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.

Went to Russian Ridge Sunday of Memorial Day weekend around 8:15am and there was lots of parking…read moreavailable by the trailhead. One thing to note is that the roads leading up to the trailhead are very windy. Took me about 20 minutes just to get from the base to the trailhead. Watch out for cyclists. I completed the Borel Hill and Windmill via Ridge and Ancient Oaks Trail in about 2 hours and 15 minutes. I did it counter-clockwise and would recommend this direction if you are going in the summer/starting late as ancient oaks has good amount of shade. Weather was great in the morning (slightly foggy). There were some wildflowers and the hills/trees were still green. The trail itself is nice but the views are average. Part of the ridge trail and Hawkins trail was overrun by tall grass so I had to push through it to continue the hike. Difficulty wise, the trail was easy with little elevation gain. I wore hiking shoes but it's not necessary. Overall, the Ridge and Hawkins trails could be better maintained in terms of the grass overgrowth, and there aren't any notable viewpoints, but there were lots of trail markers, greenery was nice, and the hikes are not too complicated so would possibly recommend for beginners. Very safe to do solo. I rate Russian Ridge a 3.5, rounding down to 3 as I think there are trails that are easier to access with better views nearby. Would possibly recommend for a beginner

this is a good place to stop by and enjoy the views. There are some benches if you follow the short…read morepath by the parking lot and next to the bathroom that takes you to an area that has some benches to sit on. The path is accessible, however, the end of the path has steps down into the benches. But if you are using a wheelchair, you could just stop towards the end of the path and still enjoy the views from higher above where the benches are. You can enjoy beautiful views of the redwoods and the mountains. There's also a restroom. if you start walking towards the trail on the right side of the bathroom, where there is a bridge, there are tons of Poison oak. we did not try any trails, but just stopped to use the restroom and taking the views.

O this is nice. What a beautiful time to be out…read more Get your walking done! Biking too. Great option to meet someone up and chat and walk - good for both of you! California is such a splendid place to live. How trails like this to enjoy

I'm a fan of flat trails when I go running, and this spot offered more than enough space to get my…read moresteps in this past Friday. Parking was easy. I followed Google maps to the "Parking Lot" on Oracle Parkway, though during my run I also saw plenty of parking available at the Redwood Shores Branch Library. Found a couple different public restrooms and picnic areas with tables along the path, including at the lot where I parked across from Oracle. Exercise stations, sculptures, and info boards too. There weren't many people around in the late afternoon, mainly just birds and insects. I trekked the section of the trail wrapping around Belmont Slough and made my way to the Redwood Shores Lagoon across the street on Marine Parkway as well. Enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere and views of nature during my time here.

A beautiful place to go on a run or a walk! Also great for bird watching and views of the Bay.read more

Great place to watch the sunset, see birds, and soak in nature. Highly encourage you to go and see…read morethis unique ecosystem!

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.

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

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.

Running along the wide gravel pathways on a Wednesday afternoon was invigorating, and the endless…read moreviews of nature therapeutic. A great opportunity for birdwatching too. I encountered many species, including geese grazing in the grassy fields and adorable ducks floating in the water. To add to the beautiful and serene setting, visitors can find art in the park as well (wind wave, pole fields, and chevrons), nothing too fancy but interesting enough, especially walking among the artworks and reading about them on the information boards posted along the trail. The small parking lot near Byxbee Park was full, but I had no problem finding street parking down the road on Embarcadero. There was also a public restroom available for convenience. Certainly a great place to get your steps in while appreciating the lovely scenery.

Beautiful spot to come on a warm day. My husband rides his bike near here and wanted to show me the…read morearea. I love all the birds here! It is a surprisingly long loop and we didn't finish the whole thing today, but we intend to return and do the rest of the loop soon...you should too!