WEEKLY
WALKER
by Tom Davids
Guest writer this week is Veralyn Davids (Tom’s wife/walking partner of 40 years.)
Take a Break
“Just living is not enough. . .One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower.” Mary Engelbreit
Directions: From Highway 280, take Highway 92 east to Ralston exit. Turn left onto
Ralston; turn right at Lyall Way and follow it to Lake Road. Park on Lyall or
Lake. From Highway 101, take the Ralston exit, following Ralston Avenue west to
Lyall Way. Turn left onto Lyall and follow it to Lake Road.
Grade: Moderate, with gradual
gain of 300 feet to Hallmark entrance.
Distance: About three miles
round trip.
Time: One hour.
Special Conditions: Trail
closed from sunset to sunrise. No alcohol. No restrooms. Dogs allowed on leash.
If work deadlines, carpool schedules, or even volunteer hours are stressing you out, a short hike in the city-center can change your perspective in a hurry. And if you live in or near Belmont, a walk on the Water Dog Lake Trail provides just such a mini-vacation.
Practically in the heart of Belmont, Water Dog Lake Trail is just minutes from the freeway, from Alameda de las Pulgas and the Carlmont Shopping Center. Park on the street—Lyall or Lake--slip through the wooden entrance gate, and voila! You are walking on a trail in a woodsy canyon with a canopy of live oak, eucalyptus, and Scotch broom. The trees provide an ample screen over the apartment houses you pass, and if you keep your eyes generally looking left, you can focus them on the forest green canyon emerging on your left. The trail, some 130 years old, was the original road to Half Moon Bay.
A gradual ascent brings you to Water Dog Lake in about 20 minutes. Water in the lake, reminiscent of an old swimming hole, comes from springs in the hills and run-off. The dam was built in the 1800s, originally to form a reservoir as a water supply for the Ralston mansion in Belmont. Fishing is permitted, but swimming and boating are strictly prohibited—being “in” or “on” the lake is forbidden.
The City of Belmont leases the lake and the surrounding land from the College of Notre Dame, its owners.
As I approached the lake the day I was there, a pair of boys sauntered back to the trail, fishing poles slung over their shoulders. And near the bottom of the grassy dam, two little girls were blowing bubbles. A short pier or dock-like structure, used mostly by maintenance crews, provides a fishing pier when the water is high or an informal picnic spot. Except for graffiti on the cement spillway structure, Water Dog Lake feels like a leisure day in the country.
To resume the hike, continue up the trail about the same distance to the wooden entrance gate on Lake Road and Hallmark. As you near the top, watch closely for a privately owned deck—one of the Hallmark homes--with an authentic-looking Dutch windmill to gauge the wind’s velocity. If our breezy spring continues, you can expect to see the arms flying around.
Dogs on leash are welcome on the trail, and during my walk I met more than half a dozen coming or going. Water Dog Trail also permits bicycles, so be sure to stay alert and use common sense in sharing the trail.
Hallmark intersects with Ralston (nearer 280), so you could also take this walk starting at the top. The entrance gate at Lake Road intersects Hallmark near 2900 Hallmark.
Should you have more time and energy, an alternative to hiking back from Hallmark and Lake to Lyall and Lake would be to take the left fork (low road) back instead. On a up and down trail, it winds past the backyards of homes in the Hallmark development, eventually bringing you out on Carlmont Drive and back to Lyall Way for a 5-mile loop.
But for the rest, climb in your car and take the other option—a quick stop for an iced latte at the Carlmont Starbucks; then go back to your day life with an unfurrowed brow and an adjusted attitude.