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.