Windy Hill Open Space Preserve: Some Miles in a Big Gap
Bay Area Ridge Trail Stats
Section: Windy Hill Open Space Preserve
Trail Mileage: 3.3 miles
My total miles to date: 6.3 miles
Date Hiked: 9.20.21
Difficulty: Easy
The Full Hike: Anniversary Trail - Lost Trail out-and-back. 6.9 miles.
Logistics
None involved. Completed this as an out-and-back hike from the parking area on Highway 35.
This would also be possible to do as a larger loop from the parking area on Portola Road and hiking the Razorback, Spring Ridge, and Betsey Crowder trails.
Parking
Spring Ridge Parking Area on Hwy 35
Strava
Trail Notes
Wanting to take advantage of the slightly cooler weather before the week warmed up, and to keep my weekly hiking streak going, but not feeling like committing to a bigger hike, choosing Windy Hill seemed like a great option for my next section of the Ridge Trail. I’ve been to Windy Hill a few times before since it’s one of the better dog-friendly hiking areas on the Peninsula, but the Ridge Trail portion is not fully dog-friendly, so I hadn’t hiked the full section yet, only the Anniversary Trail part. This portion of the Ridge Trail is currently a standalone section in a relatively large gap in miles connecting the Peninsula and the South Bay. Which I actually find to be interesting, since Skyline Blvd is home to many Midpeninsula Open Space Preserves. I would think there would be more connecting trail in the area!
My hiking buddy for the day (Mom) and I set off around 10 am, and had the trail all to ourselves, thanks to it being a Monday. The trail climbs a bit to the turn-off for the spur up to Windy Hill, which we didn’t do today, and then continues around the ridge to the next spur up to the Herb Grench overlook, which we did climb up. The trail continues to hug the exposed ridge with views of Stanford University and the Dish below, Mt. Diablo, the Easy Bay hills, and even San Francisco to the north. After about a mile of walking, the trail dips into the trees, and we were engulfed in the slight smells of Petrichor (the smell of soil after rain) owing to the little bit of rain that fell two nights before. I loved this part of the trail, and I enjoyed walking through the trees on the relatively flat, wide trail. This was feeling like a more immersive nature walk with the sounds of wind and petrichor smell permeating the environment. There were some small inclines, but the trail would quickly correct itself back to flat before long. At the intersection of the Razorback Trail, there was a piped spring, and then the trail gained the most elevation at once: the last climb back up to Highway 35.
The return trip was quick. We hiked the 3.3 miles in a little over an hour and enjoyed watching a hang glider above us as we walked under Windy Hill. Sadly, the smog settled in more across the Bay and the ring of brown air was apparent, but we were lucky earlier this morning with such a clear, crisp view.