Tarwater Loop Trail in Pescadero Creek County Park

Pescadero Creek County Park is one of the hidden treasures of San Mateo County. This 6,000 acre forested park, which is adjacent to Portola Redwoods State Park, Sam McDonald County Park, and San Mateo County Memorial Park, is often overlooked because the entrances are hard to find.

Yesterday my De Anza College class enjoyed a 6-mile hike that began at the Tarwater Trail entrance. To get there you need to take narrow and winding Alpine Road west from where it intersect Skyline Boulevard. Continue past State Park Road, which goes to Portola State Park, and then look carefully on the left (south) side of the road for the entrance to Camp Pomponio Road, which you could easily miss. Look for a sign that says: Pescadero Creek County Park 7546 Alpine Road". It is across from Buffalo Valley Road. Take the narrow paved road with lots of potholes downhill to the locked gate and turn left into the parking lot.

From the parking lot head downhill (south) on the Tarwater Loop Trail. It passes some large Douglas fir trees before entering the redwood forest. There is an especially large ancient redwood on the right side of the trail. A few years ago I measured it at 15.5 feet in diameter. Looking up you will see some large reiterations. The loggers spared that tree because the downhill side was hollowed out by fire.

Continuing downhill look carefully on the right for the remains of the Moore, Fisher, & Troupe saw mill, established in 1915. It used steam power to turn redwood logs into railroad ties. A large iron boiler lies on its side. Further south the trail intersects the Bridge Trail, which is an old logging road. Take this road to the left (downhill) and cross the bridge over Pescadero Creek. There is a good lunch spot on the south side of the creek. Pescadero Creek is the biggest creek in San Mateo County. It is recovering from decades of logging, which silted it up and made it uninhabitable to steelhead trout and coho salmon. The fish are beginning to return as the creek is restored.

After lunch we retraced our steps across the bridge and continued on the Bridge Trail to the Camp Pomponio Road, which connects with the second half of the Tarwater Loop Trail. From here it is all uphill and back to the parking lot. We left the trail for a couple of hundred feet at the Canyon Trail intersection to see why Tarwater Creek got its name. You can see tar oozing out of the ground in the creek bed.

On this hike we saw thimbleberry

plants in bloom, forget-me-nots, horsetail, Douglas iris, wild rose, redwood sorrel, two-eyed violet, blue eyed grass, butter cups, and bellardia. We also examined a large banana slug.

The banana slug's a lucky guy
He won't let romance pass him by
If another slug should meet
The couple soon is indiscreet
Whose the mother? You may ask
Each is ready for the task
It matters not whose male or miss
Their mating is a time of bliss
And when they're through
Upon their slime
They leave to mate another time

Portola State Park/Pescadero Creek County Park Loop Hike

Portola State Park, Pescadero Creek County Park, Sam McDonald County Park, and San Mateo County Memorial Park combine to form a large and beautiful mostly second-growth

redwood forested area with lots of trails.

My College of San Mateo class began at the  Ramada picnic area in Portola State Park and took a 5.5 mile loop that traversed Portola State Park and Pescadero Creek County Park. After paying the entrance fee at the visitors center we parked near the Ramada Group Day Use Area. We then hiked the in and back on the Old Tree Trail to see the biggest redwood in the park. After returning we headed south on the Service Road and over the Pescadero Creek bridge to the Iverson Cabin Site and uphill to connect with the Old Haul Road. This route was once a narrow gauge railroad route used to haul logs to a saw mill. We turned right on the Bridge Trail and, after a short side trip to see the Snag Tree, we stopped for lunch on the banks of Pescadero Creek.

After lunch we crossed the bridge and headed north on the Bridge Trail and then east on the Pomponio Trail back to Portola State Park. Along our route we saw Douglas iris, wild rose, yerba de selva, hairy star tulip, fetid aders tongue, horse tail, redwood sorel, mild maid, and two eyed violet. We also examined a banana slug.

TO GET THERE... From Skyline Boulevard take Alpine Road west and turn south (right) on Portola State Park Road.

A One-Way Downhill Hike on Windy Hill

Windy Hill Open Space Preserve is an extraordinarily scenic and ecologically diverse1,335-acre piece of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The problem with picking this preserve for my College of San Mateo and De Anza College field trips is that a loop hike from the bottom  to the top would greatly exceed the 4.5-6.5 mile field trip parameters, not to mention an elevation gain and loss of about 1,400 feet.  To keep the distance down to a manageable distance we used a car shuttle from the Portola Valley entrance to the northern Skyline Boulevard entrance and then, after ascending to the summit of Windy Hill, it is virtually all downhill. Our one-way hike was about 5.3 miles.

The problem with carpooling from the Portola Road entrance in Portola Valley on a Saturday is that this is a very popular hiking/biking/running/dog walking destination. The parking lot was completely filled by the time I arrived at 8:45 am and I grabbed one of the last roadside parking spaces along Portola Road near the preserve entrance. When the students arrived after 9:00 am I directed them to the parking lot about .4 miles north at the Portola Valley Town Center. There is a footpath that connects the Windy Hill parking lot with the town center.

We carpooled about 8 miles to the northernmost Windy Hill parking lot, which is north of the main parking lot with the picnic tables. From there we hiked uphill to the breezy and aptly named summit. On a clear day you can see San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean from the same place. We could see the bay, but the coast side was obscured by clouds.

From there it was nearly all downhill on the Anniversary Trail, Lost Trail, Hamms Gulch Trail, and Spring Ridge Trail. There was a short segment of the Hamms Gulch Trail that was washed out and required a muddy climb over a fallen tree. We saw many wildflowers along the way, including dandelions, poppies, checker bloom, lupine, cow parsnip, forget-me-nots, giant wake robin trilliums, milkmaids, both fat and slim Solomons seal, crimson columbine, and blue dicks. The ecology changes dramatically as the route descends from the moist Douglas fir forest near the summit to the drier oak woodlands at the bottom.

Near the bottom of the hike we crossed the San Andreas Fault, which forms the boundary between the Pacific Plate and the North American Plate. Near the end of our hike we passed Sausal Pond, which is a sag pond formed by a curved section of the fault that subsided. In the pond we saw two bull frogs and a pond turtle.

TO GET THERE... From Highway 280 take Alpine Road or Sand Hill Road to Portola Road. The trailhead is just north of the Sequoias retirement community in Portola Valley.

A Windy & Foggy Day on Sweeney Ridge

Sweeney Ridge can be a risky place to plan a field trip. The 1200 foot high ridge can be spectacular, with views of both the Pacific and the bay, or it can be socked in with fog. Unfortunately, my College of San Mateo class field trip on April 20 was the worst day of the week to hike the ridge top. The day before was beautiful, and the day after was even more beautiful, but the the day of the field trip was foggy, cold and windy.

We met at the west end of Sneath Lane in San Bruno to arrange a car shuttle to our starting point at Skyline Colllege. That way  our 5 mile outing was one way. Other wise you have to go in and out the same way. From Sneath Lane we took Skyline Boulevard north, and turned left (west) on College Drive to Skyline College. On weekdays you can park in parking lot C, next to the trail head. On weekends the closest parking is in parking lot F. No parking permit is needed on weekends.

From parking lot C the trail heads uphill and south, climbing to a high point where the abandoned Coast Guard station stands covered with graffiti. It then makes a steep descent and a steep ascent to the Sweeney Ridge. Continue south, past the site of the Nike Missile radar station. The station buildings were recently removed as part of a toxic waste cleanup.

Though the fog obscured our views, we saw lots of beautiful wild flowers, including footsteps to spring, checker bloom, lupine, poppies, Douglas iris, goldfield, twin berry, Indian paintbrush, crimson columbine, blue witch, and cow parsnip.

Normally we would have stopped for lunch at the stone monument marking the place where the Portola expedition first saw San Francisco Bay on November 4, 1769. However, because it was too

cold, windy, and foggy we skipped lunch and headed downhill on the paved road/trail and back to the west end of Sneath Lane, where we car shuttled the drivers back to their cars at Skyline College.

TO GET THERE... From Highway 280 take Sneath Lane exit and proceed to the end of Sneath Lane in San Bruno.

Almaden Quicksilver County Park from the Hacienda Entrance

There are 4 entrances to Almaden Quicksilver County Park. My De Anza College field trip yesterday met at the Hacienda entrance which is along Almaden Road near the community of New Almaden. There is a large parking lot with restrooms.

This 3,977-acre Santa Clara County park, in the dry eastern foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains, is well known for its colorful mercury mining history and for its extraordinary display of spring wildflowers. Despite nearly 130 years of mining and settlement much of this land still feels wild. It is amazing how quickly this land has healed.

My De Anza class took a 6.1 mile loop that ascended the Mine Hill Trail, with a short side trip to the powder house, where we were surprised to see several bats flying around in daylight.  We continued uphill to the San Cristobal Mine for lunch. Unfortunately, visitors are no long allowed to enter a short distance into the mine. We continued our

long and steady uphill to Bull Run, where we paused to enjoy views of Mount Umunhum and Loma Prieta, which is the highest point in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We stopped to look at lots of beautiful wild flowers, including, fiesta flowers, blue dicks, Indian paintbrush, buttercups, shooting stars, wild cucumber, mule ear, blue eyed grass, Johny jump-ups, wild onion, and golden poppies.

From Bull Run we headed east on the Castillero Trail, where we viewed the abandoned rotary furnace, and then headed north to see the remains of English Camp. From there it is a steep downhill on the Deep Gulch Trail to a flat area at the bottom where there is old mining equipment to be seen.

After the field trip some of us stopped at nearby Casa Grande, which used to be the mine foreman's house and office, but which is now an excellent mining history museum.

TO GET THERE... From Highway 85 take Almaden Expressway south and turn right on Almaden Road to the Hacienda parking lot.

Portola Valley Trails and Windy Hill Open Space Loop

On April 6 I lead my College of San Mateo class on a loop hike that included Coal Mine Ridge in the town of Portola Valley and Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. We met at the trail head at the intersection of Alpine Road and Willowbrook, which is in the town of Portola Valley. If the parking lot is full you can find additional

parking along Willowbrook.

Portola Valley is an affluent community with a wonderful trail system that combines residential and woodland areas. Along the San Andreas Fault, this land is a pleasant patchwork of woodlands and grassy meadows, with sag ponds formed by movement on the fault.

We followed the Old Spanish Trail, which has lots of beautiful white, black, and live oaks. There is even a swing hanging from an oak limb a short distance off the trail. Being on the dry east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains, this is a perfect place to see wildflowers in late March through April. We saw checker lilly, star zygadine, buttercups, Douglas iris, Indian warrior, sun cups, and giant wake robins, among others.  We stopped at one of two large sag ponds for lunch.

From the end of the Old Spanish Trail we turned right onto the Lake Trail, which connects with Alpine Road. Because Alpine Road is a dead end, there is little motor traffic and it is shared by cars, horses, hikers, and bicycles. We continued down Alpine Road to the Eagle Trail and then crossed the stone bridge to the other side of Corte Madera Creek, where we picked up the Hamms Gulch Trail in Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. We then made the next right turn, which took us across a bridge and back to where we started on Alpine Road.

Rancho Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve

Canada Del Oro Open Space Preserve is a little known 5,268 acre property owned by the Santa Clara County Open Space Authority. Just south of Calero County Park, it has 12 miles of trails in the most rugged part of the Santa Cruz Mountains, with views of Loma Prieta (3,790 feet) and Mount Umunhum (3,488 feet). It is about 25 miles from downtown San Jose.

Because the trail system of this preserve continues into Calero County Park there are many loop trail options, from just a couple of miles to as far as you can hike or bike. Because it covers rugged mountainous terrain most of the routes are quite steep. The trail head on Casa Loma Road has a parking lot, outhouse, and picnic tables.

Because of the recent rain the preserve is turning bright green, with wildflowers starting to appear. On a hike yesterday I saw shooting stars, milkmaids, hounds tongue, and buttercups. The vegetation consists mainly of oak woodlands, grasslands, and chaparral. There are some large manzanitas. Because it is on the dry east side of the range it will turn dry and hot by the middle of May. April is a perfect month to visit.

TO GET THERE... From Highway 101 take Bailey Avenue west, turn left of McKean Road, and right on Casa Loma Road.