"Beautiful Mountain" Yes, indeed!…read more PSA: No dogs allowed - I had to leave mine at home. It's ok, you can enjoy this one alone! Take the drive! Yes, the road is windy and please slow for cyclists on your way up. Come along, sing a song. Dancing feet, magical retreat. Bring a friend or brave alone, it'll be worthwhile - 2, 4, or 7 miles! Our small group hiked the 7 mile loop, and had many photos stops along the way. Our leisure hike took approximately 4.5 hours. We spotted a tarantula early on the trail, other hiking groups, a backpacking group, bikers in groups and a few solo peeps. Shaded Hike & Open Space Sunny Hike: If you're wanting a shaded hike, start on the White Oak Trail located to the right of the Monte Bello parking. If you begin your hike on Bella Vista Trail, it's more of an open space with direct sunlight. Start early and enjoy! =)

Monte Bello is a hidden treasure for the Mid-Peninsula area…read more Funny thing, though. For being hidden, it's sure well known. To get there, you drive seven miles up a narrow, windy road. You're wondering if there's anything here besides big houses on tree-filled hills. Make a sharp left at Foothills Park - oops, never mind, you don't live in PA, you can't drive in here. More driving, more driving . . . and you finally get there, only to find a spacious parking lot crammed with cars. Here's why I gave it five stars: At first, it looks like typical landscape on this part of the Peninsula. But then I went down the narrow Stevens Creek Nature Trail. And ended up in a deep, dark forest with a babbling brook, pretty wildflowers, romantic bridges, and interpretive signs to explain what you're gazing at. If you felt like you got away from it all by driving up Page Mill Road, now you *really* feel like you're away from it all. Monte Bello also has a few peaks to climb up, and a backpacking camp. I'm itching to come back to try these out. I was not here long enough to really appreciate Monte Bello, but I saw enough to appreciate it a LOT. I had written about Russian Ridge that it's part of a conglomerate of Mid-Peninsula Open Space Preserves that gives you a few days of outback hiking. Monte Bello is part of that conglomerate, which combines with Los Trancos (and Foothills Park, but don't tell anyone, shhhh) to give you even more wandering. And bring a lunch, because you'll be so mesmerized that you may forget to leave and get food.

One of our favorite reserve California sites! The final 20 miles drive there is a little…read moretreacherous but once you get there all is great. We had enough sun and sky for our solar and Starlink and site 21 was huge for our van camper. The pad was semi level so we only needed a few leveling blocks. There were many nice hiking trails and the bathrooms were clean. There were also dishwashing stations (but no hot water). It was a little strange to see all the teslas lol.

This is my favorite spot to go camping! It definitely gets harder to reserve here each year since…read moreevery available campsite gets booked so fast, but when we're lucky to secure a spot, I always have a great time. My friends and I reserved two campsites next to each other, site 46 and 48, and it was so fun. I love the shade and tranquility that the tall redwood trees provide and how scenic the trails are. Also really enjoyed walking through the Old Tree Trail and loved reading the informative placards along the way. Although I didn't attend them, there are always fun, all-ages-welcomed activities hosted by the park like a Twilight Stroll or Marshmallow Roasting which I appreciated. Definitely a very kid-friendly spot. Beware: super windy roads leading to the park, a lot of mosquitos at the height of summer (wear long sleeves!) and there is no reception which I think is a plus. Really forces you to fully unplug and take a break from screens. I usually bring my dog here since it's a dog-friendly campground though dogs are restricted from most hiking/walking trails here and didn't bring him this time; took advantage of this by finally hiking some of the trails I previously didn't get a chance to explore. Bathrooms are pretty clean and toilet paper is usually stocked. This time, the bathrooms by site 53 ran out of toilet paper around late Saturday night but was restocked the next morning. I also appreciated the camp hosts going to each campsite to check if we needed more wood, which costs $15/bundle. Overall, I'm giving 4/5 stars because site 48 was quite slopey so it definitely made sleeping at night an experience (gradually sliding down each hour). I've camped here about 5 times now at all different sites and a lot of them weren't very flat.

Underbear Newish…read more±1,400-acre Open Space Preserve that's located only three-mikes south of Los Gatos, and is one of the few places in the area left to see Old-growth Redwoods. The Good: *Free! *One of the newer OSPs, as it officially opened in ±2019 *Fairly large paved parking lot that holds ±30 vehicles, including three ADA parking spots. There's a separate parking lot at the stables, but you need a permit. *Over ten miles of hiking trails *ADA Compliant trail around the pond in the parking lot. *Horses OK (check trail signage) *Picnic tables in the parking lot *As mentioned above, one of the few places in the South Bay that you can view old-growth Redwoods that doesn't require you to drive down to Felton (Henry Cowell) or Big Basin. *If you're looking for a challenge, the Upper Peter Siemens Trail-Madrone Knoll Trail has an elevation gain of ±1,500' over ±3.5 miles The Meh: *No dogs/pets The Ugly: *Restrooms in the parking lot, but I believe they were vault toilets--don't look down! 0_o Conclusion: Great place to get your hike on if you're in the South Bay and don't feel like a terribly long drive.

The 6.2-mile 1000 feet of elevation is now my new favorite local trail, especially having recently…read morewatched Hamnet, the scenery felt strangely cinematic, as if certain moments--especially the cave entrance--had been lifted directly from the film. In Hamnet, the cave stands as a symbol of that mysterious realm of death, the void from which we come and to which we ultimately return. Yet on this beautiful sunny afternoon, as life breathes through every tree, every leaf, and every small flower, and as I feel the gentle care and encouragement of those beside me, I realized, not in a limbo zone way, that the world, exactly as it is, is beautiful enough. Heaven must be even better. https://youtube.com/shorts/xiQGHA3WKrY?si=womdxeGsiEBLsH0W

We drove to the Purisima Creek Road Parking Area, arriving at 9:50 on Friday as the 5th car in the…read more7 spaces lot. Toilet at trailhead; out of TP by afternoon so BYOpaper just in case. Walking next to the creek was easy and tranquil. Looped up Craig Britton Trail for vista views. Had a trail lunch at a u turn. Later at Harkins Ridge Trail, we were treated to see and hear a beautiful bird pecking on a tree trunk. I think the best part of hiking this trail is the lack of people; we had the forest to ourselves. We finished this 7.4 miles loop in 4 hrs, including a lunch stop.

Did the Whittemore Gulch and Harkins Loop trail a few weeks back and boy oh boy, the the hike was…read moreamazing. Route was strenuous, as advertised but awesome. The hike was about 80% shaded in some of the most gorgeous redwood forests, with crisp woodsy air, and lots of flora and wildlife. Wooded trails were nice and cool, which afforded a welcome respite from the warmer ambient temperature (non forested). Saw a lot of banana slugs, some dear, and a bunch of flowers of different types-some endemic and sadly some invasive to the bay. The hike offered views of the bay (at the expense of no shade) on top of the ridge, which was neat. Elevation gain of the hike was approximately 1500 feet, which was gradual in some parts but more steep on others. Didn't use a hiking pole, but wish I did because my legs felt like jello afterwards! The hike which was advertised as around 7 miles took my friend and me about 3h45m (advertised recommended time as 4h-4h30m) with a bunch of rest breaks. Definitely would be back to explore the other trails and get a good dose of trees and nature.

Came here for the Spring Ridge Trail hike on 8/1, which is 2 miles one-way. There is a public…read moreparking lot right where the trail head is, it does get full but there is street parking right outside the lot as well. There is a bathroom outhouse right in front of the trail. This trail isn't too steep, mostly slow incline all the way up except for a few short steeper parts. The path is mostly dirt and lots of small rocks especially on the hilly parts. On the way, we saw some insects like flies, dragonflies, and a warning sign for rattlesnakes. Also saw 1 lizard.

Had my first hike of the year, and it was a beauty! The weather worked in my favor, and hitting…read moregolden hour was a bonus. I should have stayed longer to hit sunset, but that can be for another time. It was definitely windy, so be mindful of that if you decide to trek here. The views were so worth it!

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.

Redwoods hike in the rain. We were in a cabin in the area and went out in a short window when the…read morerain wasn't so bad. The good thing about coming in the rain is no one else is around, we were the only ones on the windy roads and the only ones here. We did the bridge trail since the Tarwater trail was closed, wanted the kids to see the natural tar in the water and know why you shouldn't drink too much of the water from this area. The stream is full and alive during the rain and even the drive to here and back was epic. We came for redwoods and water but if you go on certain trails you can see the abandoned cabin and an old industrial water tank. There are amazing views of clouds and trees mixed together during this season. We stopped many times to take pictures of all this. We didn't see any animals because of the rain but the kids enjoyed seeing the different mushrooms, ferns along the creek, and looking for four leaf clovers.

Love this park! So glad San Mateo county parks used Pescadero Creek as part of the 2024 Take a…read morehike challenge. We've been back twice since going for the first time in February or March. Beautiful redwoods throughout the park. We tried the Pomponio trail; unfortunately all bridges over the creek are washed out so we weren't able to complete the loop trail. Regardless, hiking here is wonderful. Lots of banana slugs, a few cool spider webs, but still no elusive newts although I know they're there. We'll try the Pomponio trail again later this year once the creek flow has significantly reduced. Park at Memorial park, use the bathroom before (and after) starting, then walk about 5 minutes to the Old Haul Road trailhead

We really enjoyed this hike at Purisima Creek Redwoods. We started at the North Ridge parking area…read moreand followed North Ridge Trail Whittemore Gulch Trail Harkins Ridge Trail, returning to the same parking area. The entire loop ended up being around 6.5-7 miles. About 75% of the hike was shaded, much of it through beautiful redwood forest, with a small creek alongside portions of the trail. There are also some more exposed sections with great views. Be prepared for the elevation changes! The extended downhill sections are harder on the legs and knees than you might expect, and the return on Harkins Ridge is a long, sustained and quite strenuous uphill climb. It was probably one of the more strenuous hikes I've done in California in many years. That said, it was absolutely worth it. Beautiful scenery, lots of shade, peaceful forest, and a great workout. I'd definitely do this loop again -- I'd just be mentally prepared for that climb back to the parking lot!

I think my mainest girl is trying to eliminate me. I don't know why, but she thinks I love taking…read morelong arduous hikes through the woods and huffing and puffing through beautiful scenery. Levity aside, this is a stunningly beautiful park to commune with nature. But be warned, if you're a novice (me), don't have broken in hiking shoes (me) or could be in better shape (also me), it will be challenging. Steep inclines and declines are the order of the day. Also plenty of banana slugs. The park is beautiful, the silence is eerily beautiful, and you will enjoy all of it.