Russian Ridge: Finishing Off My First Continuous Section
Bay Area Ridge Trail Stats
Section: Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve
Trail Mileage: 3.4 miles
My total miles to date: 28.5 miles
Date Hiked: 2.28.2022
Difficulty: Easy
The Full Hike: Ridge Trail out-and-back from Russian Ridge Parking to Rapley Ranch Road. 6.9 miles.
Logistics
None involved. Completed this as an out-and-back hike from the open space preserve parking lot on Highway 35 & Alpine Rd.
Parking
Russian Ridge Preserve Parking
Strava
Trail Notes
Earlier this month, I started at this parking lot and hiked south on the Ridge Trail for my first Ridge Trail overnighter, but I still had 3.4 miles to hike from the parking lot to the northern end of this section, which ends at Rapley Ranch Road. Once I hike these next 3.4 miles, I’ll have my longest continuous section of the Ridge Trail completed! So very exciting.
Usually, when I hike, I go early in the morning to avoid crowds and beat the heat, and just get out for the day. This time though, I knew I’d be on the ridge and overlooking the mountains out to the ocean, so I wanted to do a late afternoon hike and catch the sunset from Borel Hill.
I started hiking around 2:45 pm and immediately had a mini-climb up to the ridge from the parking lot along the gravelly multi-use path. As I got started, I noted the timing between my hike being at Russian Ridge and the current geopolitical climate of Putin’s Russia invading Ukraine. Russian Ridge is named after a Russian immigrant who ran a dairy farm here from approximately 1920 to 1950. An immigrant, looking for a better life for himself and his family. I sent thoughts and hope to Ukraine and hiked along, thinking about the world.
It was a perfect afternoon - not too hot, and a slight breeze in the air. The hills around me were green, and the sun was glowing on the ocean in the distance. I had already hiked some of this trail a few years before, and it was a joy to be back. The trail is so nice and just has amazing views! Once I reached the new-to-me part of the trail, it turned slightly downhill - literally and figuratively. There were many power lines and towers in this part of the trail, and two huge houses up on the hillside. It was fine, but the views from the earlier part are better and unobstructed. I did get to see my first California poppies of the season, and there was a beautiful blossoming tree - most likely a cherry plum. I also identified Purple Owl’s-clover and Dwarf Checkermallow thanks to my Seek app. Using the Seek app is the best part of having cell service on a hike!
After an hour and a half, we reached Rapley Ranch Road and the end of the Ridge Trail section! It isn’t too much further to Windy Hill from this point, but there is not a trail yet to connect these two parts of the Ridge Trail. Some day, there will be, and I’ll be back to connect the two parts on a trail. We turned around at the road and hiked back up, a little quicker just because I wanted to soak in golden hour and sunset on the top of the ridge and near Borel Hill. The glow of the sun was beautiful on the dry grasses, and when it got closer to sunset, the contrast of blue hour over the SF Bay and the glowing, setting sun over the Santa Cruz Mountains and the ocean was simply stunning.
After taking many pictures, it was time to hike the last half mile back to the car. As I was descending the ridge, I saw a huge herd of deer up above on a hill. I’d never seen such a large group of deer before, but I guess safety in numbers is a thing when you’re in mountain lion country at dusk! It got dark quickly, and I even broke the headlamp out. This was such a departure from my usual hiking, which happens exclusively in the daylight, or just before sunrise. I enjoyed watching the sunset and doing a little night hiking afterward. It feels natural to end the day on that note.
