail camps except at extreme fire danger.
Your backcountry permit on you and on the car
Campers must display the permit at the parking area and carry it with them at all times.
Tree straps if you hang a hammock
The park allows hammocks only with tree straps and never on redwoods.
A wash tub away from the creeks
The park bans washing dishes or clothing and bathing in creeks.
What hikers carry on Slate Creek Trail Camp
All the water for the stay when the creek is low
One September pair carried in enough for two nights because they had read the creek was nearly dry. A summer writer says that if the creek is low you may need to carry in everything, and phoning in your payment is the moment to ask the park about conditions.
From Avid Backpackers, Trees and Tents and littlegrunts.com
A filter for the creek walk
Writers who filtered walked a short trail from camp to the creek at the old Page Mill site. A 2006 hiker also filtered there.
From littlegrunts.com, Avid Backpackers and Two-Heel Drive
A head net and repellent
Summers here are buggier, and one writer packed a head net for the mosquitoes. A September evening brought only a few bugs.
From littlegrunts.com and Avid Backpackers
Wipes made for poison oak
Poison oak grows beside the trail, thick on the Peters Creek loop, and one writer carried wipes for it. Another says to know the plant before walking that section.
From littlegrunts.com and Avid Backpackers
Food sealed in bags that fit the food box
Writers say raccoons and mice are the thieves here, and a guide notes the Santa Cruz Mountains have no bears. Every site has a big box for food.
From littlegrunts.com, Avid Backpackers and Save the Redwoods League
A small tent for a small pad
A pair who chose site 5 said it suited two small tents, and another writer found site 5 had few flat spots.
From Avid Backpackers and littlegrunts.com
A headlamp for dinner
A September pair finished setup with about an hour of light left, then cooked at headlamp time. The park will not let anyone hike after sunset.
From Avid Backpackers and California State Parks
Two copies of the permit and the parking pass
One guide says one copy stays on your body and the other goes on the dash with the parking pass.
From littlegrunts.com
Toilet paper and a trash bag in winter
From December to March the park may not service the camp, so pack your own paper for the pit toilet and haul every bit of trash back out.
From Trees and Tents
6 people can go on one permit. Split this list between them so nobody carries two stoves.
Plan a trip hereWhat hikers regret or leave behind on Slate Creek Trail Camp
A hammock
Hammocks need straps and cannot touch redwoods, which limits where one can hang at a camp under redwoods.
From California State Parks and littlegrunts.com
Firewood or a fire kit
The camp has no fire rings, and the park bans ground fires.
Dogs
Dogs may not enter the trail camps or use the trails.
The full pack on the Peters Creek loop
A September pair called the 7-mile loop strenuous with a full pack but moderate with day packs, and took only essentials and lunch.
From Avid Backpackers
Gear questions for Slate Creek Trail Camp
Is there water at Slate Creek Trail Camp?
No. The camp has none. A creek under a mile away can be filtered when it flows, but on one September trip hikers found it barely flowing, so many people carry in everything. Ask the park about conditions when you phone to pay.
From California State Parks, littlegrunts.com and Avid Backpackers
How far is the hike to Slate Creek Trail Camp?
Roughly 3 miles each way. Guides give 2.7 miles from the visitor center and 2.5 from the Old Tree Trailhead, and a tracked hike measured 3.27 miles with about 1,000 feet of climbing.
From Trees and Tents, Save the Redwoods League and littlegrunts.com
Can I have a campfire at Slate Creek Trail Camp?
No. The park bans ground fires at the trail camps, and the camp has no fire rings. Backpacking stoves are allowed unless the fire danger is extreme.
Where do I store food at Slate Creek Trail Camp?
All six sites come with a big food box. A guide notes the Santa Cruz Mountains have no bears, but raccoons will eat unguarded food, so lock it away.
From Avid Backpackers, littlegrunts.com and Save the Redwoods League
Can I hike to Slate Creek Trail Camp after dark?
No. The park requires hikers to be off the trails by sunset, and anyone who arrives after sunset is not allowed to start the trip. Plan to reach camp with light left.
How do I reserve Slate Creek Trail Camp?
Send the trail camp request form up to 60 days ahead, wait for the park to approve it, then pay by phone. The request does not hold the site until you pay, and the park processes requests on weekday afternoons.
Sources
- Santa Cruz Mountains Backcountry Trail Camps · California State Parks · Agency
- Backpacking trip to Slate Creek Trail Camp in Portola Redwoods State Park · Avid Backpackers · Trip report
- Backpacking Portola Redwoods State Park · littlegrunts.com, Paulina Dao · Blog
- Backpacking Portola Redwoods State Park · Trees and Tents · Blog
- Redwoods backpacking, the antidote to stress · Save the Redwoods League, Helena Guglielmino · Blog
- Another trip to the big trees · Two-Heel Drive, Tom Mangan · Blog