moderate
Activities
Long Ridge Trail Information
At the top of the ridgeline, this hike has sweeping views of the surrounding forests and Pacific Ocean. The wildflowers are amazing here in the spring, but it’s lovely all year long.
Watch for:
Hazelnut shrubs, strawberries, common snowberries, and wild roses
Hiking Details for Long Ridge Trail
Distance: 4.7 miles round trip
Elevation change: 500 feet
Hiking time: 3 hours
Trail surface: Uneven
Best Season: Year round
Managing agency: Midpeninsula Open Space
Parking lot location: Click here for directions
Overview: From the Peters Creek Trailhead, head to the Peters Creek Trail and go right on Long Ridge Trail. Continue onto Long Ridge Road and then left onto Peters Creek Trail. Retrace your steps.
When you reach the intersection of Long Ridge Trail and Long Ridge Road, be sure to stop for a minute at the Wallace Stegner Memorial Bench to enjoy the breathtaking views. Stegner was a noted environmentalist and author, and a great supporter of open space in the region.
Long Ridge Trail Photo Gallery
More About Long Ridge Open Space Preserve
Long Ridge Open Space Preserve offers short hikes, which can be looped together to create longer explorations. It connects to Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve via the Bay Area Ridge Trail and is popular with hikers, cyclists, and equestrians.
The first property owner on Long Ridge, Winston Bennet, came west in the 1840s and settled here, making a career as a trader, and then a constable, and a deputy sheriff. He sold the ranch in 1884. Over the years, the land has served many purposes including ranch, orchard, and even a boarding school.
When the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District purchased the land with the help of the Sempervirens Fund in the 1980s it was the last remaining working cattle ranch in the vicinity. POST has since worked on more than a half a dozen projects immediately adjacent to the preserve, contributing over 400 acres of additional protected open space.