Six Bridges Trail
Butano State Park
A classic visit to redwoods in the Santa Cruz mountains’ hidden gem
Length
2.2 miles
Rated
Easy*
Trail Type
Out & Back
Elevation Gain
200 feet
Looking for a moderate challenge in your health and wellness journey? Try this hidden gem at Butano State Park: Six Bridges Trail. It is a classic nature trail, with moderate inclines and occasional natural obstacles.
Although rated “easy” by California State Parks, this 2.2-mile out-and-back trail is often narrow, natural, and does change elevation by 200 feet. Dense vegetation may need navigation.
Forests, streams, birdsong, and occasional fog await, and be sure to look for the bat habitat viewing area along the way.
*Trail ratings vary and in this guide you will find information to make the best choice for your health and wellness goals.
Enjoy the health benefits of time in nature on Six Bridges Trail at Butano State Park in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Why is this a healthful experience?
Trails Rx Benefits
Unleash the Healing Power of Nature
Trails Rx was established to help you improve your physical and mental health while enjoying time in nature. With guidance from Sempervirens Fund's Wellness Advisor, Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller, we took inspiration from her work with Iowa's Hartman Reserve Nature Center.
The program promotes regular use of these trails, or parks near you, to integrate nature's healing benefits into daily life.
"Research increasingly finds that human health is improved by spending time in nature. Whether exercising, birdwatching, or spending quiet, mindful time outdoors, a host of physical and mental health benefits have been confirmed."
Dr. Suzanne Bartlett Hackenmiller
MD, FACOG FABOIM Sempervirens Fund Wellness Advisor
What Does the Data Say?
Here are ways you can measure the benefits of enjoying the Six Bridges Trail:
Light Pace
2.5 miles per hour
Trail Length
2.2 miles
Metabolic Equivalent of Task
The amount of energy used while active compared to energy used sitting still.
3.5 METs
Time
53 minutes
Calories
Estimates vary by weight.
130 lbs
191 calories
165 lbs
242 calories
200 lbs
293 calories
235 lbs
345 calories
Moderate Pace
3.5 miles per hour
Trail Length
2.2 miles
Metabolic Equivalent of Task
The amount of energy used while active compared to energy used sitting still.
4.0 METs
Time
38 minutes
Calories
Estimates vary by weight.
130 lbs
175 calories
165 lbs
222 calories
200 lbs
269 calories
235 lbs
317 calories
Trail Benefits
Health Benefits of Unique Features along the Six Bridges Trail
Blood pressure and depression.
A study found that nature exposure is linked with a lower prevalence of both depression and high blood pressure, and that this effect is greatest with a minimum of 30 minutes of nature exposure per week. A short hike on Six Bridges Trail may improve both your mental and physical health.
Immune boost.
Time in nature boosts the immune system in ways that are still being explored. For example, we know that simply inhaling “phytoncides,” a component in the essential oils from trees, has been found to boost our level and activity of Natural Killer immune cells that circulate in our bloodstream to attack viruses, bacteria, and even tumor cells. Research has found that this benefit lasts for as long as 30 days out from a nature experience, so make it at least a monthly goal to visit the trails!
References: https://doi.org/10.1080/08923970600809439 and https://doi.org/10.1007/s12199-008-0068-3
See more below in our Invitations section for suggestions on maximizing this experience.
Invitations
Body and Mind Contemplation
We believe each place has the potential to reward our senses and bring us peace and mindfulness. In the practice of Shinrin-yoku, or Forest Bathing, invitations are prompts we can give ourselves to invite an inward response to the nature we are experiencing. In this section we offer invitations you might respond to in your experience visiting the Six Bridges Trail.
Pleasures of Presence
For these invitations sit, stand, or rest comfortably against something solid and close your eyes or lower them to the ground.
Notice the Air
Rest comfortably and slowly breathe, in through your nose and out through your mouth. Notice the air: the fragrance, the temperature, and the moisture.
Connect to the Earth
Listen Closely, and Far Away
See this Place
Invitations for the Six Bridges Trail
Candelabra Tree Tea Party
As you approach this tree, practice some playful imagination. Perhaps you are attending a tea party or a grand ball with the candelabra before you. Are you a giant? A miniature being? What does it feel like to use your imagination among the trees?
Bat Sanctuary
Hero's Journey
Thresholds of Connection
Be the Water
You might spend some time jotting down or journaling what you noticed during this experience.
Learn more about Forest Bathing and check out a longer list of invitations to consider.
About the Park
Butano State Park
Off Highway 1, halfway between Santa Cruz and Half Moon Bay, Butano State Park spans more than 4,000 acres in a secluded redwood-filled canyon.
The park typically has fewer visitors than neighboring parks such as Big Basin State Park or Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, giving Butano a serene, secluded feeling. Although much of the park is closed following the 2020 CZU fire, the park’s miles of popular hiking trails lead through dense redwood forest and up to high ridges offering hikers stunning views of the Pacific coast.
Sempervirens Fund began advocating for the protection of the land in 1921 and the forest was logged until the Park’s creation in 1957. Now lush with second- and third-growth redwoods, Sempervirens Fund has protected more than 1,500 acres in the Butano State Park planning area.
One of the park’s most distinctive features, the famous Candelabra Tree–a large redwood with branches resembling a candelabra–is on land recently added to the park.
What The Park Offers
Getting There
Know before you go: Visit the trail page for the latest updates.
Butano State Park
The park is close to Highway 1, south of the town of Pescadero, off Butano Park Road.
Admission
$10 vehicle day-use fee
Accessibility
Although parking and facilities are limited, the trailhead is within a short walking distance. The trail is natural, often narrow, and does change elevation by 200 feet. Dense vegetation may need navigation. Forests, streams, birdsong, and an occasional fog await, and be sure to look for the bat habitat viewing area along the way. There is currently no drinking water available in the park.
Public Transportation
No known public transit available at this time