Walking the Dog at Windy Hill

Spring Ridge Trail - Hamms Gulch Trail Loop

Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

"In my room, the world is beyond my understanding. But when I walk, I see that it consists of three or four hills and a cloud." - Wallace Stevens

Directions: From Highway 280, exit at Alpine Road/Portola Valley. Go south on Alpine Road about 2.9 miles to Portola Road (the first stop sign). Turn right on Portola Road, and drive one mile to the Windy Hill parking lot on the west side of the road. The lot is adjacent to “The Sequoias,” a retirement development.

Grade: Strenuous. Elevation gain of 1,300 feet.

Distance: 7.4 miles.

Time: 3.5 hours.

Special Conditions: Toilet facilities at the Portola parking lot and at the Skyline parking lot. No drinking water. Dogs allowed on leash. Bikes also are permitted on the Spring RidgeTrail. We hiked the loop in January, and parts were quite muddy. The preserve is managed by Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (650-691-1200).

Mack, my son’s Chesapeake Bay retriever, on loan to me for the next several months, is a big dog, something over 50 pounds, and tireless in his pursuit of a long walk. And so one recent Sunday afternoon we hiked at Windy Hill and found the dog-friendly trails to our mutual liking.

All the trails at Windy Hill are dog-accessible—with dogs on leash—except for Lost Trail south of the Hamms Gulch junction and Razorback Trail. You will find more shade on the Hamms Gulch Trail, but during the winter months, heat on the sunny slopes of Spring Ridge Trail should not be a problem.

We started this 7.4-mile hike from the large Windy Hill parking lot on the west side of Portola Road. You may also park at the Skyline Boulevard trailhead and hike in reverse—first going down and then back up. From the Portola Road trailhead, advance a few hundred feet to the first junction. A left turn on the Spring Valley Trail will bring you to Alpine Road in 1.3 miles. You will return on this trail as the final leg of this loop hike.

At the first junction, turn right and then left through the gate and on to the Betsy Crowder Trail. This trail segment honors Betsy, who died in an automobile accident on Alpine Road in 2000. She served as a director of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District from 1989 to 2000 and is recognized for her lifelong efforts to preserve open space on the Peninsula and get folks like you and me out onto Peninsula trails. Betsy Crowder also co-authored earlier editions of the popular guidebook, "Peninsula Trails," along with Jean Rusmore and Frances Spangle, which should be on every hiker's bookshelf.

The trail moves through a small meadow, then up into a mixed forest that includes a large eucalyptus tree. Rounding a switchback, you will soon have your first look at Sausal Pond downhill and to your left. The trail continues gradually uphill along the topside of the grassy slope. A nice bench at the trailside makes a good place to rest and enjoy the good views to the east and south--only precursors of those that follow.

The Betsy Crowder Trail ends at the green gate, where it joins the Spring Ridge Trail. You have been hiking about a half-hour, climbed 300 feet, and your heavy workout is about to begin.

Turn right at the junction. The trail is wide--serving as a fire road--and quite muddy in spots. During the next 1.9 miles, you will gain a thousand feet. Most of the terrain is grassland with occasional short stints through oak forest. During the summer this trail can be beastly hot, but on this January Sunday afternoon, conditions were perfect--cool, clear, cloudy, and green. We will remind ourselves to return in a couple months when the grassy slopes are filled with wildflowers.

As you continue the climb, the twin grassy hilltops on Skyline come into view, and the Diablo and Hamilton ranges across the Bay seem close enough to touch. Look for Coal Mine Ridge to the south: It has a tan water tank and is a "minor" ridge rising from two deep canyons.

If you've turned this into a fitness hike, you are climbing as fast as possible without passing out and the Windy Hill summit seems to be advancing ahead of you. When you finally round a bend at a cypress tree line, you are only minutes away. Soon you will hear the sounds of Skyline Boulevard, and the next trail junction is just ahead.

After catching your breath, move out on the Anniversary Trail. From here on, the loop is mostly level and downhill. For the first .7 mile, the Anniversary Trail moves laterally across the hillside to the formal parking and picnic area with restroom facilities on Skyline Boulevard. Along the way, it's all about views--to distant points on the eastern horizon, to the Montebello and Los Trancos areas south, and an occasional glimpse of the western hills and the Pacific Ocean.

Pass by the picnic area off Skyline Boulevard, and then start back on Lost Trail. This trail leads through chaparral for .4 mile to the junction with Hamms Gulch Trail. Just before the junction, you will pass under giant fir trees, symbolic of this hillside forest many years ago. From the junction, the trail descends for 2.6 miles through numerous switchbacks to Alpine Road.

There are several benches along the way and good viewpoints. As you near the end, you will hear the small Hamms Gulch Creek on your left and the larger Corte Madera Creek on your right.

The Hamms Gulch Trail ends with a short connector to Alpine Road on the right. You will turn left, cross over the small Hamms Gulch Creek, and climb the opposite bank. Continue through a grassy area, and cross over a gravel service road. You will then be hiking along an old ranch road. Notice the grassy meadows and large oak trees on your right and the rift zone on your left with sag ponds, marsh life, and frogs croaking away. An old corral and livestock-loading ramp provide evidence of what once was a lively ranch operation in these parts.

For the last half-mile of the hike, you will walk by "The Sequoias," a retirement village on your right. Near the end is Sausal Pond, a small lake fed by drainage from the hillside above.

At the junction, turn right. The parking lot is just ahead.

Your comments and hiking suggestions are always welcome.

E-mail to: tom@tomdavids.com or visit www.weeklywalker.com