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Joseph D. Grant Park

Ranch House at Grant Park

View of Calero Park from Canada del Oro Park

Horses at Calero

See the Owls at Alum Rock Park >>

Southbay Ramblers

2008 Hiking Schedule

January 12th - Picchetti Ranch Open Space Preserve. This hike is approximately six miles long in both the Picchetti Ranch Area and the adjacent Stevens Creek Park.  We'll begin at the Pichetti Ranch parking area (directions below) and pass by the winery complex and through remnants of orchards and vineyards from the early days of the ranch. After a short climb to the oak-shaded hilltop overlooking Stevens Creek Reservoir, we'll descend past the pond and down the Zinfandel Trail through oak-studded and chaparral-coverd hills to Stevens Creek.  From there, we'll take the little-known Canyon Trail up Stevens Canyon to the paved road and walk along the creek back to the Zinfandel Trail for the return climb. This hike should take about two and a half hours, and the Winery will be open for tasting at about the time we return (11:00 AM).  There are also picnic tables at the winery complex for those who want to stay. .- Leader Fran Click here for maps and directions.

January 26th - CANCELLED Due to Bad Weather Condtions! Henry Coe State Park - We'll start our hike at Coe Headquarters where we'll take the Monument trail to the Hobbs Trail. The Hobbs trail will bring us to Frog Lakewhere we'll take the Middle Ridge trail to the Fish Trail. We will then connect to the Corral Trail which will take us back to Headquarters. This is a 6.4 mile loop. Elevation is 1600 ft. The land is primarily covered  with grassland and chaparral, but we'll also come through oak woodland.  Meet at the trailhead at 9:00 a.m. or at the carpool location at Ohlone/Chynoweth Lightrail station on Santa Teresa Blvd at 8:00 a.m.. There is a parking fee of $ 5.00 (seniors $3.00) to be paid at the office. Directions to the park are: Take Highway 101 South to East Dunne Avenue and turn left. Drive 13 miles to the park. The road is very narrow and curvy! Leader - Hilleguus. Click here for maps and directions.

February 9th - Stanford Campus . The Stanford campus has on display over 100 works of public, outdoor sculpture.  On this hike we will pass by a number of these on our way to the big dish antenna and back.  We will start at the front of the Cantor Art Museum, take a look at the Stone River and the Rodin Sculpure garden, and then head southwest past the Hoover Tower towards the big dish antenna on the hill.  Along the way we will pass by Stanford's Main Quad, the Memorial Church, the Lou Henry Hoover house (home of our 31st President), and the Hanna House (designed by Frank Lloyd Wright).  On the return we will pass through the New Guinea Sculpure Garden and Maya Lin's Timetable sculpture.  After we return, the Cantor Museum will be open for those who want to spend some time inside.  The Museum houses an extensive and varied art collection and the Cool Cafe (featuring dishes from chef Jesse Cool of Flea Street Cafe).  Admission to the Museum is free: however,there is a donation box.  This hike is approximately 6.5 miles in length and is flat, except for some gentle hills on campus and a short, steep climb to the dish.  To allow for viewing the sights, we will probably take three to four hours to complete it. Meet at 8:30 a.m. in front of the Cantor Art Museum. Leader Fran. Click here for maps and directions.

February 23rd - CANCELLED due to predicted weather condtions. Sanborn Park, Saratoga. Come join us on a challenging and scenic hike in Sanborn Park, just minutes from the village of Saratoga. We will take the Sanborn Trail to the Skyline Trail and pay a visit to Indian Rock walking through beautiful redwoods along on the way. We will return via Sanborn Trail connecting to San Andreas Trail back which will take us back to the parking lot. This hike is approximately 4.5 hours long. If you want a slightly shorter hike, you can loop back to the parking lot from the San Andreas loop. Bring lunch to eat at Indian Rock. We will meet at the Sanborn County Park parking lot at 8:30 a.m. Contact Dawn at (408) 930-3296 or via email at southbayramblers@yahoo.com for more information. Click here for map and directions: Proper Hiking Shoes highly recommended for this hike. Leader - Dawn

March 8th- Almaden Quicksilver - Hacienda Entrance. We'll make a 7 1/2 mile loop with beautiful vista's of New Almaden while walking through chaparral, grassland and oak woodlands. We'll see some remnants of the quicksilver mining era as we walk along. The hike is strenuous, because of some steep hills and it will takes us 3 hours to complete. Click here for maps and directions. Leader Dawn

March 15 - Pinnacles National Monument - This is an Extra Hike Event - Lovely High Peaks Loop, 10 miles or so, may be shortened. Dinner follows at Jardine's in San Juan Bautista. This is a relaxed hike...come see the vistas, wildflowers, and great Visitor's Center! Bring water, lunch, and FLASHLIGHTS AND GLOVES if you want to go through the caves. Meet at the carpool location at St. Edwards Church in Los Gatos at 6:00 a.m. or at the trailhead at Pinnacles at 8:30 a.m. RSVP to Jane Bishop by Thursday for hiking, where you are meeting, and whether you will be having dinner at Jardine's. Leader Jane Bishop, 408/356-7796. Click here for maps and directions.

March 22 –Monte Bello Open Space: We'll start at the Monte Bello parking area (free, 45 cars) on Page Mill Road, 1.5 miles from Skyline and 7.3 miles from 280 or carpool from 4th street in Saratoga..  The six mile round trip should take about 2 1/2 hours and is on the Canyon, Bella Vista, and Old Ranch trails, past the camping and restroom area, and on Monte Bello Road for a short distance to the summit of Black Mountain.  The return is down the Indian Creek Trail, along the Canyon Trail and up the Stevens Creek Nature Trail.  From Black Mountain there are views of the Santa Clara Valley and the Mt. Hamilton Range as well as Stevens Canyon and Skyline Ridge.  From the vista point on the Stevens Creek Nature Trail, the view is down Stevens Creek Canyon to Mt. Umunhum and Loma Prieta in the distance.  Deep within the canyon, the trail parallels the headwaters of Stevens Creek. Leader: Fran. Click here for Map and directions.

April 12 –Big Basin State Park - Berry Falls: We will do the the loop to Berry Falls that goes up the Sunset Trail and drops down past Silver, Golden, & Berry Creek Falls to return to Big Basin Headquarters on the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail.. Leader Dawn/Fran/Jane . Click here for directions and maps.

April 26 –Santa Teresa Wild Flower Hike.Santa Teresa Park is located in the Santa Teresa Hills in south San Jose and supports many diverse plant and wildlife habitats.  Our hike will be mostly in open grasslands and on gentle slopes.  We'll start with a climb to Coyote Peak, where there are views of southern Santa Clara Valley and the Diablo and Santa Cruz Mountains.  There are spectacular wildflower displays along several trails in the spring.  We will be following two of Santa Clara County Park's Healthy Trails on this hike: the Hidden Springs/Coyote Peak/Rocky Ridge Loop and the Fortini Loop.  The hike is about seven miles long and should take about three and half hours. Leader Fran. Click here for directions and maps.

May 10 - Hidden Villa. We will hike up the Hostel Trail to the summit of Elephant Mountain which has views of Mt. Tamalpias and the Santa Clara Valley.  The trail continues to the west end of Rancho San Antonio Open Space where a walk down the Black Mountain Trail leads to the Duveneck Windmill Pasture Loop.  The return is back up the Black Mountain Trail from which there are views to the east of the Santa Clara Valley and the entire length of Rancho San Antonio.  We will return down the Ewing Hill Trail to the Adobe Creek Trail along the East Fork of Adobe Creek which leads back to the farm.  The total length of this hike is a little over five miles, which should take about two and a half hours.  Over half is in the shade.  We will pass by gardens, pastures, farm animals, and buildings at the start and end.  Among the historic buildings are White House and White Barn, both of which were constructed along Adobe Creek in the 1860s. An optional hike at the end is either one of the Bunny Loops (1.25 mi and 1.75 mi) on the other side of the canyon. Contact Dawn at (408) 930-3296 or via email at southbayramblers@yahoo.com for more information. Leader Fran. Click here for map and directions.

May 24th –Castle Rock State Park. Join us on this wonderful and exhilarating hike. We will hike an approximately 8 mile loop stating at the Saratoga Gap Trail from the main park headquarters, going through the campsite to Loghry Woods Trail. We'll cross Hwy 35 and walk back to the parking lot on Skyline Trail.  Allow approximately 3 hours for this hike.  Meet us at the trailhead at 8:30 a.m or carpool from 4th Street in Saratoga at 8 a.m. Leader Dawn. Click here for directions and maps.

June 14th - Stevens Creek County Park. Meet at the Stevens Creek County Park Parking Lot at 8:30 a.m. We will be hiking along the Coyote Ridge and making a complete loop back to the parking lot via Vista Loop Trail and the Lookout Trail. This is a wonderful refreshing hike with good combination of hills and flat lands. We will be hiking for approximately 3 hours. Click here for directions and maps. Leader Fran. Contact Dawn at (408) 930-3296 or via email at southbayramblers@yahoo.com for more information.

June 28th - Sanborn Park, Saratoga. Come join us on a challenging and scenic hike in Sanborn Park, just minutes from the village of Saratoga. We will take the Sanborn Trail to the Skyline Trail and pay a visit to Indian Rock walking through beautiful redwoods along on the way. We will return via Sanborn Trail connecting to San Andreas Trail back which will take us back to the parking lot. This hike is approximately 4.5 hours long. If you want a slightly shorter hike, you can loop back to the parking lot from the San Andreas loop. Bring lunch to eat at Indian Rock. We will meet at the Sanborn County Park parking lot at 8:30 a.m. Contact Dawn at (408) 930-3296 or via email at southbayramblers@yahoo.com for more information. Click here for map and directions: Proper Hiking Shoes highly recommended for this hike. Leader - Dawn

July 12th -Skyline Ridge/Russian Ridge Open Space - Come and enjoy this great hike at two of the Open Space preserves most beautiful parks. We start at Skyline Ridge where will be hiking by two ponds (Horseshoe and Alpine), both with water, some woodlands and grasslands, and a view of the ocean along the way. We will then take a three mile loop from Alpine Pond into the Russian Ridge Open Space that has some simultaneous bay and ocean views as well as some very old oak trees.  This hike is will be approximately 8 miles and should take us approximately 3.5 hours to complete. Carpool from 4th Street in Saratoga at 8:00 a.m. or meet 8:30 a.m. at the parking lot at Skyline Ridge at 8:30 a.m. Click here to see pictures of hike preview.
Click here for maps and directions. Leader Fran.

July 26th - Almaden Quicksilver. Meet at the trailhead on McAbee Road at 8:30 a.m. We will begin the hike from the McAbee Road Entrance to the park. We'll take the Senador Mine trail to the Guadalupe Trail. After that we'll take the Randol Trail to Prospect #3, which connect us with the New Almaden Trail. We follow this beautiful shadowed trail all the way back to Mine Hill. Length of this hike is approximately 3 hours. Leader - Hilleguus. Contact Dawn at (408) 930-3296 for for more information. Click here for map and directions:

August 9th - Shoreline at Mountain View- Mostly flat. We will take a long bay front walk beginning at Shoreline Park in Mountain View heading towards Byxbee Park in Palo Alto , make a brief stop at the Palo Alto Duck Pond and continue to the Palo Alto Baylands Nature Center , which will be our turnaround spot.  2.5 hours total.  Bring a hat and plenty of sunscreen.  Bird watchers bring binoculars. Leader Monica.

Directions:  Take the San Antonio Road exit from the 101.  Go right on San Antonio and continue towards Mountain View .  San Antonio ends at Terminal Blvd , which is the park entrance.  Plenty of parking. We will meet at 8:30 AM. 

August 23rd - Castle Rock to Saratoga Gap : Join us on this great summer hike in Castle Rock. We'll start at the parking lot at the intersection of highway 9 and 35. We'll make a 8 mile round trip, mostly shaded with some beautiful views at Castle Rock State Park, and we'll end our hike on a section of the Saratoga Gap Trail that runs through private property. Carpool from 4th Street in Saratoga at 8:00 a.m. or meet 8:30 a.m. at parking lot at intersection of highway 9 and 35. Leader Hilleguus. Click here for maps and directions.

September 13th - Portola Redwoods State Park and Pescadero Creek County Park These parks are adjacent to each other in San Mateo County.  They are located in a natural stream basin of mixed evergreen forest.  Features of these parks are old growth and second-growth coast redwoods and douglas fir which give way to hardwoods, chaparral and grasslands on sunnier hillsides.  Huckleberry is the most common understory shrub, and  ferns, horsetails and other shade-tolerant plants are found along the creeks.  The creeks flow along fault lines where oil seepage and marine fossil deposits hint at the complex geologic history of the area.  Our hike from the park visitors center will follow the Iverson and Pomponio Trails to the Tarwater Loop.  Highlights of our walk will include an abandoned mill site, an albino redwood sapling, one of the largest coast redwoods in the area, an old pioneer cabin, and natural tar in Tarwater Creek.  Water and restrooms are available only at the beginning and end.  Leader Fran. Click here for maps and directions.

September 27th - Fall Creek, Henry Cowell State Park Fall Creek Hike (Felton). Don't miss this great hike. Enjoy the cool shade and creek on the Fall Creek and Big Ben trails, about 7 miles with some uphill to the Big Ben tree. (Great summer hike.) Bring lunch to eat at the Big Ben tree. Carpool from Los Gatos "Free Unlimited Parking" lot at 7:50 a.m.. It is approx. 20 miles to the trailhead parking just above Felton at the FALL CREEK UNIT of HENRY COWELL REDWOODS STATE PARK. Contact Dawn at (408) 930-3296 or via email at southbayramblers@yahoo.com for more information. Leader: Dawn. Click here for directions and maps.

October 11th - Coal Mine Ridge. Leader Fran. Coal Mine Ridge is a part of the town of Portola Valley, but its trails are open to the public.  We will meet at the Windy Hill parking lot and start on the Betsy Crowder trail and continue through the east side of Windy Hill Open Space Preserve on our way to the ridge. On our hike up the Old Spanish Trail we will catch glimpses of the Bay and eastern foothills and in the foreground Foothills Park.  We will return on the Toyon Trail which cuts into the steep side of the ridge and descends through an oak forest on a gentle grade into the canyon of Corte Madera Creek.  Along the way we will have peeks of the heavily wooded flanks of the Windy Hill preserve.  This is a moderate hike of about six miles and 500' of elevation gain and it should take about three hours to complete. Directions to trail head: The lower parking lot for Windy Hill is located on Portola Rd. in the town of Portola Valley.  From I-280, exit Alpine Road and go south about 2.9 miles to Portola Road (the first stop sign).  Turn right on Portola Road and travel 0.8 miles to the Windy Hill parking lot on the left side of the road.

November 8th - Mission Peak - Mission Peak overlooks Fremont, and it's spectacular panorama includes the southern arm of San Francisco Bay and the area from San Jose to Mount Tamalpais.  To the north there are views of Mount Diablo, the San Ramon Valley, and the Hamilton Range.  This is a strenuous hike of about seven miles with a climb of nearly 2,200 feet, but the views are worth it.  Our ascent will be on the Hidden Valley Trail and the descent on the Horse Heaven and Peak Meadow Trails.  In addition to summiting Mission Peak, along the way we will view the old McClure ranchhouse in Hidden Valley and the A.A. Moore Memorial Grove of magnificent live oak trees.  There is no water on the trail.  There is a toilet at the start and near the peak. Meet at 8:30 a.m. at the trailhead or 8:00 at the carpool loation. Leader Fran. Click here for details maps and directions.

November 22nd - Henry Coe State Park - Leader Hilleguus. We'll start our hike at Coe Headquarters where we'll take the Monument trail to the Hobbs Trail. The Hobbs trail will bring us to Frog Lake where we'll take the Middle Ridge trail to the Fish Trail. We will then connect to the Corral Trail which will take us back to Headquarters. This is a 6.4 mile loop. Elevation is 1600 ft. The land is primarily covered  with grassland and chaparral, but we'll also come through oak woodland. Click here for maps and details.

Note: Hike Cancelled Due to Rain! December 13th - Alum Rock Park. North Rim Trail to Boccardo Trail Open Space - We began the hike by accessing the North Rim Trail from the Big Bear Parking lot in the park which is at the far west boundary of the park. We proceeded along the north side of the canyon where we got a panorama view of the Santa Clara Valley and San Francisco Bay from the Eagle Rock Overlook. We then connected to the Boccardo Trail from the Todd Quick Trail. At the top of the Todd Quick Trail (1- to 1.5-miles) there will be a gate that will lead to the Boccardo Trail. We then hiked for one and half miles to the prominent knoll which is 1896 feet in elevation and offers a spectacular view of the valley. The descent back down was via the Boccardo Trail where we connected back to the Todd Quick Trail and then to the North Rim Trail which lead us back to the parking lot. Click here for directions and park information. Leader: Fran

December 20th - Alum Rock Park. North Rim Trail to Boccardo Trail Open Space - We began the hike by accessing the North Rim Trail from the Big Bear Parking lot in the park which is at the far west boundary of the park. We proceeded along the north side of the canyon where we got a panorama view of the Santa Clara Valley and San Francisco Bay from the Eagle Rock Overlook. We then connected to the Boccardo Trail from the Todd Quick Trail. At the top of the Todd Quick Trail (1- to 1.5-miles) there will be a gate that will lead to the Boccardo Trail. We then hiked for one and half miles to the prominent knoll which is 1896 feet in elevation and offers a spectacular view of the valley. The descent back down was via the Boccardo Trail where we connected back to the Todd Quick Trail and then to the North Rim Trail which lead us back to the parking lot. Click here for directions and park information. Leader: Fran

December 27 - Joseph D. Grant County: Join us on this wonderful post at Grant County Park. At 9,553 acres, Grant is the largest park in Santa Clara County.  It is located in Halls Valley and the foothills of the Diablo Mountain Range east of San Jose.  The landscape is characteristic of the eastern foothills of the Santa Clara Valley with both grasslands and majestic oak trees. The park's somewhat remote location shelters a great variety of wildlife and plants. Our eight mile loop hike is moderate and should take a little over three hours.  There is one long climb of about 1,300 feet elevation.  Near the beginning we will make a short visit to the old ranch house. Before our climb into the foothills, we will pass by Grant Lake with its abundant waterfoul.  While on the ridge and before our descent back into the valley, we will enjoy magnificent views of Mt. Hamilton, Halls Valley, and in the distance, the Santa Cruz Mountains. Meet at 8:00 a.m. at the carpool location or 8:30 a.m. at the trailhead. Leader Fran. Click here for carpool info, directions and links to maps.

Click here for 2009 Hiking Schedule