Sam McDonald County Park, County park in La Honda, California.

Sam McDonald County Park covers 867 acres between La Honda and Loma Mar, split roughly by Pescadero Road: about 400 acres of redwood forest in the northwest and 450 acres of open ridge and grassy knolls in the southeast. Heritage Grove, 37 acres of old-growth redwood along Alpine Creek, lies east of the southeastern half. Trails climb to a ridgeline above the Pescadero Creek valley.

Sam McDonald began buying land near La Honda in 1919 and built a lodge he called Chee-Chee-Wa-Wa. After his death in November 1957, his holdings of more than 400 acres passed to Stanford University; San Mateo County bought the land in 1958 for $67,000 and established the park in 1970. A further 450 acres from Kendall B. Towne were added in 1976, bringing the park to 867 acres.

Sam McDonald, born in 1884 in Louisiana to parents who had been enslaved, worked as an artist's model and on the steamer Modoc before driving horses at the Palo Alto Stock Farm and joining Stanford by 1903. He named his La Honda land the La Honda-Alpine-Ytaioa Reserve and his lodge Chee-Chee-Wa-Wa. Horseback riders still use the trails and Jack Brook Horse Camp.

The park is accessible via Pescadero Creek Road and offers a range of trails for different fitness levels and interests. Visitors should wear sturdy shoes, as paths go through forests and over hills where weather can change quickly.

From the higher sections in the southeast, visitors can see the ocean on clear days, along with Pescadero Creek valley and Butano Ridge. These viewpoints offer a rewarding break while walking through the hilly terrain.