Edge to Edge part 4

This was the fourth installment in a multi-part group hike from the edge of San Francisco Bay to the edge of the Pacific Ocean.  The group is calling our adventure Edge to Edge to recognize the endpoints.  The previous segment started at Foothills Park in Palo Alto and ended at the main parking area of Monte Bello Open Space Preserve.  In this fourth segment we continued through Monte Bello OSP and Upper Stevens Creek County Park to the Grizzly Flat trailhead along CA-35, Skyline Blvd.

GPS track

From the parking area on Page Mill Rd we proceeded roughly southeast until we reached the Canyon Trail, which we followed for about 3 miles.  As we began to descend we enjoyed a distant view of the Santa Cruz Mountains farther down the Peninsula.  The day was largely overcast, due to a low pressure system parked off the coast that resulted in afternoon high temperatures at least 15 degrees cooler than the previous day.  There were even a few raindrops, and the higher-elevation areas were quite windy.  In the picture the sky looks somber, but the cooler weather was actually quite welcome.

Santa Cruz Mountains under grey skies

Much of the Canyon Trail passes through relatively dense, lovely forest.  In hotter weather the trees would provide nice shade.

Canyon Trail descending gradually toward Stevens Creek at the bottom of the canyon

Several tributary creeks join Stevens Creek, though most of them were dry and remain so through the dry summer months.  Near Gold Mine Creek there is a pretty open area with several trees with limbs draped in moss.

Moss-draped tree near Gold Mine Creek

A short distance later there was another beautiful meadow with native grasses and a variety of deciduous and evergreen trees.  Although somewhat muted in the picture, the many shades and textures were quite beautiful.

Many shades and textures of green in the grasses and trees

We saw a number of different wildflowers along the trail.  Here is one pretty example.

Wildflower along the trail

About 3.5 miles from the trailhead we left Monte Bello OSP and entered Upper Stevens Creek County Park.  Near the park boundary we found a pretty spot trailside for our lunch break.  We noticed a butterfly on the ground and wondered if it had just emerged or was possibly injured, since it seemed to stay in one spot in spite of 8 people moving about finding places to sit down.  Indeed, it was unfazed by the placement of hiking poles on either side, which were intended to serve as a kind of fence to ensure that none of us inadvertently stepped on it.

Butterfly encountered at our lunch break

Our break location was also next to a pretty waterfall, we believe in Waterwheel Creek.  I decided to try some photographic experiments, and this picture was taken at a slow ISO setting to force the exposure to be 1/8 of a second.  I didn’t have a tripod, so I was holding my camera in my hands (and holding my breath!).  The long exposure turns the falling droplets into moss-like fronds.

Pretty waterfall in Waterwheel Creek

Just past our lunch spot we left the Canyon Trail to take Grizzly Flat Trail.  Before climbing up to Skyline Blvd, this trail descends via several switchbacks to Stevens Creek.  Along the way we passed some pretty feathery moss growing almost at ground level.  The color of the moss was in stark contrast to the bark of a nearby tree.

Feathery moss contrasts with tree bark

This section of Stevens Creek had water (the higher sections seemed to be dry), and the nearby flora seemed more lush.  We saw quite a few red larkspurs – this one was peeking out from between new spring growth of poison oak.

Red larkspur growing among poison oak

When we finally reached Stevens Creek, I was surprised to discover that the trail simply fords the creek – so we each chose separate routes to cross.  Fortunately, no one got their feet wet (the water was perhaps 6 inches deep).  We did notice a newt alternately swimming and resting in the creek waters.

Newt swimming along in Stevens Creek

After crossing Stevens Creek, Grizzly Flat Trail climbs steadily up to the Grizzly Flat trailhead.

Elevation profile

Along the way we found a ladybug sunning itself on a fence post.

Ladybug sunning on a fence post

The ascent up to Skyline Blvd, at ~940 feet over approximately 2 miles, is a steady 9% grade.  Sure enough, as we emerged at the top of the trail at an elevation almost 200 feet higher than the start of the hike, the wind was again evident.  I’m sure it was blowing all day, but we didn’t notice it down in the canyon.  The next section of our hike should take us to Saratoga Gap, the highest point of our entire journey and the beginning of the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail.  I can hardly wait!

Edge to Edge part 3

In this third segment of a multi-segment hike from San Francisco Bay to the Pacific Ocean, my hiking group hiked from Foothills Park in Palo Alto to Monte Bello Open Space Preserve.  We have decided to name our adventure Edge to Edge, since we will eventually have hiked from the edge of the bay to the edge of the ocean.  Unlike in San Francisco, where this distance can be covered in a couple of hours in the famous Bay to Breakers foot race, farther down the peninsula the hike is roughly 60 miles and involves several thousand vertical feet of gain and loss.  We are hiking about 6 miles at a time, and we are having a great time enjoying the beautiful parks and open spaces that are so close to where we live, as well as the camaraderie of a shared adventure.

This segment was about two thirds in Foothills Park and one third in Los Trancos Open Space Preserve.  The portion from the bay through Foothills Park has followed the so-called Bay-to-Ridge Trail fairly closely.  The Bay-to-Ridge Trail is really more of a route through town (actually, the city of Palo Alto) than a hiking trail over much of its distance.

GPS track

In the previous segment we finished at a wonderful vista point in Foothills Park, where we could appreciate how far we’d come from the edge of the Bay.  This segment started at the same location, appropriately named Vista Hill, and continued to climb the peninsula hills generally toward Skyline Blvd.  This segment was notable in having the greatest net elevation gain of the entire journey, about 1300 feet, plus about 300 feet of loss just at the start.

Elevation profile

About 0.5 mile from the start, we approached Boronda Lake and stopped for a group photo on a small bridge that crosses a seasonal stream.

Edge to Edge hikers

The lake itself is very peaceful, nestled among the hills.

Boronda Lake

We followed the Wildhorse Valley Fire Road to the Fern Loop Trail and then up the Costanoan Trail, which gained about 500 feet in a series of switchbacks.  Along this climb we encountered a lizard apparently sunning itself on a stub tree branch.

Lizard warming up in the sun

At the end of the Costanoan Trail we hiked south on the Los Trancos Trail.  Much of the trail was cool, shady, and moist: a perfect environment for ferns and flowers.

Along the Los Trancos Trail

One of the flowers we saw is the Indian warrior – somewhat reminiscent of the snow flowers I’ve seen at higher elevation in the Sierras, though not botanically related.

Indian warrior flowers seem to like moist shaded areas

There were also open grassy areas, especially as we climbed higher.  At nearly 1600 feet elevation we had a great view almost due north across San Francisco Bay, with the Stanford Campus (including Hoover Tower and The Dish) in the foreground.

View across Stanford Campus and San Francisco Bay

From some of these open areas we could also see Mt Diablo and Mt Tamalpais, though both were a bit hazy due to the weather conditions and their distance.  We also had nice views along the Santa Cruz Mountains, with row after row of hills.

Santa Cruz Mountains

Near the junction with Pony Tracks Fire Road we found beautiful fields of lupine in full bloom.  The color was amazing!

Field of lupine

At the park boundary between Foothills Park and Los Trancos Open Space Preserve there was a sign indicating the upper end of the Bay-to-Ridge Trail.  A short distance later we came upon a beautiful trillium beginning to bloom.  Our hike leader, equipped with several wildflower books, elucidated that it was called a robin wake, most likely the large variety.

Beautiful robin wake trillium just beginning to bloom

As we continued, we encountered many other types of wildflowers along the Page Mill Trail, which runs roughly parallel to Page Mill Rd.  The first mile or so was relatively flat.  We found a magnificent tree with very interesting branch structure.

Tree with distinctive branch structure

In an otherwise shaded area there was a fern bathed in sunlight.

Fern enjoying transient sunlight

As the trail curved around a hillside, looking back there was a nice view showing the trail section we had just hiked.  If you look closely at the lowest treetop level, Mt Tamalpais is visible nearly 45 miles away.

Looking back at the trail just hiked, with Mt Tam in the distance

The last mile of the hike included another 350 feet of climbing, to reach the end of Los Trancos OSP and the main parking area for Monte Bello OSP on Page Mill Rd.  In the next segment we will continue through Monte Bello and into Upper Stevens Creek County Park.

Edge to Edge part 2

This was the second part of a group hike, which we are calling Edge to Edge, from the edge of San Francisco Bay to the edge of the Pacific Ocean across the lower portion of the Peninsula.  In the first segment we hiked from Palo Alto’s Baylands Nature Preserve to Kite Hill, near the top of California Avenue in Palo Alto.  In this second segment we resumed near Kite Hill and continued up to Foothills Park.  Our route loosely, but not rigorously, is following the Bay-to-Ridge Trail.

GPS track

As we walked along Page Mill Road, before we even left behind the Stanford Research Park area, someone alertly spotted a red-tailed hawk alighting in a tree-top.  It stayed perched there for a few minutes before resuming its hunting.

Red-tailed hawk in a tree-top surveying its surroundings

After crossing Junipero Serra Blvd at the last traffic signal of our multi-part journey, we continued along the Matadero Creek multi-use trail, where we were treated to a nice view of the foothills and higher Santa Cruz Mountains where we would be hiking in later segments.

Green foothills in front of Santa Cruz Mountains

We proceeded along Old Page Mill Rd, where we found a striking cairn.  It seemed to be telling us that we were, indeed, headed along the right spiritual path.

Beautiful cairn along Old Page Mill Rd

Nearby we passed Frenchman’s Tower, which was built by Peter Coutts as part of an irrigation system started in 1875.  We also found a bit of unusual sculpture in someone’s yard, in the form of a Volkswagen hood complete with eyelashes.

Volkswagen with eyelashes!

At the intersection of Old Page Mill Rd and Page Mill Rd there was a small grassy area being grazed by several goats.  They seemed curious to watch us pass by.

Goat checking us out as we walked past

After we walked under I-280 we turned off on Arastradero Rd and into the Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, where we were to meet up with a couple more hikers at the rest area.  As we walked in, we were amused to find that there were signs indicating the quite obvious walking path.

Sign indicating walking path

At the rest area we had time for a short break, which included watching several Western Bluebirds alternately catching insects and resting on posts or tree branches.

Western Bluebird

After our break we continued our way along the Arastradero Creek Trail.  In response to my question to our hike leader, I was pleased to receive a small lesson in how to distinguish valley oaks and coast live oaks.  At this time of year it’s really easy, since valley oaks are deciduous and coast live oaks aren’t!  We passed several fine specimens of valley oaks with wonderful silhouettes.

Beautiful valley oak silhouetted against the sky

As we continued our way through Arastradero Preserve the trail gradually got a bit steeper.

Elevation profile

When we reached the boundary of Foothills Park we left the Arastradero Creek Trail behind and took a single-track trail up the hill.  This section was shady, and we were pleased to find some early hounds tongue starting to bloom, as well as a beautiful pair of trillium plants getting ready to blossom.

Trillium getting ready to blossom

We also had intermittent views up the Peninsula, including Mt. Tamalpais and the San Francisco skyline.  Once we got to the top of aptly-named Vista Hill, we had panoramic views from Mt. Tam to the north to Mt. Hamilton to the south.  And we could visually review our hiking progress to date, in the foreground and to the right in this picture, as well as the Dumbarton Bridge and Mt Diablo.

A view to mark the progress of our journey, which started at the edge of San Francisco Bay

We also paused for a group photo (Mt Diablo is hiding behind the sign).

Edge to Edge hiking group on Vista Hill in Foothills Park

We are having a great time with our hiking adventure.  The next segment will be from Foothills Park to Monte Bello Open Space Preserve.

Penitencia Creek Trail

Penitencia Creek Trail goes through and connects a corridor of neighborhood parks in the Alum Rock area of San Jose, CA.  Penitencia Creek County Park is described as a “linear park and regional trail” that nearly connects Alum Rock Regional Park to the Penitencia Creek confluence with Coyote Creek.  The currently developed section of trail is a segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.

The day of my hike was the last clear and relatively warm day in a February dry spell, and the 7-mile walk (out and back) was quite pleasant for a relatively urban “green” corridor.  Even though the trail is never far from a street, there are views from the open areas both to the Santa Cruz Mountains to the west and to the Hamilton Range to the east.  Other hike highlights included a few flowering hints of spring and several interesting bird species.

The eastern trailhead is on Noble Ave just off Penitencia Creek Rd, perhaps a half mile short of the Alum Rock Park entrance parking area; between these trailheads trail users must use the road shoulder.  The western trailhead is at King Rd near Commodore Dr, about 0.75 mile from the confluence with Coyote Creek.  Although there is a Bay Area Ridge Trail segment along the Coyote Creek Parkway, the nearest portion is another 5+ miles away.

GPS track

A little over 2 miles of the trail is a paved multi-use trail, the kind with a yellow dotted line down the center.  However, it is worth noting that the sections first encountered at Noble Ave and King Rd are unpaved.

The trail generally follows Penitencia Creek, though the two diverge in a few places.  Here the trail makes a slight jog and crosses the creek at the Piedmont Rd crossing.

Penitencia Creek

A few different types of trees were already, in mid-February, starting to flower.

Pretty flowering tree along the creek

The trail passes Penitencia Creek Park, a San Jose City park, where there is a regional Wildlife Center.  A bit farther along, in a more open area where the trail is separated from the creek, there was a field of mustard grass.

Field of mustard grass

From this open area the Santa Cruz Mountains were visible ahead, including distinctive Loma Prieta and Mt Umunhum, to the left and right, respectively, of the trees in the foreground of this picture.

Santa Cruz Mountain skyline including Loma Prieta and Mt Umunhum

At Capitol Ave there is a light rail station, and a bit of trail-finding helps to pick up the trail after crossing the street at a crosswalk.  The trail passes under I-680 and continues to cross Jackson Rd.  It then passes through Penitencia Creek Gardens, a park operated by Santa Clara County, past a pretty pond.  After going along the sidewalk of Mabury Rd for about 0.3 mile, the trail again follows the creek to King Rd.  This last section shows a few signs of being an urban trail, including some colorful graffiti on a maintenance structure that crosses the creek.

Graffiti signaling an urban trail?

Along the last section of trail, again unpaved, I was surprised to note some active bird life – surprised because, although this is a greenbelt, it’s pretty narrow and in the middle of a good-sized city and metropolitan area.  I saw a few of these little guys: it was a challenge to get a photo since they didn’t stay perched for long at any one time.  I think it’s a black phoebe.

Black phoebe perched temporarily between bursts of flitting around

Another small bird observed in the same area is more difficult to identify.  The white eye ring suggests that it may be a vireo, but the yellow spots make it a mystery.

Mystery bird!

When I passed the Penitencia Creek Gardens pond on my return trip, I noticed a common egret and a snowy egret feeding near each other, in peaceful coexistence.  The common egret is the bigger one on the left and characteristically feeds with its neck stretched out into an eager-looking posture, as in the picture.  The snowy egret looks more relaxed as it forages in the water.

Common (left) and snowy (right) egrets in the Penitencia Creek Gardens pond

At another location along the edge of the pond I saw a few individuals of a most unusual-appearing goose-like bird mingling with some Canada geese.  The wattle under the throat and the knob above the bill were prominent characteristics.  The specimen in the picture may have been doing a feeding maneuver, since the position looks awkward and out-of-balance.  However, the white rump seemed to be quite high in the air frequently while it was swimming around.  There were also a few pure white individuals without wattles and with bright orange beaks and knobs.  I’d never seen anything like them before, but after some research I believe they are forms of African goose.  This is actually a domestic goose descended from the (wild) swan goose, which has a natural breeding range in inland Asia (Mongolia, north China, and southeast Russia).  Who knew?!?!

Unusual-looking African goose

Returning through the open area noted above, between Capitol Ave and the Wildlife Center, I was treated to a clear view of Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve and Alum Rock Park, where I had recently hiked another Ridge Trail segment.   The more prominent hill is the one at the top end of the Boccardo Trail.

Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve

To the south Lick Observatory was visible on Mt Hamilton, and to the north the radio towers atop Mt Allison and Monument Peak (location of yet another Ridge Trail segment) were visible.

Mt Allison, Monument Peak, and radio towers

All in all, I quite enjoyed this urban greenbelt walk.

Año Nuevo State Park and Coast Natural Preserve

 

This hike was an extra-special opportunity.  To see the elephant seals at Año Nuevo State Park during the December-March breeding season, it is necessary to sign up for a docent-led tour to the restricted-access portion of the Natural Preserve.  As it turns out, one of my skating ladies group is a docent at Año Nuevo, and she had been able to reserve an after-hours tour slot for our group.  So our tour took place in the late afternoon, and we were privileged to see a beautiful sunset as well as the elephant seals!

The trail from the Marine Education Center museum to the Nature Preserve Area Trailhead is open to the public (i.e., not yet in the restricted access area).  Near the staging area there is a short trail out to a vista point.  From here there is a great view of the beautiful shoreline of Año Nuevo Bay.

Beautiful shoreline of Año Nuevo Bay

Only about a quarter of a mile inside the Preserve, one member of our group happened to notice a spider web backlit by the sun.  Looking more closely, we saw that there were several – at least 4 in the picture – stretched out between branches of the shrub.

Spider webs backlit in the afternoon sun

Almost immediately we were excited to have our first elephant seal sighting: a male right at the shoreline catching a few gentle waves.

Male elephant seal catching some gentle waves

As we continued walking toward Año Nuevo Point we had an almost continuous view of the shoreline and the mesmerizing waves.  It was tempting to linger and enjoy this, but we were really there to see elephant seals.

Mesmerizing Pacific Ocean waves arriving near Año Nuevo Point

We took a short loop slightly inland and saw a few more individual elephant seals near the trail.  We could also hear sounds reminiscent of glugging drains, that our docent informed us were males doing some vocalizing.  Shortly we climbed up a small sand dune, and suddenly there were hundreds of elephant seals before us on the beach!

Elephant seal colony on the beach

The general impression was that all of the seals were just lying there, without doing anything or going anywhere.  Indeed, according to our docent, a great deal of resting does take place while the seals are on land.  They have swum some 2500 miles from their feeding grounds to come ashore here, where the females give birth and nurse pups and the adults mate for the next round.  It takes a lot of energy for an elephant seal to move around on land, so they don’t move much.  There is the occasional flick of sand, seen near the center of the above photo, to chase away insects or perhaps warn a persistent pup.

This group of females was quite close to our viewing location.  I watched them off and on quite a bit, and happened to capture a picture as of one of them appeared to be scratching an itch.  This lasted just a few seconds, and then all was quiet for many more minutes.

Group of females resting together

Pups nurse voraciously, growing from ~75 pounds at birth to ~250 pounds within a month.  Virtually any time can be lunch time, and the females do not appear to awaken for this activity (note two nursing pups at the left of this picture).

It looks like lunch time for two pups

If a pup gets separated from its mother, it can be a problem.  This pup was moving around a group of females who seemed to be ignoring it, and our docent commented that the pup looked like it might be in trouble.

Pup, possibly trying to find its mother

Only males have the distinctive noses that give elephant seals their name.  People can estimate the age of a male by the size of his nose.  Here are a couple of specimens.

Male elephant seals have distinctive noses

Male elephant seals are large, weighing up to 5,000 pounds.  They do not eat while they are on land, and any activities consume a lot of energy.  Every so often one will suddenly lift his head, awkwardly hump forward perhaps a body length, and just as suddenly return to a fully prone position.  This entire sequence lasts only a few seconds.  Sometimes, with or without forward motion, the male will vocalize while his head is up.

Male elephant seal vocalizing

Because our tour slot was after regular hours, we were fortunate to be able to continue watching the elephant seals as the sun went down.  This sequence of pictures was taken over a span of about 12 minutes, during which we started walking back to the trailhead.

Sunset in the Pacific at Año Nuevo

About a half mile offshore is Año Nuevo Island, which housed a lighthouse station and lighthouse from about 1872 to 1948.  Since then the former keeper’s residence has been maintained in a state of “arrested decay,” according to the Park’s information pamphlet.

Abandoned lighthouse station and keeper’s residence on Año Nuevo Island

This was a wonderful walking tour with beautiful weather and good friends.  The elephant seals were amazing, and it was a fascinating opportunity to observe them from a relatively close vantage point.

Snowshoe Hike to Hawk’s Peak

My plan for the day was to do a relatively short snowshoe hike.  It had been at least 2 years since I’d gone up Hawk’s Peak in the Tahoe Donner Cross Country Ski Center and the weather was forecast to be sunny and clear –  so I decided to hike to the top of Hawk’s Peak for the always-wonderful views.  I ended up making a semi-loop path, with the loop part at the bottom of the hill and an out-and-back section for the top half.

GPS track

I hiked on groomed cross-country ski trails.  It had been a couple of weeks since the last significant snowfall, so the snow was pretty well packed down.   Here is a look at the berm created by the grooming machines along the Andromeda Trail.

Grooming berm along the trail

To get from the Day Lodge to Hawk’s Peak there are several possible routes, and they all lead up!  The top is about 1100 feet higher in elevation than the Day Lodge.

Elevation profile

Sundance Hut, at 7048 feet, is almost halfway up, elevation-wise.  A little bit further, along Crazy Horse, there was a really nice view into the Euer Valley.  It was kind of amazing to be able to see skiers down below, as tiny dark specs moving across the brilliant white snow.

Looking down into the Euer Valley

From a nearby location just around the next curve I had a great view of Hawk’s Peak, my destination.  There was still more climbing to do at that point.

Destination ahead: Hawk’s Peak

After completing the rest of the climb I simply enjoyed the views in all directions from Hawk’s Peak.  For example, to the east is the Carson Range.

Snow-covered Carson Range, from Hawk’s Peak

To the southwest is a ridge leading to the Drifter Hut and beyond to Donner Ridge.

Drifter and Donner Ridge

To the north, more distant peaks were visible between lower intervening hills.  I think this might be Mt. Lola.  It’s actually only about 6 miles away, though it seems farther because one of the most popular ways to get there involves about a 15-mile drive followed by a 5-mile hike!

Mt Lola(?) from Hawk’s Peak

To the south I could see a few peaks, just visible over a tree-covered ridge.  Too bad I can’t identify which they are!  But I imagine that the tallest one must be in the 9000-foot category.

Snow-covered peaks to the south

After enjoying the views and a lunch break, I headed back down the hill.  After the halfway point I took one of several alternative paths back to the Day Lodge.

Alum Rock Park and Boccardo Trail Corridor

This hike was actually my second visit to Alum Rock Park.  I’d been intending to hike this Bay Area Ridge Trail segment hike a few days earlier, but managed to leave home without my GPS.  So I explored that day and resolved to return soon.  The segment is described in the official Ridge Trail Guide as 6 miles, but I added a few side trips for a total of 9 miles with a little over 2000 feet of elevation gain/loss.  As is typical for me, I was hoping for great views from a hilltop at the end of a spur trail near the turnaround point – and I wasn’t disappointed.  The views were spectacular!

The hike begins at the main park entrance on Penitencia Creek Road; there is a trailhead next to the parking lot.  The first part of the trail is the Creek Trail, which follows the Penitencia Creek.  Since the creek is in a canyon, this section is shaded, cool, and moist, with pretty green ferns growing out of the steep hillside.

Creek Trail along Penitencia Creek

While walking along the creek suddenly two wild turkeys appeared on the trail, followed by a third.  I watched them for a few minutes, and then they started walking up the hillside through the brush.

Wild turkey on the hillside above the creek

After about 0.6 mile the route crosses the creek at another parking lot and, after a couple of short climbing sections, intersects the North Rim Trail.

GPS track

The North Rim Trail is higher, sunnier, and warmer than the Creek Trail.  I noticed several robin calls, usually a sign of approaching spring (though my hike was in late January!).  At several points along the trail beautiful spring-green hills were in view.  In this picture, the highest one toward the left is the top of the spur trail near the turnaround point.

Beautiful hills decked out in spring green

Looking back along the North Rim Trail, here and there are views of San Jose.  This one was near the junction with the Todd Quick Trail.

San Jose with the Santa Cruz Mountains in the background

About 0.5 mile after turning on the Todd Quick Trail there is a picnic table under a large eucalyptus tree, denoted the Todd Quick Rest Area.  Here the Ridge Trail route passes through a gate and into the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve.  The trail is now the Boccardo Trail, which branches off after 0.1 mile or so and makes a nice loop through the hillsides.  The trail climbs fairly steeply, with a 900-foot elevation gain in just over a mile.

Elevation profile

I noted several red-tailed hawks in the distance, presumably out cruising and looking for a meal.  As the trail passed around to the back side of the hill, I heard a cow vocalizing over and over.  After a few minutes I finally could see it walking across the hillside.  Then, as I came around a curve in the trail, there was an entire group of cows grazing and resting.

Heard before seen: range cattle

The spur trail to the top of the hill is at a well-marked junction just 0.1 mile or so before the end of this segment of the Ridge Trail.  It is well worthwhile to make the short (0.5 mile round trip, 100 foot elevation gain) trip to the top.  The views were simply fantastic the day of my hike.  There is an informative sign with a panoramic picture annotated with various landmarks.  The best views were from the very top of the hill just past the sign.  The Santa Cruz Mountains skyline to the southwest includes Loma Prieta and Mt. Umunhum.

Loma Prieta and Mt. Umunhum across San Jose

Roughly toward the south, row after row of hills could be seen in the distance, perhaps even including Mt. Madonna, currently the southernmost segment of the Ridge Trail.

The hills seem to go forever

Looking to the northwest, I was startled – as well as delighted – to see the distinctive shape of Mt. Tamalpais, roughly 55 miles away!  The San Francisco skyline is (barely) visible between Mt. Tam and the Bay.  I was able to enlarge the picture on my computer to verify the distinctive Transamerica Pyramid.

Mt. Tamalpais in the background behind San Francisco Bay and the San Francisco city skyline

Almost due north, Mt. Diablo peeked between nearby hills.  And finally, to the southeast, Lick Observatory could be seen perched atop Mt. Hamilton across the Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve.

Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve in the foreground with Lick Observatory in the background

Returning down the spur trail I noticed this interesting birds-eye view of the trails surrounding a junction marking the end of this segment.  The Boccardo Trail loops across the bottom of the picture and the next segment of the Ridge Trail through Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve heads off toward the upper right across the hill.  Finally, an access trail to the upper left goes out to a future staging area on Sierra Road.

Birds-eye view of trail junction

After returning to the Todd Quick rest area I took the other part of the Todd Quick Trail to the North Rim Trail, since I was planning to hike to the top end of the park road next to Penitencia Creek, also marked as part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.  (On the GPS track this is to the east.)  On my way along the North Rim Trail I encountered a deer in the trail ahead of me.  I watched her for a few minutes, carefully walking a bit closer.  At one point she seemed to be looking at me somewhat quizzically.

Deer checking me out on the North Rim Trail

After reaching the easternmost parking lot of Alum Rock Park I retraced my way back along the North Rim Trail.  I took the short side trip to Eagle Rock to check out the views.  While not as spectacular as those from the top of Boccardo Trail, they are nice – and the vista point is only about 0.75 mile from the midway parking lot, so can be reached via a much shorter hike.