Hidden Villa Ramble

A warm and sunny day set the stage for a scenic and eventful hike with my Foothill College class that included two rattlesnakes, a horned lizard, lots of wildflowers, and some great views.

After carpooling from the Foothill College parking lot #1, we assembled at the big parking lot at Hidden Villa at 10 AM. We then toured the organic garden, watched the chickens, pigs, goats, cows, and sheep, and visited the Duveneck home before charging uphill on the Long Bunny Loop trail. It was on this trail that Victor first spotted a rattlesnake, who warned us in no uncertain terms that we were not to come any closer. 

We obeyed. 

We then paused for lunch at two picnic tables beside Adobe Creek before heading uphill on the Creek Trail and Ewing Hill Trail to the Black Mountain Trail in Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve. It was along this stretch of trail that some of the group encountered another rattlesnake that was too close to the trail for comfort. Fortunately, rattlesnakes are not aggressive creatures. They just want to be left alone to find a nice juicy rodent to eat. This one slithered away to a safe distance. Just before the Black Mountain Trail we stopped at an overlook to appreciate a spectacular view of much of the South Bay Area.

From the Black Mountain Trail we enjoyed lots of beautiful wildflowers before turning left and eastward on the Hostel Trail

. It was along this trail that I nearly stepped on a horned lizard. The creature was so well camouflaged  that I didn't see it. Fortunately, Victor did see it. See the photo I took after it scurried off the trail. We continued downhill on the Hostel Trail and back to the parking lot. 

Among the wildflowers we saw were buttercups, Solomon's seal, woodland star, clematis, elegant clarkia,  mule ear, indian paintbrush, hounds tongue, sticky monkeyflower, larkspur, linanthus, globe lilly, star flower, and blue witch.

Hidden Villa is owned by the private non-profit Trust for Hidden Villa. It is open to the public from Tuesday through Sunday from 9 AM until sunset. It is closed to the general public during summer when summer camp is in session.

TO GET THERE... from Highway 280 in Los Altos, take the El Monte/Moody Road exit at Foothill College  and travel west on Moody Road 2.5 miles to Hidden Villa. Look for the "AYH" sign.

Calero County Park Figure-8 Ramble

Today was another glorious day for a field trip for my College of San Mateo Peninsula Parks & Trails class.  From the south entrance to Calero County Park we hiked the Access Trail to the Los Cerritos Trail, pausing at the pond to appreciate the song and antics of a colony of redwing blackbirds. With much aerobic exertion we then ascended a ridge on the Pena Trail, with great views of Mount Hamilton to the east and Mount Umunhum to the west.

From the intersection, where four trails meet, we traveled the Javelina Loop, stopping to examine an elevated hotel for bats. From the intersection with the Cottle Trail we charged uphill and to the south on the Javelina Loop, stopping for about half an hour for lunch at an open hillside, where there were lots of wildflowers, including wild onions and goldfield, and a great view of the Calero Reservoir.

On the way back, we stopped to look at the Fish Camp pond and some beautiful white oaks. Returning to the intersection we then headed southeast on the Figueroa Trail and north on the Vallecito Trail. The rest of the route retraced our steps on the Pena Trail, Los Cerritos Trail, and Access Trail. I picked up a large gopher snake on the way back. Most of the group declined the offer to hold the creature.

Our route covered about 6 miles of rugged terrain, mostly on old ranch road trails. Some of the route is quite steep, but the trails are in excellent condition.  Much to our surprise we saw no equestrians along the way.

TO GET THERE... from Highway 101 south of San Jose, take Bailey Avenue west and McKean Road south to the park entrance.

Portola State Park & Pescadero Creek County Park hike

Today I lead my Foothill College class on a 5-mile redwood loop hike from Portola State Park, through Pescadero Creek County park, and then back to where we started.

After carpooling at the Highway 280/Page Mill Road park & ride lot, we assembled at the Ramada Group Day Use Area in Portola State Park. We then headed down the Service Road, where we admired a banana slug, crossed the bridge over Pescadero Creek, and paused at the Iverson Cabin Site. We then followed the Old Haul Road west and then headed northwest on the Bridge Trail, taking a side excursion to the twisted old Snag Tree. We stopped for lunch along Pescadero Creek at the bridge.

After lunch we continued north on the Bridge Trail and then east on the Pomponio Trail. We climbed over a fallen tree and stopped to admire some beautiful Douglas irises on our way back to Portola State Park. We visited the small museum at the Park Office & Visitor Center. Before continuing back to our cars, part of the group hiked the .7-mile round-trip side trip to the Old Tree on the Old Tree Trail. Here we saw the best old-growth redwoods of the field trip, including the namesake tree, which is 280 feet tall, 12 feet in diameter, and estimated to be 1,200 years old.

TO GET THERE... From Highway 280 take Page Mill Road west, which turns into Alpine Road west of Skyline Boulevard. From Alpine Road turn south on Portola State Park Road.

Big Basin Redwoods State Park hike to Mt. McAbee

My College of San Mateo Peninsula Parks & Trails class enjoyed sunny weather for a 5.75-mile ramble in Big Basin Redwoods State Park. Most of us met at Skylonda to carpool to Big Basin park headquarters.

We then toured the Redwood Loop Trail to see some of the most impressive old-growth redwoods in the Bay Area, including the Mother of the Forest, which may be the tallest tree in the Bay Area, and the Father of the Forest, which, as far as I know, is the biggest tree in the Bay Area. I showed a photo of park founder Andrew P. Hill standing next to this tree in 1904 and we noted a bench dedicated to his wife, Florence Watkins Hill (1858-1936).

We then crossed Opal Creek and followed the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail west and uphill to the Middle Ridge Fire Road. From there we charged uphill on the Howard King Trail to the Hihn Hammond Road, which took us farther uphill to our lunch stop at the Mount McAbee Overlook, at 1,739 feet elevation.

Because rain was forecast later in the day, I feared that there wouldn't be much of a view from atop Mt. McAbee. Much to my relief, clear skies, sunshine, and a beautiful view of Waddell Canyon and Waddell Beach greeted us. After lunch we headed south and east on the Howard King Trail, where we saw a thriving forest of knobcone pines, a brilliant display of bush poppies, and some good views of Buzzard's Roost and Pine Mountain.

From there we headed downhill on the Hihn Hammond Road, took a look at a great swimming hole on Opal Creek, and then headed north on the Hihn Hammond Connector Trail and the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail, which took us back to the parking lot.  From the parking lot, some of us visited a large burned-out redwood giant just north of the visitors center for a photo op.

TO GET THERE... From Skyline Boulevard take Highway 9 southwest and turn west on Highway 236 at Waterman Gap or at Boulder Creek.

Pre-Thanksgiving hike at Windy Hill Open Space

November is one of my favorite months for hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The rainy season has started and the plants are coming back to life. The banana slugs and newts are on the move. The forest is colored by madrone and toyon berries, and most of all by the brilliant yellows of the falling bigleaf maples leaves.

The Wednesday before Thanksgiving I built up my appetite with a 10.8-mile hike at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve with my Wednesday hiking group. This is a hike for people who want beautiful fall colors, great views from the ocean to the bay, and a serious aerobic workout. This route requires an elevation gain of more than 2,000 feet.

We started at the preserve parking lot off of Portola Road in Portola Valley, next to The Sequoias retirement home. We headed south, passing Sausal Pond, and continued on the Eagle Trail and then charged uphill on the Razorback Ridge Trail. We had to watch our step to avoid crushing migrating newts. The forest is lush and green, with lots of healthy sword ferns along the way. At the top of this trail we hiked north on the Lost Trail for lunch at the picnic tables at the Skyline Boulevard entrance to the preserve. You can cut eight tenths of a mile from the route by eliminating this part of the hike. We then headed downhill on the Hamms Gulch Trail. Be sure to pause to examine the magnificent weathered old Douglas fir trees near the top of the trail.

At the bottom of the hill we headed north on the Betsy Crowder Trail and back to where we started.

TO GET THERE... from Highway 280 take Alpine Road south to Portola Road in Portola Valley and turn right. The trail head is at the parking lot just north of The Sequoias retirement community.

Long Ridge Open Space Loop

Yesterday was the final field trip for the fall session of my Foothill College hiking class. We met at the Grizzly Flat entrance to Long Ridge Open Space Preserve, which is along Skyline Boulevard about 3 miles south of the intersection with Page Mill/Alpine Road and about 3 miles north of the intersection with Highway 9. I arrived early and stood by the road so that the students would know where to park. The day was chilly but mostly sunny.

Our 4.9-mile loop took us downhill from Grizzly Flat, stopping to examine an abandoned apple orchard that was planted more than a hundred years ago. The trees still bear fruit, but they have all been picked by now. It is best to pick the fruit in early October. We then followed the Peters Creek Trail, which is on the bed of the old Summit Road. This route was constructed in the nineteenth century, long before Skyline Boulevard was built in the 1920's.

We next paused to enjoy a beautiful pond, which is just beyond the preserve boundary in the Jikoji Zen Center property. The pond was created in the early 1960's. This land hosted Pacific High School beginning in 1965. Students built their own residences, including tee pees and geodesic domes.

After a short stop to examine the pond, we charged uphill to the Long Ridge Road trail on the ridge top. We enjoyed beautiful views into the Pescadero Creek watershed and all the way to the blue Pacific beyond. Our group arrived at the Wallace Stegner Bench just in time for lunch. This is a very scenic spot for lunch. In addition to sweeping views, it is also a place to appreciate the contribution author and historian Wallace Stegner made to the preservation of wild lands. In addition to writing fiction and non-fiction about the American West, Stegner was an active conservationist, who was assistant to the secretary of interior during the Kennedy administration. He was instrumental in the formulation of the Wilderness Act of 1964. He also helped to found the Committee for Green Foothills, which lead to the creation of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District.

After lunch we sampled brownies made from the roasted nut of the bay laurel tree. We completed the loop by taking the Long Ridge Trail to the Peters Creek Trail and back to Grizzly Flat.

TO GET THERE... The Grizzly Flat parking lot is along Skyline Boulevard about 3 miles south of Page Mill/Alpine Road and 3 miles north of Highway 9. There is a small sign that says Upper Stevens Creek County Park. A Palo Alto City Limits sign faces north bound traffic on Skyline Boulevard.

Pescadero Creek County Park Tarwater Trail Loop

You couldn't ask for a more beautiful day than today for a 5.6-mile hike through the shady second-growth redwood forest of Pescadero Creek County Park. Twenty-three students in my College of San Mateo class showed up for the adventure.

We met at the parking lot on Camp Pomponio Road. From there we headed downhill on the Tarwater Trail, pausing to examine a banana slug and a huge old-growth redwood with several substantial reiterations. It was spared the saw because one side is hollowed out by fire. Farther down the trail we stopped to check out the remains of the Moore, Fisher, & Troupe lumber mill, built in 1915. There is an old iron boiler used to power the one-piston steam engine that ran the circular saw.

From there we headed downhill to the Bridge Trail and proceeded south to check out the Tarwater Trail Camp and to pause for lunch on the south side of Pescadero Creek. After lunch we retraced our steps to the Tarwater Trail, pausing at the bridge over Tarwater Creek to read the sign warning that alcohol, firearms and illegal substances are not allowed in the County Jail, a short distance beyond. This jail, which housed Ken Kesey for marijuana possession during the 1960's, is now closed.

We charged uphill along Tarwater Creek on the Tarwater Trail, taking a short detour on the Canyon Trail to find out how the creek got its name. Some of the students stuck sticks into the gooey black tar that seeps into the creek. We then returned to Tarwater Trail and ascended the remainder of the route back to our starting point.

TO GET THERE... From Skyline Boulevard, take Alpine Road west, about half a mile past the turnoff to Portola State Park. Turn left at Camp Pomponio Road, which can be identified by 7 mailboxes and a sign that says:
"Men's Correctional Facility
Pescadero Creek County Park

7546"