Windy Hills Open Space Preserve 2015-02-27

Skyline Blvd Trailhead

You would expect something interesting from a place with a name like Windy Hills Open Space Preserve - and you sure won’t be disappointed should you choose to come here. Located in the town of Portola Valley, Windy Hills Open Preserve provides you with two options to enjoy the 12+ miles of trails it contains. You can park at the Portola Road parking lot (from 280, take Alpine Road exit, go west towards Portola Valley, turn right on Portola Road) or the Skyline Blvd parking lot. The trails are uphill from Portola Road to Skyline Blvd and downhill the other way.

We used the Portola Road parking lot and started off at Spring Ridge Trail. Having been here a while ago, we decided to do a loop by taking Hamms Gulch Trail to the summit and returning by Spring Ridge Trail. You will see Sausal Pond on your right as you make your way towards Hamms Gulch. All of the trails in Windy Hill are unpaved, dirt trails.

Once you enter Hamms Gulch Trail, you'll see a distinct difference. Heavily wooded, narrow, and involving a steady climb, the trail will quickly lead to a point where two creeks, Hamms Gulch and Jones Creek, join.

Apollo had fun crossing the creek and wading through the water. For the next mile or so, the trail will climb up with Hamms Gulch on the right. You'll find yourself in the forests, with just the sound of the creek and the birds and little else. As you climb up, the ravine on the right with Hamms Gulch will get deeper.  

Hamms Gulch Trail itself is about 3 miles long, completely through forests. We came across just two other hikers along the way. Every now and then, you will get glimpses of the valley. Some 3.5 miles from the starting point, you will come across a fork leading to Razorback Trail on the left and Windy Hills summit on the right. Stay right on the Lost Trail towards the summit.

View of the Pacific Ocean side & Skyline Blvd

You will first pass the Skyline Blvd entrance before entering the Anniversary Trail for the last stretch to the summit. Windy Hills summit provides breathtaking 360⁰ views of the Pacific Ocean on one side and the Bay Area on the other.

View of SF Bay side

From the top, you can easily make out Stanford Tower, Dumbarton Bridge, and more.

Apollo was clearly elated to reach the summit. It was also an amazing experience to see the rain clouds from the Pacific move in on us and dust us with a light rain. The climb to the summit from Portola Road was just shy of 1400 ft.

We made our way back by Spring Ridge Trail, which had more traffic compared to the one we took to ascend. A steady descent over the next 2.8 miles led us back to our starting point. We took the Betsy Crowder Trail towards the end to make it a 8 mile hike. While Spring Ridge Trail was wider with more traffic, it was also predominantly exposed.

You can make several variations if you choose to hike Windy Hills. And if you are so inclined, you can also hike Razorback Trail one way to make it that much harder and longer, but I don't believe dogs are allowed on Razorback Trail.

More pictures from the hike.

#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #WindyHills #WindyHillsOpenPreserve #HammsGulchTrail #SpringRidgeTrail #MROSD