WEEKLY

WALKER

By Tom Davids

A Forest Walk with Great Views

Bald Knob, Irish Ridge, and Lobitos Creek Trails

Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve

Directions: West on Highway 92 to Skyline Boulevard; south 7.1 miles to Tunitas Creek Road; west 2.3 miles to trail head, Gate PC-04. Or take Highway 280 to the town of Woodside; go west on Woodside Road to Kings Mountain Road; continue to Skyline Boulevard. Go directly across Skyline to Tunitas Creek Road. There is no formal parking lot. Park along Tunitas Creek Road in the vicinity of the trailhead.

Grade: Moderate for Bald Knob Trail; strenuous for Irish Ridge Trail and Lobitos Creek Trail.

Distance: 3.6 miles from trailhead to junction of Bald Knob Trail and Irish Ridge Trail and return. 8 miles from trail head to the end of Lobitos Creek Trail and return.

Time: Two and a half hours for short segment; five and a half hours to the end of Lobitos Creek Trail.

Special Conditions: Modest elevation gain of 200 feet to Irish Ridge Trail. Loss of 900 feet to low point on Lobitos Creek Trail. No drinking water. No

restroom. Poison oak not a problem on the trail. No dogs or bicycles. The

trails are clear but not signed. This is tick and rattlesnake country, so

watch out for both. Obtain a map from the Midpeninsula Open Space

District (MOSD) ph. (650) 691-1200; e-mail: mrosd@openspace.org

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours." Henry David Thoreau

Our last walk was along the Purisima Creek Trail and then up the Borden Hatch Mill Trail to the junction with the Grabtown Gulch Trail. Near the junction, we noticed an unmarked but well-maintained trail to the west. After checking the map, we identified this unmarked trail as the Bald Knob Trail. This week's walk returns to the area for our first look at this property of POST (Peninsula Open Space Trust), which is managed by the Midpeninsula Open Space District.

For an all-day, challenge-type hike, you can start at the Purisima Creek trailhead at the east end of Purisima Road, but this will involve a 16-mile round trip to the end of the Lobitos Creek Trail and back. Most hikers will prefer the approach from Gate PC-04 off Tunitas Creek Road.

At Gate PC-04, the hike starts on an old logging road known as the Grabtown Gulch Trail and continues through a grove of second-growth redwoods and two small meadows with posted private property on your left. The trail gradually descends over .3 miles to the intersection with Borden Hatch Trail, where you turn left.

The continuation of Grabtown Gulch Trail is posted "No Entry" at the junction due to a bridge washout 1.4 miles down the trail at Purisima Creek.

Continue descending Borden Hatch Trail for .2 miles until you intersect with Bald Knob Trail on your left. The trail did not have a name sign during our hike in July 1998; however, you can't miss it with choker posts in place restricting use to hikers only (no bicycles or equestrians). This is a beautiful, 1.3-mile, single-track trail that starts on the north side of the ridge in redwood forest, continues for one-half mile to a series of five switchbacks gaining 200 feet, crosses the ridge to the south side and continues for another one-half mile through a drier climate of fir, oak, and madrone to the next junction. After the switchbacks, you will enjoy good, filtered views of grassy hills and mixed forests stretching to the ocean. This is an especially fine trail to examine several varieties of ferns common to the Coast redwood region. The Western sword is readily identifiable by the small perpendicular projection at the base of each pinnae, which resembles the hilt of a sword.

At the junction are four intersecting trails. To the right is a gate marked no entry. Straight ahead to the north, the trail drops steeply. This trail is not on the map, and we didn't try it. To the left is the Irish Ridge Trail, connecting to the Lobotis Creek Trail in 1.2 miles. The Irish Ridge Trail is not marked, but you are on it when you turn left. The trail descends quickly along a grassy slope, cuts through a mixed evergreen forest, and continues down the ridge to the intersection with Lobotis Creek Trail. Watch closely, as the Lobitos Creek Trail cuts into the Irish Ridge Trail on your right. The trail is now level as you head into a deep redwood forest. A large redwood tree looms ahead, with a major branch extended over the trail like an arm, elbow bent, forearm up, urging you forward. The trail descends another 200 feet to an unmarked junction. Continue right, and gradually descend to a dry creek.

The trail begins to level out, then rises slightly to an open area with a grove of fir trees on you right and clear views to the west. This is effectively the end of the trail. From this point, an old road (trail) drops off to the west (we didn't take it). Another trail goes east, uphill about one-quarter mile, then dead-ends in dense brush that has grown over an old landslide area.

We enjoyed the variety of this hike. It can be a long, challenging eight miles or a moderate 3.6 miles. The forest is beautiful, the views are outstanding, and anyone in a hiking mood will enjoy a leisurely walk along the Bald Knob Trail.