Russian Ridge Open Space
Dec. 11th, 2021 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerI've said it countless times before and I'll say it again: in the San Francisco Bay Area we are blessed not just with natural beauty but also with natural beauty that thoughtfully has been protected as park land. In addition to state and federally protected areas there are also county and city parks, plus several networks of regional parklands.
One of these is the Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). "Mid-pen" they call themselves; "Mister OSD" has always been the nickname I prefer. Whatever the sobriquet, they're a special district that manages 26 parks across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties (plus a tiny bit of Santa Cruz). Their parks, all free, have been a regular destination of ours since shortly after we moved out here 25 years ago... and they've been around since 25 years before that! Check out their website at openspace.org to learn more or get downloadable maps (which they've had for at least 25 years!).
This afternoon we took advantage of the briefly clear weather and drove our convertible up into the Santa Cruz Mountains to visit Russian Ridge. The weather wasn't exactly great... though it was sunny it was chilly. We put the top down and blasted the heat. But even so that's better than the gray skies and chilly air we've had most of the past week and the deluge of rain that's supposed to start in the wee hours tomorrow.
There are a few entrances to the Russian Ridge Open Space. Our favorite has long been a foot gate opposite a scenic pullout on Highway 35, aka Skyline Boulevard. From this vista at elevation 2,350' one can look east and see down across a significant part of the Bay Area. Centered below us is Stanford University in Palo Alto. Looking north and south one can see almost as far as San Francisco and San Jose. (They've both more visible from atop Borel Hill behind this viewpoint.) The high peak in the distance is 3,849' Mt. Diablo, some 50 miles to the northeast.
As this excursion is more an In Beauty I Walk thing than Road trip! (though it is partly both) we turned west from the highway vista point after several minutes and walked into the preserve.
As we entered Russian Ridge Preserve I noted the newer regulatory signs. NO DOGS has been policy for as long as I can remember. NO DRONES appeared at a nearby park 2-3 years ago though I think it's new here. And NO E-BIKES is definitely new. Signs of the times. Literally.
We like this park entrance because once you get past the somewhat unwelcoming gate area— sadly it's got to be like that otherwise careless people would destroy it— trails split in three directions from a ridge top with excellent views whichever way you go. Often we hike all of them.
Today we started one of our usual loop hikes by walking north along the Ridge Trail. It provides alternating views of the bay and the Pacific Ocean. It's enjoyable to look at the mountains, too. In the distance, back to the south, is Borel Hill. I enjoyed this view today because of the clear skies and green-ish grass. Green grass isn't a given this time of year. It depends on how much rain has fallen recently. As our last significant rain— an atmospheric river, no less— was a month ago I thought the hills might be awash in gold. Today they're gold and green.
Keep reading: Hiking Russian Ridge, part 2
One of these is the Mid-peninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). "Mid-pen" they call themselves; "Mister OSD" has always been the nickname I prefer. Whatever the sobriquet, they're a special district that manages 26 parks across Santa Clara and San Mateo counties (plus a tiny bit of Santa Cruz). Their parks, all free, have been a regular destination of ours since shortly after we moved out here 25 years ago... and they've been around since 25 years before that! Check out their website at openspace.org to learn more or get downloadable maps (which they've had for at least 25 years!).This afternoon we took advantage of the briefly clear weather and drove our convertible up into the Santa Cruz Mountains to visit Russian Ridge. The weather wasn't exactly great... though it was sunny it was chilly. We put the top down and blasted the heat. But even so that's better than the gray skies and chilly air we've had most of the past week and the deluge of rain that's supposed to start in the wee hours tomorrow.
There are a few entrances to the Russian Ridge Open Space. Our favorite has long been a foot gate opposite a scenic pullout on Highway 35, aka Skyline Boulevard. From this vista at elevation 2,350' one can look east and see down across a significant part of the Bay Area. Centered below us is Stanford University in Palo Alto. Looking north and south one can see almost as far as San Francisco and San Jose. (They've both more visible from atop Borel Hill behind this viewpoint.) The high peak in the distance is 3,849' Mt. Diablo, some 50 miles to the northeast.
As this excursion is more an In Beauty I Walk thing than Road trip! (though it is partly both) we turned west from the highway vista point after several minutes and walked into the preserve.
As we entered Russian Ridge Preserve I noted the newer regulatory signs. NO DOGS has been policy for as long as I can remember. NO DRONES appeared at a nearby park 2-3 years ago though I think it's new here. And NO E-BIKES is definitely new. Signs of the times. Literally.
We like this park entrance because once you get past the somewhat unwelcoming gate area— sadly it's got to be like that otherwise careless people would destroy it— trails split in three directions from a ridge top with excellent views whichever way you go. Often we hike all of them.
Today we started one of our usual loop hikes by walking north along the Ridge Trail. It provides alternating views of the bay and the Pacific Ocean. It's enjoyable to look at the mountains, too. In the distance, back to the south, is Borel Hill. I enjoyed this view today because of the clear skies and green-ish grass. Green grass isn't a given this time of year. It depends on how much rain has fallen recently. As our last significant rain— an atmospheric river, no less— was a month ago I thought the hills might be awash in gold. Today they're gold and green.
Keep reading: Hiking Russian Ridge, part 2
