Samuel P. Taylor State Park has wooded countryside in the steep rolling hills of Marin County north of San Francisco. The park features a unique contrast of coast redwoods groves and open grassland.

The park features a variety of flowers and trees, including oak, tanoak, madrone, live oak, laurel and Douglas fir. California native wildflowers include buttercups, milkmaids, and Indian paintbrush.

The most common animal in the park is the black-tailed deer. There are also raccoons, striped skunks and gray foxes. Silver salmon and steelhead trout migrate up Papermill Creek to spawn.

About Service Reductions at Samuel P. Taylor
Madrone Group Camp and Irving Group Picnic Day Use areas will be closed November 1, 2009 through March 25, 2010.  They will open and go back on the reservation system (through Reserve America) starting March 26, 2010. 

Devil’s Gulch Group Camp and Redwood Grove Group Picnic Day Use area will remain open. 

The family campground (Creek and Orchard Sections) will be opened as needed and will be available on a first come, first served basis through March 25, 2010.  It will go back on the reservation system starting March 26, 2010. 

Restroom facilities in all closed areas will not be open.

California State Parks is facing an unprecedented budget reduction and you may experience service reductions during your visit.  We hope that our loyal visitors understand and appreciate the severe budget reductions that have occurred and help us minimize the cost impacts to the system.

Location-Directions
The park is 15 miles west of San Rafael on Sir Francis Drake Boulevard.

Address
P.O. Box 251
Lagunitas, CA 94938

Facilities and Activities
The park offers a network of hiking trails and fire roads, making it easy to hike to the top of Mount Barnabe. Or, for a less strenuous visit, many visitors consider Devil's Gulch the best place in the park for a picnic or a place to relax.

A paved bike trail runs about three miles through the park, beginning near the entrance of the park. The trail is nearly level and follows the old Northwest Pacific Railroad right-of-way.

Because of natural disasters and destruction of habitat by humans, fishing is not permitted in Papermill Creek. Fishing is permitted in nearby lakes on Marin Municipal Water District land. A state fishing license is required.

Seasons/Climate/Recommended Clothing
summer and spring are warm, fall and winter can be cool. Layered clothing is best.

Some Park History
The park is named after Samuel Penfield Taylor, who came to California from Boston in 1849 to try his luck in the gold rush. He actually found gold, cashed in, and entered the lumber business.

Purchasing 100 acres of timberland along Papermill Creek, Taylor built a paper mill and established a paper-making process. Using scrap paper and rags from San Francisco the mill produced newsprint and well as square-bottomed paper bags -- a novelty at the time.

Taylor built a resort hotel and Camp Taylor, one of the first sites in the US to offer camping as a recreational pursuit. The area was one of California's most popular and well-known weekend recreation destinations in the 1870s-80s.

Lagunitas Elementary School
The staff at Samuel P. Taylor State Park is very proud of the close working relationship we have with our local schools. The park is involved with many projects with our local students. Take a look at some of the things we are doing with students from Lagunitas Elementary School District.