For my birthday on July 1, I asked my wife, Jane, if we could walk from Palo Alto to the sea. Three days and 45 miles later, we did it! For us — in our late 60s and newly retired — this was a crazy idea … way over the top. But the truth is, we had been thinking about making the trek ever since the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake, when I dreamed of walking our family to the sea for safety.
Now, we had four reasons to do it: (1) We needed to prepare for a 60-mile walk on the Camino de Santiago in Spain with friends this September. (2) As a Palo Alto Parks and Rec Commissioner, I hoped to test a goal of the new 20-year Parks Master Plan to publicize connections between our open spaces and others nearby. (3) Our son had motivated us after hiking from Palo Alto’s Arastradero Preserve to the top of Black Mountain, all on public land. (4) We’ve been part of a quiet trend in Palo Alto augmenting our gym workouts by walking 10,000 steps a day with friends around town and in parks several days a week.
Whether pacing the Cubberley Community Center track or trekking 11 miles from Palo Alto to the Santa Clara Train Station, walking is something that everyone can do. And, you don’t have to wait to go to the Camino de Santiago in Spain when we have our own El Camino Real and many open spaces nearby.
We chose to take a 45-mile route (shorter than the Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail) that leads from Arastradero Preserve to Montebello Ridge to Portola State Park to Butano State Park to Gazos Creek State Beach.
With help from Palo Alto friend Steve, we recruited 20 “FOS” (Friends of Steve) to hike, bike, camp and help shuttle cars and gear — a real community event. Fourteen of us walked on Day One, half that number on Days Two and Three, and Jane and I walked the full 45 miles to the sea.
On Day One, with temperatures in the 80s, 10 people met at Arastradero Preserve with lunch and lots of water and hiked seven steep miles up 1,800 feet in elevation through Foothills Park and Los Trancos Open Space, sidestepping a Pacific rattlesnake and elusive king snake, to Montebello Ridge on Page Mill Road.
After our backpacking gear arrived by van, 11 of us ascended the last two hot miles to the first campsite atop the 2,800-foot Black Mountain. We walked a total of 10 miles our first day. The backpackers’ camp ($2 per person, reservations required) is delightful. With water, filtered and UV purified, highlights included birthday brownies for me and a spectacular sunset from the summit through Clear Lake Fire smoke. It was a warm, breezy night, Venus and Jupiter above and thick fog over the ocean below seemingly so far away.
Day Two started with an 8:30 a.m. departure to the parking lot to exchange backpacks for daypacks, fill water bottles, add newcomers and head down Stevens Creek. We connected with Skid Road to Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve (OSP), then south on Tree Farm Trail (part of the Bay Ridge Trail). At the Chestnut Tree Farm, we used the Chestnut Trail to Peters Creek Trail in Long Ridge OSP and lunched at flowing Peters Creek. We headed to Portola Redwoods State Park via Ward Road/Trail to Slate Creek Trail, dropping 1,000 feet. As we consulted the sixth map (of 11!), mileage estimates diverged from the actual distance. Instead of two more miles, the weary group did four long miles to the campground (reserved ahead) by 4:30 p.m. Total distance for Day Two was 16 miles. We met new arrivals, nursed our feet, cooked our meals and crashed.
Day Three began with a robin’s dawn song, and by 8 a.m. three intrepid hikers were on the trail for what would be the longest day. Ascending steep Portola Trail into San Mateo’s Pescadero Creek County Park, we hit two miles of switchbacks on Butano Ridge Trail to Butano Ridge. Using Basin Easement Trail up through private forests, we touched Big Basin State Park and turned sharp right at USGS benchmark (2268′ elevation) onto Butano Fire Road past Cutter Scout Ranch for two miles through another private forest that dripped with fog from towering redwoods and into Butano State Park.
Butano Fire Road led to Olmo Fire Road an extremely steep sandy ridge with a panoramic view of heavily forested Big Basin State Park to the south, so remote. Another hour and a 2,000-foot descent found us at gentler Doe Ridge Trail. Three miles of stunningly beautiful curves of forest and steep ravines brought us to cool Butano Creek and Ben Ries Campground by 4 p.m., a 16-mile day … so far.
Just two of us remaining, we decided to go the last 3.5 miles. A fellow camper helped shuttle our car to the beach and back. At 6 p.m. — with two hours until sunset and Swainson’s thrush songs filling the air — we powered down Cloverdale and Gazos Creek roads past POST’s new Cloverdale Ranch (future trail) reaching the beach in one hour. We flung off boots and waded in … celebrating this longest day (20 miles) and the end of our journey. It had required the use of 11 maps and trekking across 10 parks (operated by six agencies) and two private forests to complete.
The next day, July 4, we drove 35 miles home in one hour.
Of course, it’s about the journey, inches from Silicon Valley but a world away … spectacular forests, deep silences, amazing vistas, gorgeous sunsets, pungent grassy hillsides and cold clear creeks. Sadly, we met no other hikers on these public trails. Hopefully, this adventure encourages others to hike their dreams, in beautifully preserved and freely available public open spaces.
David Moss is a longtime Palo Alto resident who serves on the Palo Alto Parks & Recreation Commission. He can be reached at ssow111@gmail.com.
Fantastic piece thank you!!!
The open spaces here on the peninsula and Santa Cruz mountains are some of the true treasures of this area. Thanks for sharing!
Not quite as far away from civilization, but entirely doable without any cars is to walk from your home to the San Francisco Bay Trail (which passes through the Palo Alto Baylands). The trail goes both north to San Francisco and south to San Jose. Walk in either direction, then take Caltrain home. The trail is sometimes paved; sometimes not; mostly car-free. Mostly very scenic along the bayshore. There are water and restrooms and occasional cafe’s along the route.
I should add that camping may not be allowed in any of the parks along the San Francisco Bay Trail, but if you can’t walk the whole distance in one day, there are many Caltrain stations along the way so you can take the train home and resume your trip the next day.
Thanks so much for this, Dave!
This would be a good place to share links to help others plan their trips. Is this trail official in any way? Is it mountain-bikable?
Thanks to @parent for reminding us of the Bay Trail. I would love to hike or ride around the Bay someday.
The trails in the original article are well marked, but bicycles are banned from much of it (especially in Foothills Park and San Mateo County parks).
Bicycling is allowed in the Mid-Peninsula open space preserves, so you can create a half-dirt half-paved bicycle-legal route from Palo Alto to the Pacific Coast. For example, take Alpine Road (paved) to Coal Creek Preserve (dirt road) up to Skyline. Then take Skyline (paved) to Purisima Creek preserve and follow the dirt roads there down to Half Moon Bay. Not sure if there are any trail camps along this route, but you may be able to bike to the coast and back in one day, or spend the night in one of the beach campgrounds and bike back the next day.
“Sadly, we met no other hikers on these public trails.”
I’d have mixed feelings, enjoying the peace and solitude while worrying whether anyone else cares about preserving our open spaces. Generally I do find plenty of others out hiking, particularly on weekends and on our side of Skyline. Often I retreat into our not-so-public Foothills Park, though recently lacking the full Los Trancos Trail loop.
And on the subject of our regional open spaces, personality aside, what should we in Ward-5 be looking for in our decision whom to elect to the MROSD board?
Thank you! Great piece. You’ve inspired me – I just may try this!
I always wondered if it would be possible to do a little backpacking trip ‘over the hill’ – thanks for doing the logistical legwork and showing that it is! It would be great if there was a public pedestrian right of way leading all the way down to the bay – a bayside compliment to the “Skyline-to-the-Sea” trail. I think one could make it to El Palo Alto without having to resort to actual sidewalks too much.
From Arastradero Preserve it looks like one could connect to a paved multi-use path that parallels Alpine Rd which would take you down to at least to Sandhill. IIRC the “sidewalk” on the North side of Sandhill is basically a bike path that you could follow all the way to El Camino. AFAIK after El Palo Alto it would be all sidewalk until the Baylands but you could follow San Francisquito Creek for a mile or two on Palo Alto Ave, eventually ‘fording’ the 101 at either University Ave or at the pedestrian overpass near Oregon Expressway.
If only San Francisquito Creek had something equivalent to the Steven’s Creek Trail … which itself would be an interesting option, but would probably involve a significantly different route down the hill from the camp at Black Mountain, maybe heading towards Rhus Ridge or Rancho San Antonio. The downside to this option is you don’t have a pedestrian only underpass at 280 like you would on the Alpine Trail.
It’s also worth noting that while your route took you “across 10 parks (operated by six agencies) and two private forests”, only one of those jurisdictions sees fit to exclude its neighbors: Foothills Park. You (or Liz Kniss) might point to the de facto policy that non-residents can hike in via Arastradero – which would mean that even non-residents could follow your route – but I think that misses the larger point. Palo Altans are always ready to enjoy other communities public spaces (around the bay and around the world) but begrudge their neighbors the, and same hospitality. Luckily for you, San Mateo County Parks are not so miserly.
“Sadly, we met no other hikers on these public trails. Hopefully, this adventure encourages others to hike their dreams, in beautifully preserved and freely available public open spaces.”
I too enjoyed the article but read it a week too late. I’ve been determined to do this trip for a number of years. So, last Monday, I walked out my front door (with the appropriate campsite reservation) and began my trek up to Black Mountain. After lunch there, I continued on the same route mentioned in the article to Slate Creek Trail Camp. On the second day, I hiked all the way to the beach at Gazzos Creek Road and jumped in the ocean to finish the trip. It was a glorious two-day hike of 38 miles and I enjoyed every minute of the solitude and beauty!! It is critical to plan where to get and how much water to carry. I had containers for 3.5 quarters and was only able to find water that worked for my trip in two locations; Black Mountain Trail Camp and Slate Creek. Of course, both are considered non potable, so filtering or iodine treatment is necessary. I also recommend going from the Bay side to the ocean to experience the changes in weather, terrain, and views of the coast in the afternoon as the marine layer recedes. I think the only map you’ll need is The Big Basin and Castle Rock map by Redwood Hikes Press. Having gone to many wonderful places around the world to hike, nothing beats the beauty that’s in my own backyard!
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) published a two-part article in 2017 following hikers on a similar path from the Arastradero Preserve to the ocean. https://openspacetrust.org/blog/backpacking-peninsula/
Interesting but disappointing. A fellow retiree did this route as a solo backpacking trip with no support personnel or vehicles.