Loved this hidden trail that was super easy to find! It was a ridiculous hot day, but the…read moresurrounding tall trees offer SO much shade that you forget about the heat. There is easy accessible parking, however there aren't too many parking spots. We refreshed our hands in the cold mini waterfall and had a cute photo opportunity. The hike is fairly easy for beginning hikers. There are areas that can be steep but there are many flat areas to take a break. We did miss a signed etched in a tree log and missed a pathway. But overall, a straight shot up and back, easily an hour or so round trip!

Lovely hidden trail with beautiful views and a true forest bathing vibe. It was a bit confusing…read moremaking our way on the trail as we hit a few dead ends but really great views.

Cowell-Purisima Trail -- where the Pacific Coast puts on a show!…read more Just south of Half Moon Bay, the Cowell-Purisima Trail unfolds like a love letter to the California coast. This 3-mile, one-way ribbon of well-maintained path (easy to moderate, with just a few short, steep bites) hugs dramatic bluffs as part of the legendary Coastal Trail -- and the views are nonstop. Walk it and you'll feel the ocean wind on your face, watch waves explode against cliffs below, and scan a panorama of green headlands that roll into blue forever. Wildlife is part of the cast: harbor seals bobbing in coves, pelicans gliding in formation, hawks circling overhead, rabbits darting through brush, lizards sunning on rocks, and wildflowers painting the trail in season. It's a living field guide out there. Parking is easy at both the north and south trailheads. From the northern lot, a half mile in you'll find a stunning wooden stairway that drops you down to Cowell Ranch Beach -- a secluded cove that feels like a secret reward. Heads up: poison oak and ticks like the off-trail areas, so stay on the path and you'll stay happy. This trail isn't just gorgeous -- it's rejuvenating. Go early, go slow, and let the coast do the talking.

Nice easy hike along the coast. In spring time the best views are at the beginning of trail. The…read morerest of the trail looks kind of the same.

Amazing hiking spot with geocaches if you're into that kind of thing. We did the 4 mile loop and…read morewere able to finish it within 2hrs. The drive up to the hike spot is amazing as well but would recommend downloading offline maps as cell coverage is barely there.

Upper Stevens Creek County Park shares nothing with Stevens Creek County Park except the name…read more Nope, they don't even border each other. The Upper park is the slightly larger of the two, with 1,280 acres of protected space. It borders Monte Bello OSP to the north, Saratoga Gap OSP to the southeast, and Long Ridge OSP to the west (if you don't count Skyline Blvd which runs between them). The park runs generally from north to south. The only place to park is at the Grizzly Flat Trail, where there's a dirt shoulder on both sides of Skyline Blvd. This is one of the places where the park connects with Long Ridge OSP; the other is at Charcoal Road (a fire road). Traffic from Skyline Blvd is inaudible once you're in the park. This is better than at Saratoga Gap OSP, where the Saratoga Gap Trail runs mostly within earshot of the road. Most of the trails in Upper Stevens Creek are multi-use; the one exception is the Table Mountain Trail, a single-track trail where bikes are not permitted. This trail is narrow, and two people cannot squeeze past each other without one of them yielding. Trails in this park are all mostly shaded. You lose up to 1,000 feet of elevation as you go further into the park, so be prepared to work those calves going back out! Overall, Upper Stevens Creek is fairly limited. There are no bathrooms and no potable water. No amazing panoramic views. There's no big loop that will take you all around the park, but you can make a bigger loop if you cut into and back out of Long Ridge OSP. The main appeal of this place is its relative proximity to South Bay and its connecting with other preserves in the area.

Beautiful and quiet park that is currently run by the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, Phleger…read moreEstate can be accessed via Huddart County park or by a roadside lot off Skyline Blvd. The benefit of parking at Huddart (albeit with a $6 parking fee) are clean restrooms and the fact you are doing most of the uphill at the start of your hike. Hiking in from Huddart, the crowds thinned and I only saw 3 other hiking groups the whole time-unusual for a beautiful Saturday in August. The park is well signed and I took the Miramontes trail which meanders along what is now a dry creek, gently uphill to a fork (again well signed) that points you to the Raymundo or Mt Redundo trails. I veered right to the Raymundo trail which is a steady but not too steep climb through mixed redwood forest and what is now a dry creek. Would love to do this trail again in rainier years to see the creek flowing and find newts and banana slugs. Still, despite a dry year, the trails were pretty green and lush. The Raymundo trail ends and another fork to the right can take you up to Skyline via the Lonely Trail or stay straight on the Mt Redundo trail which takes you back to the start of the loop and the Miramontes trail (which is out and back to Huddart County park). I headed back on Mt Redundo and it was a bit steep downhill with some roots and rocks making for uneven footing. It also has some steep ravines so mind your step. This part of the trail was eerily quiet and not as bright, so I was happy to get back to the Miramontes trail that led me back to the more well traveled Huddart County park. Really lovely park with some of the nicest redwood trails on the peninsula. Review #49 of 100 review goal in 2021

Fantastic hike next to the more well-known Purisma Creek. We took Lonely Trail, then Raymundo…read moreTrail, then Mt. Redondo trail and back up the Lonely Trail. It was about 6 miles. There's parking on Skyline Boulevard past Kings Mountain Fire Brigade -- just a handful of spots by the side of the road. It's downhill until you get to the juncture of Raymundo and Mt. Redondo, then straight back up again. My thighs were burning up and I had to stop and rest a bunch of times. Overall, the hike too about 3 hours and 15 minutes. My favorite part was the Raymundo Trail because you hike right next to a stream. There was plenty of water in the stream, probably because it has rained recently. Actually, most of the hike was next to a stream of some sort. You could hear water the whole time which was cool. Another great thing about this hike is that it's shady the whole way. Lots of pretty redwoods to look at. There were lots of very muddy parts on this trail. Also, the Miramontes trail, which connects Mt Redondo trail to Huddart County Park, was closed, due to the rain. We ran into three other couples on the trail during our hike. Very quiet trail! Really quite a hidden gem.

Visited Skyline on a Saturday in July at 9am! Decided to do the Horseshoe lake, Alpine pond, and…read moreBorel Hill trail counterclockwise and the parking lot was right by the trailhead. Trail was well-maintained and there were markers throughout. Didn't encounter too many other people. Nice views of the Bay Area - the park is high up so it was cool being above the clouds! Took me about 2 hours and 30 min to finish and I would say the hike was easy-moderate! The roads leading up to the park are a bit windy so just be mindful of that. Would recommend to those looking for beginner friendly hikes!

This is a great space for stargazing and panaromic views of the bay area. I wish the drive to get…read morethere wasn't as hard as it is.

We drove to the Purisima Creek Road Parking Area, arriving at 9:50 on Friday as the 5th car in the…read more7 spaces lot. Toilet at trailhead; out of TP by afternoon so BYOpaper just in case. Walking next to the creek was easy and tranquil. Looped up Craig Britton Trail for vista views. Had a trail lunch at a u turn. Later at Harkins Ridge Trail, we were treated to see and hear a beautiful bird pecking on a tree trunk. I think the best part of hiking this trail is the lack of people; we had the forest to ourselves. We finished this 7.4 miles loop in 4 hrs, including a lunch stop.

Did the Whittemore Gulch and Harkins Loop trail a few weeks back and boy oh boy, the the hike was…read moreamazing. Route was strenuous, as advertised but awesome. The hike was about 80% shaded in some of the most gorgeous redwood forests, with crisp woodsy air, and lots of flora and wildlife. Wooded trails were nice and cool, which afforded a welcome respite from the warmer ambient temperature (non forested). Saw a lot of banana slugs, some dear, and a bunch of flowers of different types-some endemic and sadly some invasive to the bay. The hike offered views of the bay (at the expense of no shade) on top of the ridge, which was neat. Elevation gain of the hike was approximately 1500 feet, which was gradual in some parts but more steep on others. Didn't use a hiking pole, but wish I did because my legs felt like jello afterwards! The hike which was advertised as around 7 miles took my friend and me about 3h45m (advertised recommended time as 4h-4h30m) with a bunch of rest breaks. Definitely would be back to explore the other trails and get a good dose of trees and nature.

Redwoods hike in the rain. We were in a cabin in the area and went out in a short window when the…read morerain wasn't so bad. The good thing about coming in the rain is no one else is around, we were the only ones on the windy roads and the only ones here. We did the bridge trail since the Tarwater trail was closed, wanted the kids to see the natural tar in the water and know why you shouldn't drink too much of the water from this area. The stream is full and alive during the rain and even the drive to here and back was epic. We came for redwoods and water but if you go on certain trails you can see the abandoned cabin and an old industrial water tank. There are amazing views of clouds and trees mixed together during this season. We stopped many times to take pictures of all this. We didn't see any animals because of the rain but the kids enjoyed seeing the different mushrooms, ferns along the creek, and looking for four leaf clovers.

Love this park! So glad San Mateo county parks used Pescadero Creek as part of the 2024 Take a…read morehike challenge. We've been back twice since going for the first time in February or March. Beautiful redwoods throughout the park. We tried the Pomponio trail; unfortunately all bridges over the creek are washed out so we weren't able to complete the loop trail. Regardless, hiking here is wonderful. Lots of banana slugs, a few cool spider webs, but still no elusive newts although I know they're there. We'll try the Pomponio trail again later this year once the creek flow has significantly reduced. Park at Memorial park, use the bathroom before (and after) starting, then walk about 5 minutes to the Old Haul Road trailhead

The Ravenswood Open Space Preserve is just that -- yet another local open space preserve. However,…read moreit's located along the bay. You get some great views of the area from a place that is relatively quiet. Cooley Landing Park is located here. It's a fantastic spot for a picnic or a stop while biking or running along the San Francisco Bay Trail. It is home to the Cooley Landing Education Center. Like the Lucy Evans Baylands Nature Interpretive Center located just south in Palo Alto, it has some nice opportunities to learn more about local wildlife. One small caveat: Safety concerns. This is out on the bayside of East Palo Alto. It is quiet and clean. However, every time that I have visited Cooley Landing Park, there have been some interesting characters sitting in their vehicles while others drive up, walk up to the person sitting the parked vehicles, seemingly doing "deals" before driving off. It just looks exactly how films portray "drug deals." Obviously, this doesn't mean that something nefarious is going on. It just looks "sus." Of course, it could just be a remote place where people in their cars who sell things that they've advertised on Craigslist. Yet, I've seen this EVERY time that I've biked through Cooley Landing Park. Even during visits to Cooley Landing Park for an hour or more, I've never seen any police patrolling the park. With that in mind, you should visit this preserve and Cooley Landing Park in particular. It's definitely worth the views.

Great trail to walk and enjoy the breeze/scenery. Well maintained path. Highly recommend.read more