This loop takes you past the site of an old dairy farm, an early shingle mill and one of the largest remaining Coast Redwoods in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The trail traverses both the deep redwood forests and oak woodlands at higher elevations. Fire roads and single track make up this trail. Elevation change is approximately 1100 feet over moderate grades. There are also naturally occurring crude oil deposits are present in some portion of Tarwater Creek, hence the name. The Tarwater Trailhead is located off Pomponio Road near available parking. The trail connects to the Canyon Trail and to the Bridge Trail near Tarwater Trail Camp.