A Delightful 11 mile Hike on Windy Hill

If you are ready for an 11.2 mile hike with a climb and descent of about 1,800 feet then I can't think of a better place then Windy Hill Open Space Preserve. You can start this hike from either the Skyline Boulevard parking lot or the parking lot along Portola Road in Portola Valley. I like to start in Portola Valley because you get the uphill part of the loop out of the way first, before lunch.

From the Portola Valley entrance take the Spring Ridge Trail past Sausal Pond, which is a sag pond nestled into the San Andreas Fault. Then follow the Eagle Trail, which parallels Corte Madera Creek and turn right on the Razorback Ridge Trail. This is where you gain most of your altitude. At the top of the ridge turn right on the Lost Trail (which is also a segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail), which will take you to the Skyline Boulevard entrance to the preserve. With several picnic tables, this is a great place to stop for lunch. After lunch, some of us continued north on the Anniversary Trail and ascended one of the two peaks of Windy Hill. The views here are spectacular. On a clear day you can see the bay and the ocean from the same place.

After lunch we retraced our steps on the Lost Trail and then headed downhill on the Hamms  Gulch Trail. At the bottom we retraced the first part of the route to return to the parking lot. The ecological diversity of this preserve is amazing. It includes magnificent oaks near the bottom and douglas fir forests near the top. Because Windy Hill often lives up to its name, there are no trees near the summit, making it a great place to fly a kite. Though we are well into May, there are still lots of wild flowers, including columbine, clintonia, checker mallow, and poppies.

TO GET THERE... from Highway 280 exit Alpine Road in Portola Valley. Go south on Alpine Road about 2.9 miles to Portola Road. Turn right on Portola Road and travel .8 miles to the parking lot on the left side of the road.