My first time visiting here…read more Absolutely gorgeous. If you're into quiet drives surrounded by nature, and/or love hiking, this is the place for you and your family and friends. Bicycling, jogging or just walking, this is the place for you.

One of the most interesting hikes I've been on in the South Bay!…read more We took a random hike on a Sunday afternoon, and it actually wasn't too crowded in the lot or on the trail. There's a number of different types of trails you can go on. It fascinated me how it alternated between a regular trail, to smoother hills, to a bit of a rocky climb. I would definitely recommend stopping by, especially for the gorgeous views!

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.

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

I wish they had a bathroom. Everything else was cool. Did the Fir Trail and Tafoni Trail to the…read moreSandstone Formation and tacked on the vista point which was about 3.5 miles total. Be careful crossing the street to get to the trail. The main El Corte de Madera area has restrooms and it's just a 5 minute drive away.

Lovely hike with lots of shade. This would be wonderful in warm weather too. Our goal was to visit…read morethe Tafoni sandstone structure. We parked our car at Skeggs Pt. Parking lot. We hiked along the Tafoni trail to get to the sandstone structure and returned to the car via the higher Fir trail. This was an easier hike exiting the park.

Camp Glenwood is located near the John Henge Rocks and Pacific Crest Trail Crossing. It is a little…read morepast Three Points and Camp Valcrest. The place is also known as Glenwood Dad's Club Cabin. You can reach it either by the PCT or Glenwood Camp Road. There is an interesting little cabin at the campground. It snows during the season and when there is enough rain. I believe there are 4 usable spots for camping, I happen to use 1 to set up my Tarp and my buddies Tent. I have only seen the club at the cabin once in all the times I have visited and I asked for permission to stay. This is a cool spot and I recommend staying overnight! Adventure Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNZeubPVHrI

GRASSHOPPER LOOP TRAIL REVIEW: The open space preserve is large, with many trails, but this review…read moreis just for the newly open Grasshopper Loop Trail (open June 2022). This is a great trail for older folks and little kids. It's pretty short (just 1.3 miles), flat, and mostly shaded. The start of trail is open but you soon reach a gate where you enter a redwood forrest. The path is very new and pristine. The redwoods are spectacular. Some of the trees were covered in a fuzzy type of moss (spanish moss or lichen moss?), so you'd think you were in the bayou or something. We were hoping to see more birds and butterflies, but didn't see any wildlife. Before we knew it, we reach another gate, where you exit the redwood part of the loop and back to the parking lot. If you wanted to extend the nice part of the trail, I suggest turning around when you reach the exit gate and backtrack through the redwoods again to the start of the trail. Overall, I enjoyed the redwood portion of the loop, but the loop was too short. Driving to the trail head involves driving through miles of winding roads with bicyclists popping up at every turn. It was not so fun to drive up here, so for a 30-minute hike, it wasn't quite worth it. There are many other trails to explore here, but there didn't seem to be much to see.

There are actually two, separate sections of La Honda Creek OSP, an upper section and a lower…read moresection. These are not connected, nor close, and they are entirely different, so it's too bad the Open Space system (and Yelp) has them lumped together as one. Most reviewers have just reviewed one section; I'll cover both. [UPPER SECTION] Access is off Skyline Blvd. As mentioned by others, this section is accessible through a free permit system, so some advance planning is required (See OSP website for details). It took only a day for me to obtain the combo for the gate lock, but others have reported longer. The good part of this permit system is that it keeps out the masses, so a hike here is likely to be full of solitude and quiet. I saw one other small group the entire time I was here. Ambiance: Ridgetop hills of mixed forest and meadows with views to the west. There's the typical selection of native trees here, but there are a couple of giant, old-growth redwoods you can visit as well. (Only one is shown on the map, but a few others are hidden off-trail). No bathrooms or amenities here. My main issue with this upper section is that it is quite small; it really isn't a place to do a big loop, only a small loop with a few there-and-back side trips. I visited every trail and only hiked 5.5 miles. I prefer to do more. (3*) [LOWER SECTION] Access is off La Honda Rd (Hwy 84) near the town of La Honda. No permits needed. At the entrance there's a newish, paved parking lot and a unisex pit bathroom. Ambiance: Rolling grassy hills with plenty of cattle - it felt very much like an East Bay hike to me. Trees are limited to a few, stream-side groves. Nice views of the ocean can be found here, though it will take 3 miles to reach that spot - and of course 3 miles back. You'll likely be sharing the view with cows (and dodging their patties). This lower section is much bigger than the upper section but still doesn't offer any full loops (only a "lollipop"). Nevertheless I enjoyed my 9-mile hike here. I may bring friends back, just to show them something new; but it's not a destination I need to visit often. My curiosity itch has been scratched, and grading on a curve against other OSPs, it's just OK. (3.5*) My Peninsula hike collection is here: (https://www.yelp.com/collection/qBI6U6Lz9LJQjnGjFW6ubg) Hiking Spot Checklist: -- Parking: Small, paved lot at both sections -- Bathrooms: None at upper section; Yes at parking lot of lower section -- Potable water: No -- Maps provided: Yes (except during covid) -- Highlights: Nice views to the west in both sections

"Beautiful Mountain" Yes, indeed!…read more PSA: No dogs allowed - I had to leave mine at home. It's ok, you can enjoy this one alone! Take the drive! Yes, the road is windy and please slow for cyclists on your way up. Come along, sing a song. Dancing feet, magical retreat. Bring a friend or brave alone, it'll be worthwhile - 2, 4, or 7 miles! Our small group hiked the 7 mile loop, and had many photos stops along the way. Our leisure hike took approximately 4.5 hours. We spotted a tarantula early on the trail, other hiking groups, a backpacking group, bikers in groups and a few solo peeps. Shaded Hike & Open Space Sunny Hike: If you're wanting a shaded hike, start on the White Oak Trail located to the right of the Monte Bello parking. If you begin your hike on Bella Vista Trail, it's more of an open space with direct sunlight. Start early and enjoy! =)

Monte Bello is a hidden treasure for the Mid-Peninsula area…read more Funny thing, though. For being hidden, it's sure well known. To get there, you drive seven miles up a narrow, windy road. You're wondering if there's anything here besides big houses on tree-filled hills. Make a sharp left at Foothills Park - oops, never mind, you don't live in PA, you can't drive in here. More driving, more driving . . . and you finally get there, only to find a spacious parking lot crammed with cars. Here's why I gave it five stars: At first, it looks like typical landscape on this part of the Peninsula. But then I went down the narrow Stevens Creek Nature Trail. And ended up in a deep, dark forest with a babbling brook, pretty wildflowers, romantic bridges, and interpretive signs to explain what you're gazing at. If you felt like you got away from it all by driving up Page Mill Road, now you *really* feel like you're away from it all. Monte Bello also has a few peaks to climb up, and a backpacking camp. I'm itching to come back to try these out. I was not here long enough to really appreciate Monte Bello, but I saw enough to appreciate it a LOT. I had written about Russian Ridge that it's part of a conglomerate of Mid-Peninsula Open Space Preserves that gives you a few days of outback hiking. Monte Bello is part of that conglomerate, which combines with Los Trancos (and Foothills Park, but don't tell anyone, shhhh) to give you even more wandering. And bring a lunch, because you'll be so mesmerized that you may forget to leave and get food.

Well maintained hiking spot! We chose this hike because…read moreafter we were headed to Alpine Inn for dinner. We found the last parking spot along the road and headed up to the start of the hike. There are maps available or you can take a picture of the posted map. After hiking a short way we found a door to the entrance to the coal mine trail. Once at the top we found amazing views of Bay Area. We found an amazing tree to eat a snack under. There was a beautiful rose on the tree so this must we a known place to have a romantic picnic at. The weather was perfect so not a problem with the trails. There was a well maintained bridge as well. It was a moderate hike.

I've only been here twice, and only when my daughter attends the birthday party of a classmate who…read morelives in Portola Valley. Maybe I'm not paying attention on other trails, but this is a great place to find interesting mushrooms to photograph. There's shade, nice views of the valley, a few short bridges, and lots of interesting vegetation, from the ferns to the fungi. In the winter it's wet and lush. The trail is quite narrow in places, and it was slightly muddy due to the recent rains, but I was able to avoid getting too dirty. There's a network of trails that's accessible from this trailhead. I don't really have a destination in mind when I come here - usually I just hike for about an hour and turn back. There were a good number of cars parked near the trailhead, but I didn't run into that many people on the trail itself.

We got married here! Gorgeous spot and the permit office was so great and so helpful. This is a…read moregorgeous area and we will never forget that day. We were there for this ceremony from towards the sunset time.

Audrey's Way at Mindego Gateway is part of the Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve and serves as an…read moreaccess point to the recently acquired Mindego Hill land parcel, which is a beloved local landmark and still used for cattle grazing by a local ranching family. The "way" itself is a beautiful, paved walkway suitable to people of all ages that begins at a parking lot and trailhead about a mile west of the Alpine Road intersection with Skyline Boulevard and Page Mill Road, which rises in a series of sinuous hairpin curves up from Palo Alto down below. From Audrey's Way, hikers, equestrians, and mountain bikers can depart for various destinations in Russian Ridge OSP - although to access the summit of Mindego Hill, you need to leave your bikes or horses behind and walk to the top, as you pass through an area shared with a local cattle rancher for a portion of the trail. There are also several routes leading deep into the depths of the preserve, which is perfect for spring wildflower viewing and more generally great for hiking and trail running in all seasons of the year. Audrey's Way is named to honor a long-serving president of the Peninsula Open Space Trust. For more than 30 years, POST has purchased or acquired the tens of thousands of acres of open space that make this area such a hiker's and nature lovers' paradise and sanctuary for threatened native plants, animals, and reptiles. The facilities here are simple but sufficient for an informal picnic at the vista point, which looks towards the Pacific Ocean while affording sweeping views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and Pescadero Creek watershed. I like to come out here when I have an hour free to sit with a thermos of hot tea or a simple snack, bringing a book to read or a camera for taking pictures. It's easy to stop here while on a road trip or scenic ride on Alpine Road, perhaps as part of a visit to Pescadero and the San Mateo coastline, which beckons from below. Audrey's Way is one of the finest spots in the Santa Cruz Mountains for seeing the natural beauty of the area, perfect for hosting out-of-town visitors, first dates, or your grandchildren. It can serve as a gateway for longer, more rigorous routes into the surrounding meadows, forests, and fields, but it also is ideal as a stopping point, a resting spot, an ultimate destination in and of itself. You just might start singing tunes from "The Sound of Music" if you aren't careful! Check it out the next time you find yourself stuck in Silicon Valley and need to get away.