WEEKLY

                                                WALKER

                                               

                                          By Tom Davids                   

 

Old Page Mill Trail

Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

 

"To acquire and preserve a regional greenbelt of open space land in perpetuity; protect and restore the integrity of the natural environment; and provide opportunities for public enjoyment and education; consistent with ecological values."

Mission Statement of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District                                                                                       

Directions: Highway 92 west to Skyline Boulevard, south 20 miles to intersection with Page Mill and Alpine roads. Turn west on Alpine Road for a short block, then right into parking lot.

Grade: Moderate, from 2,200 feet to 1,600 feet and return.

Distance: 3.2 miles.

Time: Two hours.

Special Conditions: Toilet facilities at trailhead. Parking for 40+ cars. This trail is open to hiking, bicycle, and equestrian use. No dogs allowed. No poison oak if you stay on trails. No drinking water. Be prepared for strong winds near the ridgeline. Preserve is managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, 650-691-1200.

Last week we hiked the Ridge and Ancient Oaks trails in the Russian Ridge Preserve. This week we will park at the same trailhead, but cross under Alpine Road and visit the northern part of the Skyline Ridge Preserve. This 1,612-acre preserve offers something for hikers of all ages. There are two one-mile full access trails suitable for wheelchairs and strollers, a beautiful hike along the ridgeline and two trails winding down into the Lambert Creek Watershed to the west. Throughout this preserve, you will enjoy great views and the usual assortment of flora and fauna typical to this area.

From the Russian Ridge parking lot, pass through the spacious culvert under Alpine Road, and gradually angle down to Alpine Pond. The small building on the edge of the pond is the David C. Daniels Nature Center. This learning center is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from mid-March to mid-November. District volunteers and staff are on hand to introduce you to the touchable displays of skulls, skins, and the pond community. (Call the MROSD for hours the center is open.)

The walk around Alpine Pond is on a full access trail. A floating platform reaches out into the pond to give you and the kids a close-up look at the frogs, fish, and water striders, which are part of this environment. We visited the pond a few weeks ago, and the water was quite muddy after heavy rains, but the trail was dry and in good condition.

From the southwest shore, the Old Page Mill Trail begins its descent into the Lambert Creek Basin. At its beginning are large rocks on the right side–sort of "standing stones" to signify the beginning of this old road, which once continued down to what is now Portola Redwoods State Park. This road was once used by stagecoaches and wagon trains, which hauled milled lumber from William Page’s mill over the ridge to Palo Alto’s embarcadero. The first .3 mile is an old asphalt surface that passes below a park ranger’s house. A short distance beyond the house, the trail splits with a sharp horseshoe turn to the left. However, if you stay on the asphalt, you will reach a dead end gate in .2 miles (identified as SR07) with private property beyond. It’s my guess that this asphalt road was an old alignment of Alpine Road. Your hike down Old Page Mill Trail takes that sharp turn mentioned above and is now unpaved. The descending trail is quite gradual and full of interesting views as you pass in and out of forests of tanbark oak, fir, and bay trees. Notice how the road was cut into the hillside many years ago.

In about a mile, the trail turns back into the canyon, and you soon come to a barricade advising that the trail is closed due to storm damage. Before last summer’s El Nino’s damaging rains, the old trail went a short distance farther to a washed-out bridge over a fork of Lambert Creek.

This pleasant two-hour hike has a nice way of transporting you through time to the early 1900s, when the conveyance was a coach and the horse was fast enough and the trees and streams were a central part of everyone’s life.