Skyline Ridge/Russian Ridge/Coal Creek/Monte Bello/Long Ridge Open Space Preserves and Upper Stevens Creek County Park Loop

Ride Data:

Length: 17.00 miles
Elevation Gain: 2,600 feet
Elevation Loss: 2,600 feet
Time: 2 hours 50 minutes
Technical Difficulty: 3/5
Fitness Difficulty: 4/5
Rating: 4/5
Other Information: There is no fee. Pit toilets and maps are available at the parking area and at the Russian Ridge and Monte Bello parking areas.
Date Last Ridden: Saturday, November 16, 2002

Links:

Introduction:

This ride forms a loop through the Northern 2/3 of what the Midpeninsula Open Space District terms the "South Skyline Region", passing through 5 Open Space Preserves (Skyline Ridge, Russian Ridge, Coal Creek, Monte Bello, and Long Ridge) and Upper Stevens Creek County Park (Santa Clara County) along the way. The terrain varies between heavily forested areas consisting of pines and oaks, to open, rolling, grassy hills. Along the way you will be also be rewarded with some outstanding views.

The majority of this loop is on singletrack, with a few sections of narrow fire roads and some wide fire roads thrown in for good measure. The trail is not terribly technical, but is reasonably difficult for the Bay Area. Most of the trail is pretty fast and smooth, but watch your speed becaues both Santa Clara County Parks and the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District impose a 15mph speed limit, which they enforce via Rangers with radar guns. Speeding tickets are pricey.

Bathrooms, in the form of outhouses, and good quality maps are available at the parking areas for Skyline Ridge, Russian Ridge, and Monte Bello Open Space Preserves. Maps are also available at the entrance to Long Ridge Open Space Preserve.

Getting There:

From the Saratoga area: Take Highway 9 SouthWest toward Big Basin/Santa Cruz/Felton until you reach the intersection with Highway 35 (Skyline Blvd.) at Saratoga Gap. Turn right (North) on Highway 35 and follow it about 6 miles. Turn left into the parking area for Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve, and turn to the right. Head to the large circular dirt parking area by the outhouse and park.From Interstate 280 (North of Highway 85): Take either Highway 84 West from Woodside or Page Mill Road south from Palo Alto to Highway 35, then turn South. From the intersection of Page Mill Road and Highway 35, go South about 1 mile and then turn right into the parking area for Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve. Turn right and head to the large circular dirt parking area by the outhouse and park.

Ride Description:

Starting from the Skyline Ridge parking area, head South on the singletrack trail toward Horseshoe Lake, which heads slightly downhill near the large trailhead map/info board. The trail will spit you out onto a dirt road near another parking area...turn right and head through the steel gate near the outhouse. About 0.1 miles from the gate, turn right (uphill) on a fire road that heads toward Russian Ridge OSP. This road climbs steeply for about 0.4 miles to an intersection with the Bay Area Ridge Trail, which is off-limits to bikes at this point. Continue straight for another 0.3 miles of steep climbing (you've now climbed about 400 vertical feet) and then enjoy the fast downhill that follows. About 0.2 miles into the downhill, turn right at the trail junction as the trail descends to an open meadow near a park facility. When you reach the park buildings (now on pavement), make a sharp left-hand turn onto the paved road, and then quickly turn right onto another paved road heading toward Alpine Pond. You soon see a dirt road heading slightly uphill across the pond's dam. After crossing the dam, turn right on the singletrack that heads to Alpine Road/Russian Ridge OSP. In about 0.1 miles, you reach Alpine Road. Cross it (carefully) to the parking area for Russian Ridge OSP.

After taking a quick break, head uphill on the singletrack heading North from the parking area near the park's trailboard sign. The trail climbs through open, grassy hills for about 0.7 miles (keep going straight up the hill at the trail junctions) and eventually you'll reach a trail that heads uphill to the highest point around, Borel Hill, elevation 2572. On a clear day, you can see the Pacific Ocean to the West, San Francisco to the North, Palo Alto and points further (such as Mt. Diablo) to the NorthEast, Black Mountain to the East. Savor the view for a few minutes, and then turn back and head downhill the way you came for about 100 yards and turn right onto the Ridge Trail which heads North around the side of Borel Hill. After a few hundred feet, turn left onto Ancient Oaks Trail, a singletrack which descends SouthWest. This quick, fun singletrack soon enters heavy oaks, and then meets up with another singletrack (more of Ancient Oaks Trail) in about 0.3 miles. Turn right on Ancient Oaks Trail and continue descending 0.5 miles through rooted-out trail until you are spit out onto Mindego Trail (a fire road). Follow Mindego Trail for about 0.6 miles as it countours around the hill (do NOT head uphill on the steep road that splits off to the right after about 0.3 miles) until you reach a singletrack heading uphill to the right (Hawk Trail). Hawk Trail climbs through what once again is open grassland, affording great views of the Pacific Ocean to the West as it does so. After 0.6 miles (and the top of the climb) turn right on the Bay Area Ridge Trail, a wide doubletrack heading SouthEast. This trail rolls up and down and eventually descends to a junction with several other trails near a gate at Highway 35 and a trailboard sign. Cross Highway 35 to the Vista Point and head North a few hundred feet and then turn right onto a paved road which becomes Meadow Trail in Coal Creek OSP.

the paved road (a driveway) descends rather quickly. Stay to the right at the splits, and eventually (0.4 miles) you will wind up on Meadow Trail, which turns into a singletrack that climbs briefly. The trail then descends through first open meadows then oaks. When you reach the oaks be on the lookout because the trail switchbacks to the right and it's tough to see the switchback coming. After the switchback (about 0.8 miles from entering singletrack) you will be spit out onto Alpine Road, a fire road. Head to the right as the road climbs for 0.4 miles to Page Mill Road. Cross Page Mill and turn left onto the horse-holed "singletrack" (really more of a doubletrack with a narrow bike path) that parallels Page Mill Road. The trail climbs briefly 0.2 miles to a dirt road that heads to the right a few feet to a large dirt parking area (for horse trailers). Turn left onto the singletrack that heads about 0.1 miles to an intersection with White Oak Trail. Turn left onto White Oak (which is, curiously enough, in rolling open grasslands) and follow it as it descends smoothly to the Monte Bello OSP parking area.

Once in the Monte Bello parking area, turn slightly left toward the entrance from Page Mill Road, then turn right onto the singletrack heading toward Canyon Trail (closely paralleling Page Mill Road). The trail drops quickly down a rutted singletrack for 0.3 miles to Canyon Trail.

Side Trip: If you want to add more distance to this ride, you could head NorthEast up Page Mill Road for about 0.5 miles and then take Monte Bello Road (a boring, steep, mostly paved road) 2 miles to the summit of Black Mountain. From the summit you can get some great views. You then would turn back down Monte Bello Road, then down Old Ranch Trail, and finally follow the long Bella Vista Trail (a singletrack) back down to Canyon Trail, then turn left on Canyon Trail).

After entering Canyon Trail, turn right (South) and head down the trail, an old fireroad which is mostly downhill, for about 3 miles. Turn right, downhill, onto the singletrack (Grizzly Flat Trail) heading down toward Stevens Creek. After splashing through the creek, the singletrack will soon emerge onto a fire road. Gear down (and eat some food if you're low on energy) and then head uphill on the road/trail. This road climbs for about 2 miles (ignore the trail signs...they're wrong!) through the trees to Highway 35. Beware of mountain bikers headed downhill, as they normally are traveling much faster than the 15mph speed limit and may have difficulty controlling their bikes. I'll warn you that this climb is very long and very boring...

After reaching the top of the climb at the Grizzly Flat parking area, cross Highway 35 and enter Long Ridge OSP. Head downhill on the singletrack for about 0.5 miles, then turn right onto the singletrack Bay Area Ridge Trail, which follows the valley floor for a while as it heads North. The trail climbs slowly, crossing several driveways, for about 2 miles until it reaches an entrance to Skyline Ridge OSP. Take the singletrack toward the Christmas Tree Farm as it drops downhill through a very fun, fast, wooded section of trail for about a 0.7 miles. The trail eventually drops you onto a dirt road in the Christmas Tree farm.

Turn left (downhill) on the dirt road, which drops quickly. Stay to the left at all the splits (which are labelled "trail") as the road climbs and drops until you enter the non-Christmas trees and a doubletrack that heads downhill for about 0.3 miles to HorseShoe Lake. From the lake, follow the road around the Western shore until you hit a dirt parking area, then retrace the singletrack you started the ride on to the parking area and your car.

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 South Bay Rides Copyright © 2002 Kevin Sage