A Smokey Day on Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve has a lot going for it. Two beautiful ponds, an archaeological site, ecological diversity, and best of all, spectacular views into the Pescadero Creek watershed and on to the Pacific coast. Unfortunately, due to smoke from the Camp Fire in Butte County, the views weren't all that great yesterday.

Starting at the main parking lot, my De Anza College class hiked uphill to the trail junction. We then proceeded straight ahead on the Ridge Trail to a northward turn where low growing chaparral would have given way to spectacular views had the scenery not been obscured by smoke. This trail passes magnificent canyon live oaks and California fuchsias sporting red trumpet-shaped flowers. We then headed downhill on a dirt road below the earthen dam to view one of the best archaeological sites in the Santa Cruz Mountains: dozens of holes made in a sandstone rock by Ohlone women centuries ago as they pounded acorns into flour.  We then circled around Alpine Pond, which was created by restaurant owner John Rickey in the 1950's when this land was a hog farm. At picnic tables near the Daniels Nature Center we stopped for lunch. I brought out a tin containing brownies made with the ground roasted nuts of the California Bay Laurel tree.

After lunch we continued our way around the pond and headed uphill to a cluster of buildings that was the ranch headquarters for "Sunny Jim" Ralph, who was mayor of San Francisco (1912-1931) and governor of California (1931-1934). Nearby is a dead Douglas fir tree which is used as an acorn granary for a colony of acorn woodpeckers.

We then continued uphill on the Sunny Jim trail, which passes through a forest of interior live oaks before descending to Horseshoe lake. You can look east to Monte Bello Ridge. Along the way you will notice unclaimed Christmas trees that are left over

from a Christmas tree farm operated by the Wasserman family from the late 1950's until 1982, when the property was acquired by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Our route then looped around Horseshoe Lake and back to the parking lot. Horseshoe Lake, named because of its shape around a central hill, was also created by John Rickey in the 1950's.

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

Hiking Downhill One-Way at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

Because there is a 1,600 foot elevation difference between the top of Windy Hill and the preserve parking lot at the bottom along Portola Road, a loop hike in this steep preserve can be long and strenuous. For that reason I arranged for my College of San Mateo class to car shuttle from the Portola Road entrance to the entrance at the northern parking area to the preserve on Skyline Boulevard to begin our outing.

We gathered at the Portola Road entrance in Portola Valley to arrange the car shuttle. This is a popular entrance, so it is a good idea to arrive by 9:00 am on weekends. There are additional parking spaces along the east side of Portola Road across from the parking lot entrance, and more parking .4 miles north at the Portola Valley town hall. We carpooled north on Portola Road and then west (uphill) on Highway 84, and south on Skyline Boulevard. We parked at the parking lot on the east side of Skyline Boulevard at the Spring Ridge Trailhead.

We took the Anniversary Trail uphill to the summit of Windy Hill, where we enjoyed spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean to the west and San Francisco Bay and the Bay Area cities to the east. We could see all the way north to Mount Tamalpais to the north, Mount Diablo to the northeast, and Mount Hamilton to the southeast. Salesforce Tower in downtown San Francisco was visible. We could also make out the path of the San Andreas Fault below to the east. George and Karen flew their kite on the breezy and treeless summit. Continuing south on the Anniversary Trail we stopped at the outhouse at the picnic area.

The Lost Trail continues south and east, entering a beautiful stand of Douglas fir as it intersects the Hamms Gulch Trail.  This trail makes the long descent from the moist Douglas fir ridge to the drier oak woodland below. We saw lots of buckeye seeds hanging on leafless buckeye trees and madrone trees bursting with bright orange berries. At the bottom we approached Corte Madera Creek, which still has flowing water despite the lack of recent rain. There we saw a banana slug and a sandstone rock with seashells embedded.

Heading north on the Spring Ridge Trail we saw many magnificent ancient white oaks and live oaks. One of them is a granary tree with lots of holes made by acorn woodpeckers and stocked with acorns.  We even watched a woodpecker inserting acorns into the holes. Continuing north we approached the sag pond, which formed where the earth sags along a bend in the San Andreas Fault. There we were amazed to see a great blue heron attempting to eat a snake.

TO GET THERE... From Highway 280 take Sand Hill Road or Alpine Road to Portola Road in Portola Valley

. The parking lot is south of the town hall. The uphill entrance is on Skyline Boulevard 2.3 miles south of where it intersects Highway 84 or 4.9 miles north of where it intersects Page Mill Road.