WEEKLY

WALKER

By Tom Davids

Quail Loop Trail

Junipero Serra County Park

"A good walker leaves no tracks." Lao Tzu

Directions: The park is located in San Bruno between Highway 280 and El Camino Real. Southbound on I-280: Take the Crystal Springs Road exit, and turn right onto Crystal Springs Road. Park entrance is one-half mile up the road on the left. Northbound on I-280: Take San Bruno Avenue exit, and turn left on San Bruno Avenue. Go under the freeway and turn left on San Bruno Avenue. Go under the freeway and turn left back onto 280 south. Immediately exit at Crystal Springs Road, and follow directions for southbound (above).

Distance: 1.5 miles.

Grade: Moderate. Gain of several hundred feet.

Time: An hour or so. More if you picnic along the way.

Special Conditions: This is a San Mateo County Park. Fee is $4 per vehicle; no charge for seniors. Hours are 8 a.m. to posted closing time. No dogs allowed in the park or bikes on trail. Good for wildflowers in the spring. Several picnic areas are available in the park. Restrooms and water are available. Managed by San Mateo County Parks and Recreation Division (650) 363-4020.

There are several good reasons to spend an hour or two at the 100-acre Junipero Serra County Park. It offers several fine picnic areas, several miles of trails, several vantage points with excellent views to the east, and more than several beautiful, giant, coast live oak trees. This variety of oak is the most common in the Peninsula hills. It is know for its distinctive rounded crown and wide-spreading branches. The leaves are sharp-toothed with a shiny green upper surface.

The coast live oak is unique to the California Coast. It flourishes from Mendocino to the California/Mexico border along a 50-mile stretch between the beaches and the hot interior valleys. Oaks played an important part in the early history of California. Indian tribes harvested its acorns for meal. An early form of penicillin was made from the acorns and applied to skin sores and boils. Timber from choice trees was used in shipbuilding, although the spreading form of this variety renders it useless as a conventional building material. It is, however, an excellent fuel and source of charcoal, and it is in this form that it is familiar to most of us. One final note of interest—history tells us that Father Junipero Serra held the first mass in Monterey in 1770 under a giant coast live oak. While you are at this park, take time to study these classic specimens.

And now, on with the hike. From the parking lot, walk south through the children’s play area and volleyball courts and cross the road, which leads to the upper picnic area. You will find the signed trailhead—Quail Loop Trail—next to the entrance to the Willow Picnic Area. The trail gradually climbs up the hillside above the giant oaks and takes the first of five switchback turns. As you gain elevation, notice that the oak trees are smaller and that an occasional pine tree dots the landscape. After the second switchback, views open up to the west, featuring the 280 freeway and residential development on distant ridges, reminders that this natural oasis is only a short distance from the world in which we live and work. During our February hike, we also saw, in the distance, many acacia trees in bloom, their brilliant yellow balls practically covering the tree. The trail continues to switchback up the hill until it crosses the asphalt road that serves a large picnic area. Mature eucalyptus trees dominate this area as though they are native. But they are not. The eucalyptus was brought to this country from Australia in the 1800s and planted to produce railroad ties. The East Bay hills were a veritable tree farm, where millions of trees were planted as a commercial venture. Alas, as the trees grew to maturity, the promoters discovered that the wood, though tough and fairly long lasting, warped as it dried and had virtually no commercial value.

The trail soon crosses the road again and angles to the right. The Bay View Shelter Picnic Area is below, and in front are spectacular views of San Francisco International Airport. Stay on the trail as it switchbacks to the north and crosses two grassy meadows. This will be a prime spot to view wildflowers in a month or two. Along the way, you pass through a grove of nine redwood trees—the only redwoods that we found in the park. At the next junction, turn right and continue to the next junction and then turn left. The trail moves along the side of the hill through dense coastal live oak, including a few very large specimen trees to the junction with DeAnza Trail, which exits to the parking lot.