WEEKLY
WALKER
By Tom Davids
"San Francisco Bay is an irreplaceable gift of nature that man can either abuse and ultimately destroy--or improve and protect for future generations."
San Francisco Bay Plan, 1969
Directions: From Highway 101, exit north on University Avenue through East Palo Alto to Bay Road. Turn right (east) on Bay Road to the end. Note that Bay Road transitions from residential to industrial from four lanes to two lanes and finally to a gravel road as you near the end. Continue until you pass the Ravenswood Preserve entrance sign. A parking area is located on the north side of the road.
Grade: Easy.
Distance: 2.4 miles.
Time: One hour plus dwell time.
Special Conditions: The preserve is open from sunrise to sunset. The trail is hard-packed for wheelchair access. There is some weed and brush intrusion, but the trail is passable. No dogs allowed. Bicycles permitted. The bay wind can be brisk, so dress accordingly. No drinking water or restroom facilities. Preserve managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (650-691-1200).
Ravenswood is more than a name. It sounds like a place, and in fact, it was once a town. According to the "San Francisco Bay Shoreline Guide," Ravenswood point was a transit transfer point in the mid-1850s. In those days, the journey between San Francisco (the commercial center) and San Jose (the state capitol) was by steamboat or by stagecoach or a combination of both, depending on weather and road conditions. Ravenswood Point was unique along the Peninsula, in that it offered a dry land port accessible from deep water. So a long wharf was built, and the town of Ravenswood began to grow on an economy driven by shipping.
Then, in the mid-1850s, a prominent citizen absconded with the municipal funds, and Ravenswood began its decline. Lester Cooley purchased the wharf in 1863 and renamed it "Cooley's Landing," but the dye was cast, and the enterprise folded in the 1880's due in part to the successful Redwood City Port, developed a few miles north. Nothing remains of the old town or the wharf but the name. The Ravenswood area and Cooley Landing are now part of the city of East Palo Alto.
The Ravenswood Open Space Preserve includes 370 acres. The larger, southern portion--the subject of this walk--is located at the end of Bay Road. A smaller (northern) area is located off Highway 84. This hike takes you alongside a former salt pond, which has been restored to a saltwater marsh.
From the parking lot, follow the trail back along the road to the steel bridge. Cross the bridge over the slough to a junction. To your right is a short trail to a view station. Follow the levee trail to the left. As you hike north, a drainage/tidal slough is on your left, and the restored salt marsh is on your right. The path swings east, passes under the PG&E power lines, and then runs parallel to the Dumbarton cutoff (rail line) before it turns south and ends at an observation platform with good seating. From the platform, you have views of Palo Alto Baylands Nature Preserve, Moffett Field, the East Bay hills, and three Bay crossings--the railroad bridge, the Hetch-Hetchy Aqueduct, and the Dumbarton Bridge.
The railroad bridge (Dumbarton cutoff) was built between 1908 and 1909 and was the first bridge across the Bay. In its heyday, the bridge carried 50 or more freight trains a week, but in the early 1980s, the Port of San Francisco lost its dominant position to the Port of Oakland, and the need for the rail bridge diminished. The bridge discontinued service in the late 1980s, with the swing span set in an open position to allow boat passage. In 1993, the San Mateo Transit district bought the Dumbarton rail corridor between Redwood City and Newark in order to preserve it for a new commuter rail service in the future. A few years ago, the wooden trestle, running from the west shore, was destroyed by fire. The trestle you see in the distance is made of concrete. Portions of the structure adjacent to the swing bridge have also been damaged by fire. Incidentally, there is a similar but smaller rail swing bridge over the Newark Slough on the east side of the Bay.
The next "bridge" north is for the Hetch-Hetchy Aqueduct, the system that carries domestic water from the Sierra Mountains to the Crystal Springs Reservoir system along Highway 280. From the air, you can see this large pipe running to the East Bay waterfront. Where it enters a pump station, then disappears under the water and shipping channel, only to raise again and continue to the west shore over the shallow water on a series of piers.
The third structure is the Dumbarton vehicle bridge, which was built in 1980 to replace the old drawbridge dating from 1927. The bridge includes a separate walking/biking lane that offers a unique hiking experience.
As you examine life around the viewing platform, watch for the many shorebirds that migrate through this area. This is part of the West Coast flyway that features bird migration from Alaska and flying as far south as the Panama Canal. When you are ready to return, retrace your steps to the slough bridge, and turn left to the parking lot.
Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome. Fax to the Independent at (650) 692-7587 or e-mail to: trekertom@aol.com. Check out our Web site at www weeklywalker.com