I had decided to hike from the Skyline side rather than from Black Rd. A short 1/4 mile stretch by Skyline trail from the parking lot brought us to John Nicholas trail. This is a double track dirt trail that winds down through the forests of Sanborn park. Over the next 3.4 miles, the trail descends nearly 1200 feet before it reaches the Lake Ranch reservoir.
Within the first 1/2 mile, there is a vista point with an impressive view of the valley and mountains of the east bay, including Mt. Diablo. The view is somewhat restricted by trees, but it is nice nevertheless. And there is a rugged bench to sit and enjoy if you so desire.
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| Bank on it, bikers! |
I suspect that this will fast become a mountain bikers favorite place. There were several places that the trail was done just so to make it interesting to bikers. I noticed more than a handful of spots with nice curves in the trail that mountain bikers can bank on for a thrilling ride, especially downhill!
The segment to Lake Ranch reservoir is filled with switchbacks. As the crow flies, this is barely a mile, but hikers will cover it in over 3 miles due to the continuous switchbacks! But that should hardly be a reason for concern as the trail takes you deeper into the woods with some interesting tree and rock formations.
The weather today was cool with a light drizzle when we started the hike. As we neared the reservoir, the drizzle became a light rain and I happened to see a lush green portion of the forest making me feel that I was in some rain forest for that moment. A sight for sore eyes in California! Crossing over three brand new wooden bridges over Lyndon Canyon creek, we reached Lake Ranch reservoir.
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| Lake Ranch Reservoir |
The area by the lake is wide open and much brighter, even though the reservoir was hurting from the drought. The trail also widens to a fire road and hugs around the lake before turning south towards Black Rd. The trail is more level and doesn't involve any ascend or descend until it reaches Black Rd.
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| Black Road |
Having hiked John Nicholas trail end to end, I realized that if we walked up by Black Rd and Skyline Blvd, we will shave couple of miles off the out & back hike. With the pavement recently re-paved and the moisture from the rain, Black Rd was literally a black road.
We had to be very careful and keep an eye & ear out for passing traffic and get out of their way. Fortunately, the traffic was light and those driving were considerate. We steadily climbed up Black Rd, gaining more than half of the 1200 feet over the next mile.
Close to Skyline Blvd, road repaving was in progress with one lane traffic for a short while. We were held for several minutes by a construction worker before he spoke into his radio - "sending a pedestrian and a dog now".
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| Skyline Blvd. |
The walk by Black Rd and Skyline Blvd could very well have been part of a multi-use trail - it was scenic all the way, except for traffic. The home stretch on Skyline Blvd was uneventful, involving us having to regain the remaining 400 ft. or so over the next 2.5 miles. I was sad to see a deer roadkill that was moved off to the side of the road. But the hike ended with me spotting three deer negotiating a steep hillside and running away from us.
I was impressed that we covered nearly nine miles involving a 1200 feet climb at a respectable pace. For those not wanting to go on the road or a shorter variation, there are multiple options. An out and back hike can be done from either Black Rd or Sunnyvale Mountain parking lot on Skyline Blvd to the extent you are comfortable with.
More pictures from the hike.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #SanbornCountyPark #JohnNicholasTrail #SanbornPark
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