8 |
RUSSIAN |
DISTANCE: 4.4 miles round-trip
HIKING TIME: 2 hours
SEASON: year-round
DIFFICULTY: easy
In spring, Russian Ridge offers one of the Bay Area’s best wildflower displays—mule’s ears, poppies, lupine, goldfields, Johnny-jump-ups. In summer and fall, hillsides turn gold and grasses sway in the wind. Oak- and fir-shaded canyons shelter raptors, coyotes, and bobcats.
Take Bay Area Ridge Trail uphill from the lot to the top of Borel Hill. (Stay right at two junctions.) The 2,572-foot summit offers a 360-degree view of the South Bay, Skyline Ridge, and the Pacific Ocean. Mt. Diablo looms in the east and Mt. Tamalpais guards the north. From Borel Hill, descend gently for a half mile. Near Skyline Blvd., bear left onto Mindego Trail, then shortly thereafter bear right on Bay Area Ridge Trail. To the southwest is Mindego Hill, an ancient volcanic formation that is likely the source of this ridge’s rock outcrops.
Turn left onto Hawk Trail to loop back. Hawk Trail connects to Mindego/Alder Springs Trail and then Ancient Oaks Trail, which travels through an intriguing grove of gnarled oaks and Douglas firs. Turn left at the next junction to rejoin Bay Area Ridge Trail and head back to your car.
From I-280 in Palo Alto, take the Page Mill Rd. exit west. Drive 8.9 winding miles, crossing Skyline Blvd. (Hwy. 35), to Alpine Rd. Drive 200 feet on Alpine Rd. and turn right into the entrance. Or, from the junction of Hwys. 35 and 9 at Saratoga Gap, drive 7.0 miles north on Hwy. 35 (Skyline Blvd). Turn left onto Alpine Rd. and right into the entrance.
