WEEKLY WALKER
(Tom Davids had another commitment this weekend. His wife and walking partner of 42 years--Veralyn Davids--wrote this walk.)
Celebrate Spring!
Sawyer Camp Trail
"A walk: the air incredibly pure, delights for the eye, a warm and gently caressing sunlight, one's whole being joyous."
Henri Frederic AmielDirections
: Freeway 280 to Highway 92. West to Canada Road. North to Crystal Springs Road. Park at roadside. To start at the opposite end: Take Freeway 280 north to Millbrae Avenue exit. Go to Hillcrest Road and park.Grade: Level.
Distance: Six miles (12 miles round trip).
Special Conditions: Asphalt trail. No dogs allowed. Lakes are off limits. No swimming/fishing allowed. Well-maintained restrooms--Port-a-Potties (including handicapped at 3.5 miles)--available along the way. Water at trailheads and 3.5- mile point. Benches along the way.
After several rainy ones, a sunny weekend brought everybody outside, most of them to the Sawyer Camp Trail, as far as I could tell. So while it doesn't need any publicity, the Sawyer Camp Trail is one example of what makes the Bay Area "the best place on earth." Because the trail is paved and level with mileage markers at every half mile and well-maintained Port-a-Potties, it is an excellent trail for walkers at all stages--training for charity walks, recovering from health problems, or just stretching winter-sluggish legs. And to boot, the surrounding scenery is gorgeous. The park has installed at least 38 dedicated benches. Take your pick when you want to rest.
I walked all 12 miles of this trail this weekend. And despite sharing it with inline skaters, strollers, bikes, trikes, and runners, I didn't feel crowded. It is important, however, to stay to the right of the yellow centerline and to practice the courtesy guidelines in the Sawyer Camp Trail brochure on "Trail Etiquette and Safety" (available at the trailhead). Walkers who want more solitude should start at the less popular Hillcrest Road entrance. Be prepared to walk as much as a quarter mile from where you can find parking to the trail entrance on busy weekends. Of course, the trail is less crowded midweek.
For the first three miles, the trail meanders along the shoreline of the Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir. At this time of the year, the vivid greens of the hills and grasses provide a beautiful backdrop for the sparkling water. The early wildflowers are in bloom; at about the 2.5- to 3-mile marker especially, watch for scarlet-colored Indian warrior covering the slopes opposite the lakeside. Along the way we also saw lavendar hound's tongue, white California toothwort, yellow buttercups, periwinkle, and miner's lettuce.
Just before the 3.5-mile marker is the Jepsen laurel tree, the oldest and largest laurel tree in California. Named in honor of Willis Linn Jepson, one of California's most noted botanists, this venerable tree is more than 600 years old and is the oldest and largest of its kind in the state. This is the California laurel, also known as the bay tree, pepperwood, or Oregon myrtle. Picnic tables at the tree area offer an inviting spot for a snack or a light lunch. Water, Port-a-Potties (including a wheelchair accessible one), and even a public telephone are available.
From the 3.5-mile mark on, the trail becomes more shady. Tall bay laurels and live oaks provide a lovely canopy. Wisps of moss up to 12 inches long decorate the trees and look ghostly even in the filtered sunlight.
A walk along the Sawyer Camp Trail is also an historical and environmental experience. In the mid-1850s, Leander Sawyer established a camp along the trail from which he sold food and lodging to passing picnickers and horseback riders. He also served stagecoaches connecting Millbrae to Half Moon Bay. In later years, this road became the main highway between San Francisco and Half Moon Bay. The new Crystal Springs Reservoir flooded much of the old track in 1888, and the relocated trail became a county road. In 1978, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors designated the road a non-vehicular recreation trail that is used by 340,000 visitors from miles around in search of a bit of exercise in a beautiful lakeside setting.
As you walk the Sawyer Camp Trail, you are parallel to the San Andreas Fault, which runs below Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir. Land on both sides of the lake is owned by the City of San Francisco as watershed. The three reservoirs--San Andreas Lake, Upper Crystal Springs, and Lower Crystal Springs--are fed by the Hetch Hetchy Water System via pipe from reservoirs in the Sierras.
On the final mile, the road winds gradually uphill, crosses the San Andreas Dam, and brings you parallel to Highway 280 at the Hillcrest Road entrance, where you turn around and go back. With the mileage markers, you can walk as many or as few miles as you wish.
Some years ago, the County of San Mateo announced plans to extend the trail six miles--three miles on each end. From the south, the trail would cross the dam, then parallel Lower Crystal Springs Reservoir as it continues past Highway 92 to the junction of 92 and Canada Road. But this has not yet happened, except for a short section that connects the parking area adjacent to the dam at Lower Crystal Springs to the trailhead.
Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome.
E-mail to: trekertom@aol.com.
Footnote: Check out the Weekly Walker Web site at www.weeklywalker.com.