Coal Creek Open Space Preserve 2015-06-27

Coal Creek is the sixth Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD) preserve we've hiked, the other five being Pulgas Ridge, Windy Hill, Fremont Older, St. Joseph's Hill and Sierra Azul. A compact preserve offering about 5 miles of trails, Coal Creek Open Preserve is located off Skyline Blvd, about a mile north of the Skyline Blvd & Page Mill Rd. 

Skyline Blvd entrance

It is very easy to miss the preserve entrance! My recommendation is to park in the vista point parking lot and start your hike from Cloud's Rest Trail. We parked a little ahead, close to 20000 Skyline Blvd, near Crazy Pete's Rd. 

Crazy Pete's Rd trail

Passing by a handful of private residences, about a half mile walk by Crazy Pete's Rd will get you to Gate CC05 and into the preserve. We continued straight ahead on the trail until we reached Alpine Rd. The nearly one-mile stretch single-track trail to Alpine Rd is through a heavily wooded area that offers plenty of shade.

Alpine Rd - Mtn bike hwy!

Alpine Rd is right at the boundary of the preserve - and it felt very much like a mountain bike highway! We had several bikers cross us in both directions in this narrow dirt road through the hills. 

We turned right onto Meadow Trail after about three-fourths of a mile on Alpine Rd. As with all other trails in this preserve, this is also a narrow dirt trail through the woods for a while before it opened up for some great views towards the west. Meadow Trail meets Cloud's Rest Trail. Turning left would have taken us to Skyline Blvd near the vista point parking lot. We turned right to Alpine Rd and retraced a small portion of our walk earlier.

On the return, we took the slightly longer Coal Road to the entrance at gate CC05. On this stretch, I got to meet a ranger and engage in a great conversation about the preserves, specifically their policy around dog friendliness while my daughter, Sanjana, attended to Apollo. Another half mile walk by Crazy Pete's Rd got us back to Skyline Rd where we'd parked the car.

The 5 mile hike through the preserve took us nearly an hour and forty five minutes involving a couple of descents and climbs. It isn't too strenuous, with probably about 900 feet of gentle climbing overall.

More pictures from our hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #CoalCreekOpenPreserve #MROSD

Union Pacific Railroad Trail 2015-06-25

We were back at the Union Pacific Railroad in Cupertino, essentially picking up from where we left off when we hiked Joe's Trail at Saratoga de Anza earlier this month. I had an early start to complete the hike before it got too hot on what promised to be another near 100⁰F summer day. I parked on Prospect Road near the Stelling Rd intersection, just past the tracks. 

This section of the Union Pacific Railroad runs through Cupertino's residential neighborhood by Stelling Road initially and cuts across Seven Springs Pkwy, Rainbow Dr, McClellan Rd, Bubb Rd and Steven Creeks Blvd. Google Map marks the segment between Rainbow Dr and McClellan Rd as the Union Pacific Trail, although the entire segment I did today is an unofficial trail used typically by folks living in the neighborhood. To my understanding, Cupertino is evaluating constructing a formal trail connecting to Joe's Trail at Saratoga de Anza and beyond - essentially linking Steven Creeks Trail to Los Gatos Creek Trail.

Around the one-mile marker from Prospect Rd, you will cross Regnart Creek and observe a huge oak tree with a tree house and branches running across the creek. On our way back, we used this spot to rest and let Apollo cool off a bit.

Dry pond behind Apollo

The trail runs by a groundwater recharge pond near McClellan Rd. As a stark reminder of our drought, this pond was bone dry today! 

McClellan Rd, Bubb Rd, and Stevens Creek Blvd are busy roads. If you don't want to dart across, it is easy to use a pedestrian crosswalk round the corner to safely get to the other side of the road. 

Sidney and Apollo

Just when I was thinking that this was likely to be somewhat of an uninteresting hike, we met Sidney. Apollo and Sidney hit it off well and Sidney got Apollo to chase him as they ran happily at break neck speeds by the tracks! 

All the way from Prospect Rd until Stevens Creek Blvd, there was a steady stream of joggers, dog walkers and bikers sharing this unofficial multi-use trail! 

North of Stevens Creek Blvd, the traffic was much lighter. We went as far as Hwy 280, which is when the railroad curves around and starts running parallel to 280, a little more than 3 miles from Prospect Rd. 

Our 6.2 mile out and back hike took about an hour and forty five minutes. The map you see by the side recorded the hike until Regnart Creek on the way back, where we took a water break. 

Anyone who loves railroads should check this out. If you combine it with Joe's Trail, you can make this a nearly 12 mile out and back hike by the railroad.

More pictures from the hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #UnionPacificRailroadTrail #UnionPacificTrail

Sunol Regional Wilderness (Little Yosemite) 2015-06-23

Sunol Regional Wilderness, managed by East Bay Regional Parks District, is an amazing park with scenic trails and gorgeous views. The park can be accessed by taking Calaveras Blvd off Hwy 680 in Sunol (not Milpitas) and turning left onto Geary Rd in about four miles. There is a fee to park on weekends. We used the first parking lot on the left as we entered the park, where the visitor's center is located. There are several other parking lots situated throughout the park.

With several available trails, I'd decided to keep our hike to about 5 miles and check out Little Yosemite. We started at the Indian Joe Nature Trail. The trail head can be reached by crossing over Alameda Creek on a foot bridge. Alameda Creek still had a trickle of water flowing through it. 

Running parallel to the creek, Indian Joe Trail is somewhat shaded. A little ahead, this trail connects to Canyon View Trail. The walk on Canyon View Trail offered some breathtaking views of the canyon on the right as it slowly weaved through the mountains.

I was lucky enough to photograph a Turkey Vulture soaring high in this stretch of the trail. Even though the park was open for grazing, the cattle we came across today were staying in the shade rather than venturing out by the dry hills.

After crossing McCorkle Trail to reach Little Yosemite, we turned right onto Cerro Este Road. Little Yosemite is a cool spot, popular with adventure seekers who climb the huge rocks and boulders right in Alameda Creek. Apollo - the eternal adventure seeker - and I slowly made our way to the gorge and the creek. Even if you don't feel comfortable making the descent, this is an excellent spot to include in your Sunol Wilderness hike route.

After a water break, we headed back up Cerro Este Road. Over the next mile, we climbed some 600 feet and turned left onto McCorkle Trail. While Cerro Este Road is a fire road with very little shade, McCorkle Trail provides some relief from the sun.

We connected back to Canyon View Trail and retraced our steps on Indian Joe Nature Trail to reach the parking lot just as the temperature was getting to the low 80s and making the hike a bit uncomfortable, especially for Apollo. We could've done more, but an earlier start or a cooler day would have made it easier.

Our 5 mile hike today took less than two hours - one of our slower outings even though we only had to climb up a little more than 1000 feet in two stretches. With plenty more trails, we'll definitely be back at Sunol Wilderness a few more times. 

Serious hikers can trek the Ohlone Wilderness Trail between Mission Peak Preserve and Sunol Wilderness or between Sunol Wilderness and Del Valle Regional Park. Both require permits and will probably take the better part of the day to complete just one way.

More pictures from our hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #SunolRegionalWilderness #LittleYosemite #EBRPD

Seal Point Park (SF Bay Trail) 2015-06-21

We celebrated summer solstice and Father's Day with a family hike & picnic by one of my favorite spots from the Bay Trail walk - Seal Point Park in San Mateo. We parked in Ryder Park, a neighborhood park off 3rd Ave / J Hart Clinton Ave in San Mateo. 

Crossing a futuristic looking bridge, we started our hike in Seal Point Park. You have the option of walking on the paved blacktop trail or climbing the small hill and enjoying the "wind walk" in the park. We kind of toggled between the two options, going back and forth between the two trails as we headed south. 

While it was a nice, sunny day, the strong wind made it almost chill in the morning. The trail curves around the hill and the bay, taking you close to a large dog park by the Seal Point parking lot. From here, the trail runs parallel to 3rd Ave for a while, entering Foster City.

We continued our hike around Mariners Point Golf Center, the place where I had ended my walk on Day 5 and commenced on Day 6 during my SF Bay Walkabout. There is a nice spot with artificial turf behind the golf course where we decided to have our picnic lunch. 

This is an extremely easy walk, super dog friendly with a nice dog park. The view of the bay and San Mateo Bridge is outstanding. The only caveat is that the trail is slightly narrow in parts and this makes it tricky to share with cyclists. The weekend and perfect weather drew plenty of families with young children the this trail, making it one of the busiest hikes I've done with Apollo.

We turned around after our lunch and covered portions of Seal Point Park during our walk back that we hadn't covered earlier. We covered some five miles as an out and back trip and it is easy to extend this to several miles longer if you so desire on either direction.

Here are some more pictures from the hike, including a handful I borrowed from my SF Bay Walkabout.

#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #SealPointPark #SFBayTrail

Hayward Regional Shoreline (SF Bay Trail) 2015-06-18

Part of the San Francisco Bay Trail, I had covered the Hayward Regional Shoreline on Day 2 of my SF Bay Walkabout in April. Plenty of parking is available at the end of Winton Ave, off Hwy 880 in Hayward. Dogs are allowed north of Winton Ave on the trail. Both my daughters, Sanjana and Kavya, joined us on our hike this morning. 

Planning the walk

From the parking lot, a half mile walk by the flood control channel will get you to the shoreline and the SF Bay Trail. We turned right and headed north towards San Leandro. The last time I walked this stretch was during high tide, while today was low tide. That changes the whole experience, although my daughters didn't mind the fact that it was low tide and less scenic as a result. 

Bockman Channel & Sewage Plant

About three-quarters of a mile further is Sulphur Creek and another three-quarters of a mile north is Bockman Channel. In high tide, I had seen several anglers by the bridge north of Sulphur Creek. Ahead of Bockman Channel is a Sewage treatment plant and San Lorenzo Creek. 

Great Egret

Essentially an out and back trip, we turned around at San Lorenzo Creek, a little more than 2.5 miles from where we started. As with my previous hike, we saw plenty of birds - Snowy Egrets, Great Egret, American Avocets, Black-necked Stilts and a Red-winged Blackbird. My daughters were amused that I was reeling out the bird names each time we came across a bird!

With such a breathtaking variety of birds, I told them that it would be a shame to walk any segment of the Bay Trail and not observe them closely or learn to identify them. We also came across several squirrels that had made the shoreline their home and one of them put on a great show for us, chirping away as he did it.

As with most East Bay Regional Parks, dogs are allowed off-leash in undeveloped areas, which covered our entire trip today on the dirt trail running right by the bay. Apollo had complete freedom to expore as much of the landscape as he could while we kept him on a verbal leash.

We covered 5.3 miles today at a leisurely pace of 3 mph, in about an hour and fifty minutes. This is an easy trail for anyone at any fitness level. 

More pictures from our hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #HaywardRegionalShoreline #EBRPD #SFBayTrail

Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park 2015-06-16

When we hiked Garin/Dry Creek Pioneer Park in February, we had experienced lush green rolling hills following rains in the days before. In sharp contrast to that, the same place was brown with dry grass in the Hayward hills today. We parked at the May Rd staging area, off Mission Blvd & Decoto Rd in Union City. My daughter, Sanjana, is back home for her summer break, so she joined Apollo and I for the hike today. 

It was a fine spring day to do a longish hike in the hills. From the May Rd parking lot, a short walk on May Rd Trail and High Ridge Trail got us to Meyer Ranch Trail . A wide dirt trail / fire road, Meyer Ranch Trail will lead you to Meyer Ranch. There is a nice oak tree in the middle of the trail; when I suggested to Apollo that he climb it, he showed no hesitation in demonstrating his tree-climbing skills - that I didn't know he possessed!

From here, we took the mile-long Pioneer Trail, a single track trail through heavily wooded forests in the hillside. Midway, we had to maneuver around a tree that had fallen in the trail, but otherwise, this is a beautiful trail this park has to offer. 

Pioneer Trail connects to High Ridge Loop Trail. After climbing some 500 feet, the half mile hike in High Ridge Loop Trail is an easy descent. My daughter and I engaged in discussions around stereotyping and the India-Pakistan partition. Dogs are allowed off-leash in this park and Apollo was happy to be on his own for much of the way, especially in the next segment of our hike to Tolman Peak.

From High Ridge Loop, we went left on Tolman Peak Trail. The next mile or so is quite exposed, and it leads you to the junction of South Fork Trail. We hiked clockwise around the Tolman Peak loop, choosing the shorter and more exposed segment to ascend. The views from this segment are quite impressive as we gain some 900 feet or so in less than a mile. 

The trail ends abruptly at a fenced portion that is not accessible to the public. On our way down, we took the longer South Fork Trail. It was getting warmer, but a gentle breeze and the well-shaded portions of the South Fork Trail made our descent very enjoyable. We also saw a beautiful Western Scrub Jay right after we got out of Tolman Peak Trail.

We wrapped up the hike by retracing our steps on Tolman Peak Trail, continuing in High Ridge Loop Trail again before reaching the May Rd. parking lot. With nearly 1600 feet of climbing, we took 3 hours to complete the 8.3 mile hike today that was entirely within the Dry Creek Pioneer Regional Park. 

More pictures from our hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #DryCreekPioneerPark #TolmanPeak #GarinDryCreekPioneerPark #EBRPD

Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve 2015-06-15

At 366 acres with 6 miles of hiking trails, Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve is compact and is managed by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space. It is located at the border of San Carlos & Redwood City off Hwy 280 and Edgewood Road. The parking lot on Edmonds Rd is big enough to have about 20 cars. Pulgas Ridge Preserve has an off-leash dog area and is exclusively a hiker's park - no bicyclists and no equestrians. 

Apollo and I started off our hike on Blue Oak Trail. After a steady climb and less than half a mile into the hike, we continued onto Dick Bishop Trail rather than doing the Hassler Loop Trail in the off-leash area. Both of these are single track trails with plenty of shade. 

Dick Bishop Trail connects to Hasslers Trail and leads you to Dusky-footed Woodrat Trail. Not only the name is a mouthful, but at 2.2 miles, this is the longest trail in this park. By the way - dusky-footed woodrats are nocturnal rodents. The first mile or so of this long trail on the ridge top is in an open rocky terrain with views of hillside and canyons. 

The second half of Woodrat Trail travels through wooded forests and it ends at Polly Geraci Trail. You could turn left here and trek the half mile to the parking lot; Apollo and I headed right and uphill here. After about a mile, Polly Geraci Trail reaches Hassler Trail right by another entrance to the off-leash area for dogs.

Apollo was delighted to hike on his own for the next half mile, enjoying his freedom. We wrapped up the hike by descending the last half mile on Blue Oak Trail to reach the parking lot. 

Our 5.8 mile loop involved climbing some 600 feet during the first 2.5 miles and another 300 feet on Polly Geraci Trail. 

Apart from Hassler Rd, which happens to be a black-top road in bad repair, all other trails are either single track or slightly wider dirt trails that involve climbing up and down the hills in the preserve.

More pictures from our hike today.
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #PulgasRidgePreserve #PulgasRidgeOpenSpacePreserve #MROSD

Stevens Creek Trail 2015-06-11

Stevens Creek Trail is the third riparian trail in the South Bay connecting to the San Francisco Bay Trail, the other two being San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail and Guadalupe River Trail. I had hiked this trail by myself as part of my SF Bay Walkabout, but today was the first time with Apollo. Street-side parking by Heatherstone Way (off Bernardo / Mary Ave) in Mountain View will allow you to get to the trail head. 

The first four miles of this trail are dog friendly. Dogs are not allowed beyond Crittenden Lane, north of Hwy 101. The trail starts off crossing Hwy 85 and heads north. Soon after crossing Hwy 85, there is a nice nature trail section where the flora of the region is labeled. 

We started our hike around 9 am. Mirroring our experience from the San Tomas Aquino Creek Trail hike, this happened to be peak bicycle commute time. Apollo had to be on a short leash to stay away from the cyclists zipping by us, predominantly heading north.

We met a tabby cat during our hike today sitting comfortably by the trail. When Apollo got close to the cat, it simply stood up and gauged him. Impressive! The cat went into the bushes when I got closer, but easily held its own. With some more coaxing, I suspect I could've taken a photograph of Apollo and the cat together!

The paved, blacktop trail passes through several underpasses and over bridges, including an impressive quarter-mile long bridge over Central Expwy, Evelyn, Caltrain, and light rail tracks. The trail runs right by Hwy 85 all the way until Hwy 101, crossing over once after Central Expwy. Road noise from Hwy 85 is very pronounced much of the way. 

Wanting to keep our hike close to 6 miles, I decided to turn around at Hwy 101 and skip the last mile that Apollo could've come on. This trail has reasonable shade cover compared to the other two trails I'd mentioned. It was welcome relief on a hot day like today. Even though it was overcast and in the high 60s when we started, by the time we finished, it was significantly warmer.

We completed 6.2 miles in an hour and 50 minutes. Stevens Creek Trail was in the news today - as the cities of Mountain View, Cupertino, Los Altos and Sunnyvale ponder over extending and/or bridging gaps from locations south to Heatherstone Way. 

Here are some more pictures from the hike. I have borrowed a few photographs from Day 1 of my walkabout. 
#Hiking #HikingWithDogs #StevensCreekTrail