The Steam
Donkey Loop
El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve
"I feel most
emphatically that we should not turn a tree which was old when the first
Egyptian conqueror penetrated the valley of the Euphrates into shingles.”
-
President
Theodore Roosevelt, Santa Cruz, 1903
Directions: On Skyline
Boulevard, go about eight miles south of Highway 92 or five miles south of
Kings Mountain Road. Park near Gate CM-04 located one mile south of the Skaggs
Point View Area. Gate CM-04 is on the west side of Skyline, across the road
from the trailheads for the Skyline Trail and the Alambique Trail in Wunderlich
County Park.
Grade: Moderate. Elevation
loss and regain of about 600 feet.
Distance: Two miles.
Time: One to two hours.
Special Conditions: The trails are multi-use and very steep in spots. Watch for bicycles
and horses, especially on weekends. No dogs allowed. No drinking water or
toilet facilities at the trailhead or on trail. No poison oak near trail. The
preserve is managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. Phone: (650)
691-1200; e-mail: mrosd@openspace.org
The El Corte de Madera Creek Open Space Preserve includes 2,821 acres with 36 miles of multi-use trails. It is named for a creek that starts from springs near Skyline Boulevard and runs about five miles to San Gregorio Creek—then on to the Pacific Ocean. This namesake creek begins in the northern area of the preserve. The southern area is drained by several tributaries of Lawrence Creek, which flows into El Corte de Madera Creek near the southwest corner of the preserve. This hike is through the upper rugged and mountainous area of the Lawrence Creek watershed.
El Corte de Madera became part of the Midpeninsula Open Space Preserve around 1988, and modern logging continued until shortly after the preserve was created. Historically, the area has been logged since 1959, when the Gilbert brothers—Franklin and Stephen—acquired 400-plus acres of land. Their first lumber mill was built in 1861 to supply needs of the local community. In 1875, the Gilbert property was sold to Alexander Gordon. (For the best history of lumbering in this area, read “Sawmills in the Redwoods” by Frank M. Stanger, copyright 1967, published by San Mateo County Historical Association.)
This hike begins at Gate CM-04, located on the west side of Skyline Boulevard, directly across from trailheads for the Skyline Trail and the Alambique Trail in Wunderlich County Park. Park face-in to the mailboxes, and Gate CM-04 is on your right. Beyond the gate, the trail is identified as the Sierra Morena Trail, which begins here and runs north, or parallel to Skyline Boulevard to Gate CM-01 near Skaggs Point.
The first .3 mile leads over grassy fields with good views to the west. You will see a couple of minor, unmarked trails going west. These lead to the best view sites, and they soon rejoin the main trail.
After hiking about 15 minutes, you will reach Gate CM-03, which is the start of Gordon Mill Trail. Two information kiosks are located here, with the latest information on issues related to the preserve. Continue on Gordon Mill Trail, a wide service road leading downhill. As previously mentioned, Stanger’s book tells us that Alexander Gordon purchased some 400-plus acres from the Gilbert brothers, but I could find no other mention of Gordon.
Soon you will move from the grassy, exposed hillside into heavy tree cover. On a typical summer morning, portions of the trail will be wet from fog drip created during the evening before. Gordon Mill Trail descends about 400 feet over .6 mile to the first junction. Notice the deep road cut on your right as you descend. This was a major road built during the late 1800s to haul lumber and machine-cut shingles from the deep canyons some 1,200 feet below to the Skyline Ridge and on to Redwood City for shipment to San Francisco.
After a half-hour of hiking, you will reach a clearing and a junction to Steam Donkey Trail. This is your uphill route back to Skyline Boulevard. The trail is narrow and has its ups and downs with a cumulative climb of about 600 feet. It is a beautiful hike up a ravine that drains into Lawrence Creek. The name “Steam Donkey” identified a unique wench system driven by steam power. These donkey engines were capable of transmitting tremendous power and soon replaced horses and oxen as the preferred way of pulling logs out of the forest and to the mill.
As you hike this trail, you will see many large stumps along the very steep hillside. The trees were cut, the branches stripped, and the huge logs were wenched up or down to the mill.
About 15 minutes on the Steam Donkey Trail brings you to a junction that returns to Gate CM-03. Don’t turn, but hike another 30 minutes to the preserve gate and trailhead. You are now at Skyline Boulevard. Turn left; your car is a five-minute walk along Skyline Boulevard.
This is a short, but strenuous hike. You can easily extend your time in this beautiful canyon by hiking Gordon Mill Trail to Lawrence Creek. We have done so several times and will include this segment in a future issue of the Weekly Walker.
Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome. Email tom@tomdavids.com or check out www.weeklywalker.com