Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve Figure-8 Ramble

Yesterday I lead my College of San Mateo class on a 4.6 mile figure-8 hike that visits all the major sights in Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. It was a beautiful sunny day as we left the parking lot and charged uphill on the Ridge Trail to where it crosses the Sunny Jim Trail. From there we continued west on the Ridge Trail from oak/bay woodlands to grasslands and chaparral.

Spectacular views of the Pescadero Creek watershed and the blue Pacific Ocean (no fog) burst into view as we turned the corner and headed north on the Ridge Trail. We paused to enjoy the bright red flowers of the wild fuchsia, which is one of the few plants to flower this time of year. It is pollinated by hummingbirds as they begin their migration south. While stopping to feel and smell the sticky and smelly leaves of the vinegar weed, one of the students noticed a praying mantis on the plant.

The Ridge Trail then descends into a grove of enormous canyon live oaks and then on to Alpine Pond. Just west of the pond is a large mortar stone with many holes made by Ohlone Indians centuries ago to pound acorns into flour.  The pond was created in the 1950's by John Rickey, owner of Rickey's Hyatt House in Palo Alto, when he operated a hog farm here. After touring the nature center at the edge of the pond, we ate lunch at the nearby picnic tables and finished with bay nut brownies topped with thimbleberry jam. Yum-Yum delicious.

After lunch we visited some of the remaining ranch buildings which were once owned by San Francisco mayor (1912-1931) and California governor (1931-1934) "Sunny Jim" Rolph. He played an important role in the reconstruction of San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake. Nearby is a large dead Douglas fir that hosts a colony of acorn woodpeckers who are busy gathering their winter provisions this time of year.

We then headed uphill on the Sunny Jim Trail, crossing the Ridge Trail, on our way to Horseshoe Lake. This beautiful "lake" is actually another pond fed by springs and formed in the 1950's by an earthen dam. The pond gets its name from its semi-circular shape. We then hiked to the equestrian parking lot and then along the northern shore of the pond, pausing briefly at a picnic table at a wonderful picnic spot in a shady oak grove above the pond.  From there it is a short walk north to where we began.

TO GET THERE... The main entrance is on the west side of Skyline Boulevard about a mile south of the intersection with Page Mill Road/Alpine Road.

A Seaside Walk at Wilder Ranch State Park

It was a glorious day for a one-way hike along the coastal bluffs and beaches of Wilder Ranch State Park. To accomplish this walk we assembled at the parking strip along on the coast side of  Highway 1 just east of the road into Wilder Ranch State Park. Highway 1 goes east-west, not north-south along this stretch of the coast. We then carpooled about 3 miles west (north) on Highway 1 to the dirt parking lot for access to 4 Mile Beach. This parking lot is not identified, so you have to know where it is.

From there we walked downhill to the beach and then hiked up to the coastal bluffs. From there we followed the Ohlone Bluff Trail, which contours the coastal cliffs on the marine terrace. This terrace, which was once the sea floor before being uplifted, is now home to vast fields of Brussels sprouts and artichokes, which require cool summers and mild winters.  Along this trail we saw sea otters nestled in the kelp beds. We stopped for lunch at Strawberry Beach, where some of us explored tide pools and examined a brittle star attached to a piece of kelp. Low tide occurred at 2:38 pm.

After lunch we took a use trail down to Sand Plant Beach, and then up the other side and back to the coastal bluff, where we saw at least a hundred harbor seals resting on a rock. Pausing to admire a view, someone saw an osprey roosting on a cliff overlooking the ocean. Otherwise known at "fish eagles",  these powerful predators plunge talons first into the ocean to grab fish. Attached osprey photo by Mamatha Rao.

We then left the trail briefly for a short excursion to the Fern Grotto, a beach cave with ferns growing from the ceiling. Some of our group used flashlights to explore the deep dark interior of the cave. From there we saw many beautiful views as we headed on to the Wilder Ranch historic site near the main parking lot. We saw the old farm house, the horse barn, the workshop, and the Balcoff adobe which was built in 1839 by a Russian ship deserter who married a Mexican lady and fathered

17 children.

TO GET THERE... The main entrance is off Highway 1 about 2 miles west of Santa Cruz and 42 miles south of Half Moon Bay. There is an entrance fee and a large parking lot, though you can park for free on the seaward side of Highway 1 just east of the entrance road.

San Mateo County Memorial County Park Loop Hike

Today my College of San Mateo class enjoyed a 5 mile hiking tour of San Mateo County's oldest county park. San Mateo County Memorial Park was established in 1924 as a memorial to the citizens of this county who died in the First World War.

We carpooled from the Woodside Town Hall parking lot in Woodside  to the Hoffman Flat Trailhead on Wurr Road, which intersects Pescadero Road. If you park here there is no entrance fee to enter the county park. We then walked north on Wurr Road, crossing Pescadero Creek, and entering the park on the left side of Wurr Road. From there we entered an ancient old-growth redwood grove and visited an old picnic area with stone barbecues built by the WPA in the 1930's. Some of the students entered a hollow lot lying in a horizontal position with a hole just the right size for poking your head out.

After visiting the largest tree in the park we were surprised to come upon wedding decorations at the amphitheater. We were the only ones there at the time. We then walked through the Azalea Flat Campground and then took the Homestead Trail to where it intersects the Pomponio Trail, which crosses Pescadero Road to the northern part of the park.

The Pomponio Trail climbs uphill to make a big loop that affords the best views in the park. Along the way we saw big-leaf maples beginning to display their fall foliage, banana slugs, bright red honeysuckle berries, edible ripe gooseberries, white snowberries, hedge nettles in bloom, and brilliant red wild fuchsia flowers. Wild fuschias, which are pollinated by hummingbirds, are one of the few native wildflowers that bloom this time of year.  From the Pomponio Trail we turned left onto the Mt. Ellen Summit Trail and then downhill on the Mt. Ellen Nature Trail, crossing Pescadero Road again to the main entrance to the park.

After visiting the memorial grove some of our group visited the camp store for an ice-cream cone. We then posed for photos at a picturesque hollowed-out old-growth redwood that you can walk through. After returning to our cars on Wurr Road I used my hiking stick to knock about 20 pounds of heirloom pears from a huge old pear tree on the other side of the road.

TO GET THERE... From Skyline Boulevard, take Highway 84 (La Honda Road) west from the town of La Honda and turn left (south) onto Pescadero Road. The Wurr Road turnoff is just east of the main entrance to San Mateo County Memorial Park.

Sam McDonald County Park loop hike

Yesterday my De Anza College class explored the first and second growth redwood groves at Sam McDonald County Park.

From the main parking lot we crossed Pescadero Road and headed uphill on the Towne Trail, with a slight detour on the Big Tree Trail to see an enormous ancient redwood with large reiterations high up the trunk. The ferns on the forest floor looked more dried out than I have ever seen them. If we have a wet winter, and the drought ends, this month could be the driest these mountains have been in centuries.

The Towne Trail climbs above the redwoods into a grassland ridge top, where we enjoyed the sight of a large bobcat wandering across the grassy slopes, oblivious to our presence. I have attached two photos sent to me by Tobias Rasokat, who accompanied us on the hike. We stopped to examine the bright red berries of Solomons seal and honeysuckle plants, as well as poison oak and abundant lichen, which is an indicator of good air quality.  We then made the tenth of a mile side trip to the Sierra Club's hikers hut. The people staying there for the weekend let us come in to look around. It has electric lights, an electric stove, small refrigerator, and a wood-burning stove. You can contact the Loma Prieta chapter of the Sierra Club to make reservations. The normally spectacular view of the Pescadero Creek watershed was obscured by low clouds.

From there we headed downhill to have lunch among the old-growth redwoods at the Heritage Grove along Alpine Creek. Despite the drought, we found two banana slugs. After lunch we retraced our steps to the Heritage Grove Trail and headed west and back to the parking lot.


TO GET THERE... Take Pescadero Road about three miles west from the town of La Honda.

Castle Rock State Park Field Trip

Today my College of San Mateo class enjoyed a 4 mile ramble around Castle Rock State Park, with time to climb on rocks and explore shallow caves.

We met at the Castle Rock main entrance along Skyline Boulevard south of where it intersects Highway 9. Some of the students found parking along Skyline in order to avoid the $8.00 parking fee. Others of us parked in the park parking lot because all the parking spaces along Skyline Boulevard were taken. Because this is a very popular park on weekends with nice weather it is a good idea to get there early.

The weather was perfect as we headed down the Saratoga Gap Trail to the junction at the bridge. From there we paused to admire an enormous Douglas fir tree and then hiked uphill to Goat Rock. After viewing the mighty rock from below, we took the trail to the uphill side, which is much easier to ascend. I took a section of thick rope out of my pack to assist the more adventurous of the students as they made it to the top for spectacular views of the entire San Lorenzo River valley, Monterey Bay, and the Santa Lucia Mountains south of the Monterey Peninsula.  We then visited a hollowed out sandstone boulder to see the concretions called "cannonballs", which are the result of differential accumulations of calcium carbonate.

Our next stop was an amazing rock called "Hole-in-the-Wall" Rock, which can only be accessed by climbing to the top of the rock and then lowering yourself through a small hole into the hollowed out interior.  We then stopped for lunch at a magnificent old coast live oak.

After lunch we took the Interconnector Trail south to the Saratoga Gap Trail and headed east to complete our loop. We enjoyed the sight of red wild fuchsias, one of the few flowering plants this time of year. After observing the meager trickle that is called Castle Rock Falls, we headed uphill to the the intersection with the Castle Rock Trail. Those who had enough hiking for one day continued on the Saratoga Gap Trail to the parking lot. The more adventurous students charged uphill to Castle Rock, the namesake for the park. You couldn't design a more fun and interesting rock. Castle Rock has overhangs, knobs, and caves that make it fun for skilled rock climbers and those of us who just enjoy crawling into dark places.

TO GET THERE... The main park entrance is on the west side of Skyline Boulevard about 2.5 miles south of Saratoga Gap (the intersection of Skyline Boulevard and Highway 9).

Creek Freaking in Pescadero Creek

I lead an experimental Creek Freaking expedition today at Pescadero Creek County Park. Creek Freaking is a mode of hiking that involves using a creek bed as a trail. It is an adventurous form of hiking that involves some preparation:
1) Pick a day with warm weather.

2) Wear clothes you don't mind getting wet.
3) Seal everything you don't want to get wet in plastic bags that seal shut (sandwich bags).
4) Wear water shoes or old running/tennis shoes that can get wet. Sand and gravel make sandals uncomfortable. One member of our group wore gators which kept sand out of her shoes.
5) Use a hiking stick to stay vertical while walking on the uneven creek bed.

Our group, which consisted of some of my College of San Mateo students, carpooled from the Woodside town hall parking lot. We drove to the parking lot at the Hoffman Fat Trailhead on Wurr Road, which is between San Mateo County Memorial Park and Pescadero Creek County Park southwest of the town of La Honda in the Santa Cruz Mountains. We then walked about 2.1 miles east on the Old Haul Road trail and turned left on the Shaw Flat Trail, which heads downhill to the creek. We ate lunch on the banks of Pescadero Creek before embarking on our trek.

Despite the draught, there was plenty of water in the creek. The day was warm and the cool water felt wonderful. We saw lots of crawdads (crayfish) and small fish in the creek. A magnificent display of tiger lilies awaited us on the north bank. Three members of our party left the expedition where Pomponio Trail crosses the creek. The rest of us continued, with a stop to swim in a deep pool.

I learned some important lessons about Creek Freaking. It took us about an hour to walk the Old Haul Road trail to where we entered the creek. It took about five hours to return by way of the creek. Part of the reason is that we stopped twice to swim, and part of it is because the creek meanders a lot more than the trail. But the main reason it takes so much longer is that we walked a lot slower on the rocky and uneven creek bed than we would on a trail. A good rule of thumb is to think of one mile of Creek Freaking as equivalent to four miles of trail walking.  If I conduct this outing again I would start at the Towne Fire Road creek crossing instead of the Shaw Flat crossing.

Hiking Long Ridge Open Space Preserve from Grizzly Flat to Saratoga Gap

Yesterday my College of San Mateo class met at the parking lot at the intersection of Skyline Boulevard and Highway 9 (Saratoga Gap).  From there we carpooled about 4 miles north on Skyline Boulevard to begin our 5.75-mile hike at the Grizzly Flat entrance to Long Ridge Open Space Preserve.

Just a few feet down the trail we came across a wonderful display of yellow mariposa lilies. This route continues downhill into a shady forest and follows Peters Creek upstream to the south along the Peters Creek Trail to a beautiful pond. Along the way we saw lots of two-eyed violets, Ithurial's spear, clarkias, crimson columbine, checker bloom, red larkspur, poppies, and wild ginger. The pond, at the headwaters of Peters Creek, was created by the construction of an earthen dam in the early 1960's. It is on Jikoji Zen Center property.

From the pond we charged uphill to the junction of Long Ridge Road and Ward Road. Ward Road goes downhill all the way to Portola State Park. We headed south of the Long Ridge Road to the connector trail that connects to the Hickory Oaks Trail. This section of our route offers lots of beautiful views into the Pescadero Creek watershed to the west. Yesterday there was too much fog right on the coast to see the ocean. We paused for lunch in a shady oak grove high on a ridge where we enjoyed spectacular views while keeping cool in the shade. We also enjoyed bay nut brownies topped by thimbleberry preserves that one of the students ordered from Michigan. Thimble berries are native to our area, but there doesn't seem to be anyone harvesting them commercially in California.

After lunch we took the short alternate route to Turtle Rock, where Ohlone Shamans are said to have gathered for sacred ceremonies on the winter solstice. This spot has a great view of Butano Ridge and Bonny Doon Mountain to the west and south. We then continue south on the Achistaca Trail, named for a local Ohlone band, which takes us

to the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail. This trail covers 28 miles between Saratoga Gap and Waddell Beach. We walked about half a mile of it back to Saratoga Gap. Where the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail crosses Highway 9 was the most dangerous part of our hike. Cars and motorcycles race past here unaware that this is a major trail crossing. There should be a crosswalk and warning signs on Highway 9 in both directions.

TO GET THERE... The Grizzly Flat entrance to Long Ridge Open Space Preserve is along Skyline Boulevard 5 miles south of Page Mill Road and 3 miles north of Saratoga Gap. There is a "Palo Alto City Limit" sign visible if you are approaching from the south.

La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve

Exploring the northern part of La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve requires some advanced planning. You need to contact the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District office to request a permit. This permit includes the combination to the locked gate at the end of Allen Road. There is room for only seven cars in the preserve, so carpooling may be necessary for groups. Getting to the entrance involves driving cautiously down Bear Gulch Road, which is a narrow and winding one-lane road. You then turn left onto Allen Road, which is also narrow. Watch for cars coming in the opposite direction.

Because access to this preserve is limited, the only people in the preserve yesterday were with my College of San Mateo class. Be aware that what passes for trails in this preserve are either dirt roads or faint and unmarked paths that are overgrown with grass. Be sure to check yourself out for ticks, especially in the Spring.

In the late 1940's an airline pilot, named Dyer, returning from Hawaii looked down on these open grassy fields in the Santa Cruz Mountains and decided he wanted to live there. He drove to the property and found that it was for sale. Soon after buying it Mr. Dyer's wife loaded up a truck with all their possessions and drove across the country to their new home. The current owner of the house told us that the truck is now inside the concrete garage near the house.

We walked west from the house and parking lot  to a telephone pole marked by the number 8 near a big manzanita. This marks the beginning of the trail that leads downhill about a tenth of a mile to the biggest redwood tree on the property. We measured the circumference and calculated that it is 12.2 feet in diameter.

We then retraced our steps to a path that heads south on a ridge. I caught a yellow-bellied racer snake on the trail. We continued on this old ranch road to Vista Point, where we enjoyed spectacular views of the La Honda Creek watershed, which flows into Pescadero Creek. Despite fog on the coast we were able to get a glimpse of the ocean. From there we retraced our steps to a faint old ranch road trail to the left. This route takes a steep descent to a wooded area where we ate lunch. At our lunch spot I caught a gopher snake and a rubber boa, and some of us saw a ringneck snake.

After lunch we headed uphill on another old ranch/logging road which returned us to our starting point. This is a very ecologically diverse preserve. It contains a combination of redwood, Douglas fir, bay, madrone, and oak woodlands, as well as large areas of open grassland. There were still many wildflowers in bloom, including Douglas iris, flax, checker bloom, globe lilly, Ithurial's spear, California poppies, and elderberry. We hiked in a small part of a much larger preserve, most of which is not yet open to the public.

TO GET THERE... Contact the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District for details.