A Springtime Ramble at La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve

Though La Honda Creek Open Space Preserve covers 5,700 acres, only a small part of it is currently open to the public. And that part is only open by getting a special use permit, driving a private road, and entering through a locked gate. The small parking lot accommodates only six vehicle. You can get a free permit by visiting the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District website.

Yesterday I lead a field trip for my De Anza College class on what passes for trails in this preserve. The trails are mostly old ranch roads and faint routes that may not even be recognizable as trails. We met at the Woodside town hall in Woodside to carpool to our destination. From there we walked uphill to a small private property enclave and then continued east on the dirt road to a telephone pole with the number 8. That marks the .1 mile trail downhill to an old-growth redwood identified on the map as Big Tree.  We then retraced our route back to the house and continued south on the ranch road beyond the concrete garage.

Continuing south over green grassy hills, we enjoyed views of the surrounding mountains and seashore and then entered a second-growth redwood grove with a burnt old-growth redwood and a strange tree with a bulging base. From there we continued to a grassy overlook called Vista Point, where we stopped for lunch.

After lunch we retraced our steps to a grassy hilltop with lichen encrusted sandstone outcrops and then took a faint trail downhill and to the west. At the bottom of this trail are pieces of sheet metal where I usually find snakes. At this time all I found was one ring neck snake.  We also saw a blue-belly lizard and an alligator lizard nearby.  From there we took the ranch road uphill and back to the parking lot.

Along our route we saw Douglas iris, California poppies, blue-eyed grass, checker bloom, vetch, blue dicks, wild cucumber, filaree, owls clover, and many other wildflowers.

This property was purchased in the late 1940's by an airline pilot named Dyer, who flew a United Airlines route from New York to Hawaii. He ofter flew over the Santa Cruz Mountains and admired this grassy ridge top amid a forest and decided that it would be a good place to live. When in the Bay Area he contacted the owner of the property and bought it. When he called his wife, she was so excited she loaded up their possessions and drove their Ford pickup truck across the country and joined him. That truck is now in the concrete garage. Because the garage windows are too high to peer into without a ladder, I borrowed one from the woman who lives in the nearby house. I have included a photo.

TO GET THERE... Because this entrance is accessible via narrow roads, one of which is private, and there is a locked gate, you must get a permit before entering.