moderate
Activities
High Meadow Trail Loop Information
This hike is great for all seasons; enjoy wildflowers in the spring, cool canyon shade in the summer, and wildlife all year long.
Watch for:
Wild turkey, bobcat and many migrant song birds.
Hiking Details for High Meadow Trail Loop
Distance: 5.5 miles round trip
Elevation change: 800 feet
Hiking time: 4-5 hours
Trail surface: Uneven
Best Season: Year round
Managing agency: Midpeninsula Open Space
Parking lot location: Click here for directions
Overview: From the Permanente Creek Trail, take the Lower Meadow Trail, right on the High Meadow Trail and left onto Upper Wildcat Canyon Trail. Then retrace your steps.
The trail starts along a cool, green canyon, and then takes you up through chaparral to high meadows filled with lupine, poppies, and blue-eyed grass during the springtime. When the sky is clear, enjoy beautiful views of Mt. Tamalpais to the north and Mt. Hamilton to the east.
Don’t miss Deer Hollow Farm, near the start of the High Meadow Trail; a working farm with an organic garden and animals including a cow, pigs, goats, sheep, and chickens.
High Meadow Trail Loop Photo Gallery
Rancho San Antonio Preserve
Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve contains 3,988 acres of varied environments and is adjacent to the 165-acre County Park, both with many trails and features to explore. Jogging and hiking are popular, and biking and equestrian trails are also provided – though not all trails allow bicycles or horses so be sure to check the map.
Non-gas powered model airplanes also have a home at the park, and can be flown over the South Meadow area. Picnicking is welcome, and the North Meadow includes picnic tables and a few first-come, first-serve barbecues.
In the preserve, there are approximately 24 miles of trails for hiking, biking, or horseback riding. Particularly excited to children is Deer Hollow Farm, where they can see a cow, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens, and other animals. In addition to animals, the farm has an organic garden, as well as the restored Grant Cabin, which is furnished to show what it was like to live on the farm in the late 1800’s.