One of Butano State Park’s many beauties is best seen in spring—the park’s wild red rhododendrons. This stunning wildflower tree grows along the Butano Fire Road and can be seen on a moderately strenuous, approximately 6.5-mile roundtrip hike. To start your hike, drive into Butano State Park. The entrance to the Mill Ox Trail is past the kiosk/office on the entrance road and on your left. Look for a parking turnout and small footbridge across the creek. Hike up Mill Ox Trail through dense redwood forest to the Butano Fire Road. Turn right and hike about two miles up the road to the abandoned airstrip, enjoying the wide-open vistas of the coastal mountain range. In the spring, the rhododendrons are typically visible along the trail on your left a few hundred yards before the hairpin turn on the Fire Road near the airstrip. To return, hike back along the Butano Fire Road to the Jackson Flats Trail and loop back to the Mill Ox Trail.