Back to back hikes with more than 2000 ft. of ascent? We
decided to go for it and chose Sierra Azul Open Space Preserve for the challenge. Sierra Azul Preserve is huge, with three key
areas: Kennedy-Limekiln area, Mt. Umunhum area, and Cathedral Oaks area. Each
area has several hiking trails as well as specific restrictions. Dogs are allowed only in the Kennedy-Limekiln area.
We chose the Kennedy Trail in the Kennedy-Limekiln area.
The trailhead is located on Kennedy Road, approximately 1.5 miles west of its intersection
with Shannon Road. There is only space for 3 cars at the trailhead and a few
more by Kennedy Road or Top of the Hill road. Be careful where you park, as
the road is narrow in a hilly area. If you are hiking with your dog, do note
that as with all Midpeninsula Open Preserve hiking trails, there is no trash
facility and you have to pick up after your dog and carry it with you.
It was a cloudy day and the temperature was in the high
50s. With a gentle breeze behind us, we started our hike. Kennedy Trail is rugged,
but very well prepared all the way. The first mile was easy and gentle; you’ll climb
approximately 200 ft. From the second mile onwards, Kennedy Trail gets
steeper and the climb gets more difficult. I’d approximate that there was more than 500 feet of ascent each mile after the first mile.
All through, you’ll find some great views of the valley.
Our hike for the most part was in solitude. We barely ran across anyone else this
morning. We met two hikers and a cyclist going down as we made our way up and
on our way down, we again met two hikers and a cyclist going up. In sharp
contrast to the busy Mission Peak hike, this hike offers the same
breathtaking views and same degree of difficulty with much less traffic. If you,
like me, prefer to be more by yourself on these hikes, you’d most certainly
enjoy this trail.
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| Turn around point |
I decided to hike all the way until Kennedy Trail meets
the Priest Rock Trail, the trail head for which starts from the Lexington
Reservoir County Park. While the map said it was 3.8 miles, the trail marking
said it was 4.1 miles, it turned out to be 4.3 miles according my GPS. Some 90 minutes
into the hike and after ascending some 2000 feet, we reached the intersection and decided to turn back.
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| Apollo, almost human :) |
I’d let Apollo off-leash on the way back, given how
little traffic was there. Apollo was delighted and started sniffing every possible
object of interest, galloping along shrubs and keeping himself
tantalizingly close to the edge of the trail. Even though he was off-leash, he responded well to my commands and ended up enjoying nearly 4 miles
of the hike without a leash around his collar. It was cute to watch him lead the
way, run ahead, and wait for me to catch up with him :). The hike back was downhill,
so we covered it much faster and some 65 minutes later, we were back at the
trailhead.
The trailhead has a portable toilet, but there are no other
facilities. I had borrowed the maps placed at the trailhead just for the heck
of it. I never used it and I returned it on the way back.
The Kennedy Trail hike in Sierra Azul was another hike up a mountain, climbing some 2000 ft. However, unlike Mission Peak, this one has so much greenery while still dishing out great views of the valley. I’m definitely sold on this preserve and will do a few more visits in the near future.
#hiking #hikingwithdogs #SierraAzul #KennedyTrail #MROSD
Thank you for your write-up on the Kennedy Trail and for mentioning the discrepancies in distance. 3.8 miles? 4.1 miles? And you came up with your own calculation of 4.3 miles! Well, which is it? I agree with you that this is a great trail (and workout!) aside from the lack of available parking spaces.
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