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Ridge Trail Information

This trail follows the ridgeline and provides sweeping vistas along the entire route. If you’re looking for wildflowers and wildlife in the spring, this is a great place to visit.

Watch for:

Watch the skies for red-tailed hawks, Cooper's hawks and, if you're lucky, golden eagles.

Hiking Details for Ridge Trail

Distance: 3.6 miles

Elevation change: 600 feet

Hiking time: 2 hours

Trail surface: Packed dirt, mostly exposed

Best Season: Spring

Managing agency: Midpeninsula Regional Open Space

Parking lot location: Click here for directions

Overview: The Ridge Trail, which provides beautiful views year round, is particularly nice in spring when wildflowers are in bloom. Poppies and lupine are prevalent, as well as gumweed, mules ears, farewell-to-spring, and brodiaea.

From the Ridge Trail, turn left onto to the Ancient Oaks Trail. Then turn right to stay on Ancient Oaks Trail and then right again onto the Charquin Trail. Finally turn right to return on the Ridge Trail.

From this trail, you can climb to the top of Borel Hill which, as the highest named point in San Mateo County, offers 360 degree views of the Bay Area. It’s worth the extra effort.

Directions to Ridge Trail

From Interstate 280, exit at Page Mill Road, and head west. Drive about 9 miles to the junction with Skyline Boulevard, cross Skyline and continue straight onto Alpine Road, then make the first right into the parking lot.

More About Russian Ridge Preserve

This 3,137-acre preserve is known for its spring wildflowers, but it has much to offer all year round. It is one of the best places in the Bay Area to see raptors; including red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, Cooper’s hawks, sharp-skinned hawks and even golden eagles.

Not far from this location is Audrey’s Way at Mindego Gateway, a commemorative site honoring former POST President Audrey C. Rust for her 24 years of conservation leadership. There is an accessible paved pathway, lookout deck and connections to surrounding trails. The site also offers panoramic vistas of protected redwood ridges and undulating hillsides, including Mindego Hill, now part of the Russian Ridge preserve, protected by POST in 2007.

 

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