Peninsula Trails. Jean Rusmore
youth camp. Welch-hurst Hostel in Sanborn-Skyline Park and the Montara and Pigeon Point Lighthouse hostels provide accommodations for travelers year-round. Be aware that most hostels close from 9:30 A.M. to 4 P.M. daily. Hidden Villa Hostel closes from 11 A.M. to 4 P.M.
Trail Building and Maintenance
The success of trail programs depends to a great extent on careful operation, good maintenance and citizen cooperation. Various organizations, including the Santa Cruz Mountains Trail Association, Scouts, Sierra Club, the Trail Center, school groups, MROSD Preserve Partners, and San Mateo County volunteers, are making valuable contributions in trail building and clean-up projects. They also perform an important role in disseminating trail information and promoting a sense of stewardship for public land and respect for private property. See Appendix III.
Long Distance Trails
Four long Bay Area trails include segments in the area covered by this guidebook. With the completion of more than 267 miles of the proposed 400-mile Bay Area Ridge Trail and 251 miles of the San Francisco Bay Trail, users already have an unparalleled opportunity to explore our region at its highest elevations on the ridgetops and at sea level along the San Francisco Bay. Local pathways, like spokes of a wheel, will eventually connect our communities with both these encircling trail systems.
The Bay Area Ridge Trail is being developed by the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council working with the National Park Service, state and local park departments, regional open-space districts, and water agencies, and has completed 267 miles. In the area covered by this guide, it will link Peninsula trails from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in San Francisco through San Mateo County’s mountainside parks to Saratoga Gap. Already more than 44 miles of trail in this corridor are completed; only a few gaps remain.
The San Francisco Bay Trail is being implemented by the Association of Bay Area Governments, the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, and the nonprofit San Francisco Bay Trail Project. At the time of this guide’s publication, 251 miles of trail are in place, 43 miles of which are in San Mateo County.
The Coastal Trail along the San Mateo County Coastside, part of a Pacific Coast Trail from Canada to Mexico, is being implemented by federal, state and local jurisdictions. Local citizens assist in planning, implementation and trail maintenance. Many sections are completed and are described in the San Mateo Coast Beaches section of this book. At this writing there are 42 miles of trail completed.
The Anza Trail, a National Historic Trail, follows the path of Captain Juan Bautista de Anza on his quest to find a land route from Mexico to San Francisco in 1776. Now local agencies, under the auspices of the National Park Service, are marking this trail. Handsome signs along Highway 85 indicate that the trail goes somewhere nearby.
For more information on these ongoing projects, see Appendix III.
Information for Trail Users
The main purpose of this guide is to describe trips through our parks and preserves, giving a detailed account of each trail and information on elevation change, terrain, orientation, trip distance, and hiking time. The authors have drawn on their own experience of hiking on all the trails in this guide. Their enthusiasms are, of course, subjective, but directions, trail distances, and details of natural features are intended to be objective and concise.
Travel times are based on a moderate hiking pace, which averages about two miles an hour, taking into account the difficulty of the terrain and the elevation gain. Trip distances are stated as one way, loop, or round trip. Trip times are those required to complete the trips as described. Of course, time for bicyclists or equestrians will differ from that for hikers.
Figures for elevation change tell the vertical footage gained or lost from the start to the highest or lowest point of the trip. These figures do not include minor elevation changes along the way. When the outward leg of a loop or a round trip is uphill, the elevation change is given as a gain; then, of course, the return leg will be an elevation loss. Conversely, when the outward leg is downhill, the elevation change is given as a loss.
To estimate the time required for a trip where the cumulative gain is more than 1000 feet or where there are steep climbs within a short distance, the authors used an old hiking rule: for every 1000 vertical feet gain, add ½ hour to the time that would be required on level ground.
Trails for Different Seasons and Reasons in Appendix I groups trails for a variety of purposes and situations, from long hikes and steep mountain climbs in large parks and preserves to strolls on gentle paths past tidal marshes and ocean beaches. These suggestions may help those unfamiliar with the Peninsula and its Coastside to find a suitable trail or perhaps inspire seasoned hikers to try new trails in our parks and open-space preserves. It is not an exhaustive list. Users can add their favorites.
Every effort has been made to make this guide up-to-date, but new parks and preserves opening in the future undoubtedly will provide new trails.
Maps
On the Map of Peninsula Trails in the beginning of this book, the general locations of parks, preserves, and watersheds are shown keyed to three sections that correspond with the table of contents—Northern, Central, and Southern
Peninsula—as delineated by the three major roads crossing from Bay to Coast. An enlarged map precedes each of these three sections in the text., and a map also accompanies each park or preserve. Separate maps of the San Francisco Bay Trail and the Coastal Trail in San Mateo County precede those sections of the book and are presented from north to south.
Individual maps of all the parks and preserves, specially prepared for this book, show trail routes and entry points, main natural features, elevations, park facilities, and parking areas for cars and horse trailers. These maps are a valuable reference for hikers, runners, bicyclists, and equestrians, as well as for those who wish to picnic or just relax in public recreation sites. Although many parks and preserves offer trails maps, these are not always available. To secure more information, leaflets, and maps, and free docent-led walks and tours in MROSD preserves, federal, state, and county parks, write, phone or visit the agency’s website listed in Appendix III.
In addition to these public agencies, the Trail Center is a volunteer organization that serves as a source of information about local trails and trail activities. Among publications available are a four-county parks map and a trail map of the southern Peninsula, now available through Wilderness Press.
Excellent topographic maps are available from the United States Geological Survey headquarters and from many sporting-goods stores. The western district headquarters of the USGS is at 345 Middlefield Road, Menlo Park. The map sales and information office, Building 3, a fascinating place worth a trip in itself, is open from 8 A.M. to 4 P.M. USGS maps are published in a 7.5-minute series. Some local trails are shown on these maps, but it is the topographic information that is of particular interest to the trail user—contours and natural features, such as wooded areas, clearings, creeks, lakes, and mountains. Although topo maps are not necessary for using the trails in this guide, they can add to your understanding of the terrain. After you have learned to read the contour lines, you can visualize the shape and elevation of the land they represent. Then you can tell by the spacing of the contour lines whether the grade on the trail will be steep or gentle.
The area of this guide is covered by quadrangles of the 7.5-minute series, listed here from north to south: San Francisco South, Montara Mountain, San