350 acres hosted by Peninsula Open Space.
1 lodging site · 2 bedrooms · 8 beds · 2 toilets
Amazing views
Hipcampers say this spot has amazing views.
Family-friendly
Recent Hipcampers say this Hipcamp is great for families and kids.
Best cabins: Finalist
Named one of the best Hipcamps to visit in 2024.
Peninsula Open Space is a Star Host
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Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all.
Situated on top of a ridge with expansive redwood forest and coastal views, the Audrey Edna Cabin provides a completely private gathering place and destination for visitors with reservations. The cabin has spectacular views of forest, sky, ocean and the Butano ridgeline. It's a short hike to 8000+ acres of county parkland where you can hike, bike and ride horses (though please note, there are no facilities for horse boarding at the cabin.) The cabin is located at Alpine Ranch, a property adjacent to Sam McDonald County Park that was protected by Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST).
Whether you are looking for an active experience or just want to relax in a peaceful, remote setting, there's something here for everyone.
This is a rustic hike-in cabin designed for a introductory pack-in experience. Bedding is not provided. It is about a 1.7-mile hike on a rolling dirt road from the Sam McDonald County Park parking lot, with about 650 feet of elevation gain. Most hikers can reach the cabin in an hour or less. Guests should plan to arrive at least 2 hours before sunset, and pack water and flashlights or headlamps. Guests with limited mobility, please contact us for information regarding accommodations that will allow you to access this shared resource.
*A note about reservation availability: On the weekends, POST offers priority reservations for the cabin to our partners at the San Mateo County Health Department and Park Rx to provide patients with equitable access to the benefits of nature. Occasionally, we have last-minute public weekend reservation availability due to cancellations. The cabin is reservable up to 3 months in advance, on a rolling basis.
Love the idea of a hike-in cabin, but unable to visit us Sunday-Thursday? Check out the nearby Sierra Club Hiker's Hut in Sam McDonald County Park.
Property History:
At one time, the ridge of the Santa Cruz Mountains was a thriving center for trade between tribes of the coast and the bay, which we still find evidence of today in cultural sites and artifacts throughout the region. Native people have cared for this land since time immemorial, including the local Muwekma and Ramaytush Ohlone who are still active in the area today. This property specifically is host to a tributary to one of just a handful of waterways that support salmonids in this region, which are a species of tremendous importance to native people.
Over 1000 acres here were eventually purchased by entrepreneur Ridgeway Rowley, who built a home on the ranch in the 1880s as part of an unsuccessful wedding proposal to Fannie Page, daughter of a local mill owner (ever heard of Page Mill Road?) After being rejected by Fannie, Rowley operated the ranch for a decade in conjunction with his work as District Attorney and publisher of the Palo Alto Weekly, before eventually returning to his hometown of Cortland, NY, where he lived as a bachelor until his death. Over the course of the 20th century, the ranch was divided, some parts of which became Pescadero Creek County Park. POST purchased the 350 acre home property, now called Alpine Ranch, in 2012 through our Heart of the Redwoods campaign, an initiative to protect 20,000 acres of Redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Alpine Ranch borders Pescadero Creek County Park and Sam McDonald County Park, adding to the area’s protected open space and containing more than a mile of tributaries to Pescadero Creek, which flows year-round and is a major spawning stream for steelhead trout.
The Audrey Edna Cabin at Alpine Ranch is situated at one of the property's most scenic overlooks. The cabin was built in the early 1900's, and completely reconstructed up to modern building codes by POST in 2018 so that all could enjoy this special place.This is a rustic, private, hike-in cabin designed for an introductory pack-in experience. Bedding is not provided and only one group can reserve the cabin at a time. It is about a 1.7-mile hike on a rolling dirt road from the Sam McDonald County Park parking lot, with about 650 feet of elevation gain. Most hikers can reach the cabin in an hour or less. Guests should plan to arrive at least 2 hours before sunset, and pack water and flashlights or headlamps. Guests with limited mobility, please contact us for information regarding accommodations that will allow you to access this shared resource.
Amenities include potable water, an overhead living room heater, two toilets and a full kitchen with stove, fridge/freezer, toaster, coffee maker, and all the equipment you need to cook a nice meal. Please bring all your own food and beverages, including spices, condiments, coffee, basket filters, etc., as well as dish towels. There are no showers, and water must be used sparingly. Linens are not provided. The first bedroom has 1 queen bed and 1 twin bed, the second bedroom has 2 bunk beds (4 single beds), and the living room has 2 fold-out couches and 3 sleeping mats. You must bring your own sleeping bags and pillows. Pets and fires are not permitted.
We do not charge cleaning fees. At the end of your stay, we ask that you clean the cabin and leave everything as you found it or better for the next guest. Generally this means doing all dishes, sweeping, emptying the fridge, wiping surfaces, packing out trash, etc. A check-out checklist is provided, and a professional cleaning service does a deep-clean every 2-4 weeks. A self-clean system allows us to keep our prices low. All income from public access to the cabin goes towards the Peninsula Open Space Trust's mission to protect open space for the benefit of all.
We look forward to hosting you!
*A note about reservations: Although we will do our best to accommodate all visitors, we reserve the right to cancel reservations due to unsafe environmental conditions. This cabin is located in a rural area, and may be affected by severe weather, or lose power due to downed power lines or PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Generally, we follow a similar closure protocol to adjacent Sam McDonald County Park. If we need to cancel your reservation for safety reasons, we will provide you with a full refund.
