WEEKLY
WALKER
The Best of
Views and Spring Flowers
Russian Ridge
Open Space Preserve
"I lift my eyes
to the hills; where does my help come from?"
-Psalm 121:1
(This is another in the series, "Benches and Other Great Places for Lunch" - short hikes to special places, just right for a quiet getaway)
Directions: Take Skyline Boulevard approximately 19 miles south of the intersection at La Honda Road. Park at the Caltrans Vista Point on the east side of Skyline.
Grade: Easy. Elevation gain of about 100 feet.
Distance: One-half mile.
Time: As long as you wish.
Special Conditions: No dogs allowed on trail. No restrooms or drinking water. No poison
oak. Dress for wind and late afternoon fog. Bring your plant finder guide.
Watch for ticks. Preserve is managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space
District. (650-691-1200.)
It's only a quarter-mile walk and will take only 20 minutes or so, but it takes you a world away with every good reason to set aside your daily cares and enjoy springtime at its best.
Start this short hike from the north end of the Caltrans Vista Point parking lot, and cross Skyline Boulevard to the Russian Ridge gate (RR-01). The 1,455-acre Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve is named after a Russian immigrant who lived on the east side of the ridge from the early 1920s to about 1950. A seven-year-old newsletter from the Open Space District reports that a small Russian Orthodox convent operated on the property for a short time. During earlier history, the Russian Ridge property was owned by James "Sunny Jim" Rolph Jr., who served as mayor of San Francisco between 1911 and 1930. Rolph became governor of California in 1931 and died in 1934.
From Gate RR-01, take the Ridge Trail, which moves laterally up the hillside to the left. The Mindego Ridge Trail takes off downhill below you, and a trail to Borel Hill is up and over the hill behind you.
The Ridge Trail (part of the 400-mile-plus trail that will someday circle the Bay) climbs modestly up into the hillside as it circles to the south. From the beginning you have spectacular views to the west. Mindego Hill and the Mindego Ridge Trail stand out in the spring with that bright green coat of fresh grass.
About a half-mile into the hike you will find sandstone outcroppings along the downslope of the trail. This is a fine place to spread your blanket, sit back, and enjoy remote detachment from just about everything. To the south is the Skyline Open Space Preserve, and down the canyons below are Portola Redwoods State Park and the San Mateo County Parks--Pescadero, Memorial, and Sam McDonald. Ahead is the Mindego Creek drainage basin, collecting water that eventually joins Pescadero Creek. And farther out are the hills and valleys that rise up from the Pacific Ocean.
If you want to extend your hike another 1.5 mile, continue south on the Ridge Trail to the next junction. Then turn right for .3 mile on a trail that connects to the Ancient Oaks Trail. You will enjoy spending time among this forest of large ancient oaks as the trail descends a ridge, then turns into a forest of bay and madrone trees before joining the Mindego Trail. Turn right and hike about 400 vertical feet uphill for .6 mile to the trailheads.
I hope you can experience this fine hike this spring. And don't forget to bring your flower guide. We expect a bumper crop.