Long Ridge Open Space Preserve 2015-08-09

This is the shortest hike we've done, yet the location is nice enough that I decided to do post a blog entry. Long Ridge Open Space Preserve belongs to Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). The dog friendly segment of this preserve can be accessed by parking in the Grizzly Flat parking area off Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35), 3.3 miles north of the Hwy 9 intersection. The same parking area doubles as the lot for trails in the Upper Stevens Creek Park, where dogs are not allowed. 

Apollo and I started the hike at Peters Creek Trail, a 0.4 mile segment that ends at the Bay Ridge Trail. Peters Creek Trail is a single-track dirt trail through the woods with some views of the hillside and forests of Lone Ridge. 

Dogs are only allowed on the north side of Ridge Trail. The 0.7 mile segment will take you to the intersection of Portola Heights Rd and Skyline Blvd. Also a single-track dirt trail, this segment is slightly more exposed, but we were hiking quite early in the morning and were covered by the shadows of the hills. 

While Long Ridge has several more miles of trails, only this one-mile segment is open to dogs. We retraced our steps back by Ridge Trail and Peters Creek Trail to the Grizzly Flat parking area, making this a little more than a two-mile hike. 

It's a shame that more MROSD preserves aren't open for hiking with dogs. Having talked to couple of rangers during my hikes to Thornwood and Coal Creek Open Preserves, I appreciate the thought process that goes into restricting preserves from dogs. That said, I feel Long Ridge can certainly open more trails for hiking with dogs and I intend to approach MROSD with the suggestion.

Few more pictures from the hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #LongRidgeOpenSpacePreserve #MROSD