The Downs and Ups on Grizzly Flat Trail

Upper Stevens Creek County Park

                ". . .In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks."                                                                                                                                           --John Muir

Directions: Take Skyline Boulevard 24 miles south of Highway 92, or 1.7 miles north of Highway 9. Parking for about 12 vehicles is located on the east side of Skyline Boulevard.

Grade: Strenuous. Elevation loss and regain of 1,000 feet.

Distance: Five miles.

Time: 2.5 hours.

Special Conditions: No dogs allowed. No water or restrooms. This is a multi-use trail, mostly on a wide service road. Watch for bicyclists, especially on weekends. No problem with poison oak except for the short climb from Stevens Creek to the junction with Canyon Trail. This park is managed by Santa Clara County (408-358-3741).

Upper Stevens Creek County Park includes about 1,100 acres and is one of eight parks and open space preserves known as the South Skyline Region. A little more than a year ago, we featured a 20-mile hike through Skyline Ridge, Russian Ridge, Coal Creek, Los Trancos, Monte Bello, Upper Stevens Creek, and Long Ridge. This is one of the premier long loop hikes in the Bay Area, drawing on a system of interconnecting trails over grassy hillsides, expansive views, dense forests, deep canyons, and streams. This week's hike includes these same features but takes much less time. Even so, you will get a good workout with the challenge of a 1,000-foot elevation gain.

From the parking area, you will see two trails. The one on the left is an old service road leading all the way to Stevens Creek. The trail on the right is generally narrower and is quite steep at times. The two trails join about halfway down.

We suggest starting on the trail to your right (south), which begins as a wide service road but soon narrows to a single track. Pass through a stand of oaks, and you will see a sign warning bicyclists to exercise caution for the steep grade ahead. Next to the sign is a concrete slab that supported a building of some type years ago. The forest cover now includes Douglas fir and increasing numbers of mature madrone trees.

The trail continues to descend past an old tank to a junction with a short trail connecting to the left-hand (north) trail. Keep hiking down the right-hand trail through a series of switchbacks to the junction where the left- and right-hand trails join. The descent to this point is 500 feet, and the hiking time is about 20 minutes.

As the common trail continues to descend into the canyon, you will have a filtered view of the grassy slopes of Monte Bello in the distance and a deep canyon on the left. Soon the trail bottoms out at Grizzly Flat. A sign points the way to Canyon Trail (.5 miles to the left), but the wider road hangs right and drops to Stevens Creek with many choice picnic sites.

Back at the sign, you will notice a ladybug wintering site closed for rehabilitation. We once saw a large cluster of wintering ladybugs near Berry Creek Falls in Big Basin. They covered a large log with so dense a coat that the wood was not visible.

Turn left at Grizzly Flat, and follow a narrow path to a crossing over Stevens Creek. Five finger ferns grace the rock wall upstream and sandy pools reflect the large leaf maples overhead. Across the creek, the trail switchbacks uphill for a short distance, then intersects with Canyon Trail in Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. This trail is narrow, and poison oak is crowding in, so be careful.

If you have time to stretch this hike into an eight-mile loop, turn right on Canyon Trail to the next intersection. Then cross Stevens Creek and take Table Mountain Trail and Charcoal Road to the Bay Area Ridge Trail. Turn right and cross over into Long Ridge Open Space Preserve. Stay on the Ridge Trail and exit to the trailhead on Skyline Boulevard opposite the parking area for Grizzly Flat Trail.

We did not take the extended loop but returned as we had come, except we stayed to the right and took the wide service road all the way. Our non-stop climb out of the canyon took 40 minutes, but a more leisurely pace could double the time.

This is an especially fine hike in the late afternoon when the shadows lengthen and the distant grassy slopes of Monte Bello show their California gold in the setting sun. Just be sure to allow time to climb out before darkness sets in.

Written by Tom Davids

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