Windy hill
Midpeninsula regional open Space District
Directions: From Interstate 280 in San Mateo County, exit Alpine Road and drive west about 3 miles. Turn right at the first stop sign, onto Portola. Drive about 0.8 mile, and turn left into the parking lot.
Parking Fee: None
Facilities: Pit toilet
Windy Hill parking off Portola
The hike trailhead
And away we go!
Hiking along the Hamms Gulch Trail
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A view of the peak from the Hamms Gulch Trail
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Some nice color along the trail
View out to Mount Diablo
Getting closer to the top
More color along the Hamms Gulch Trail
Photo op!
Neat tree along the trail
Out in the open now ...
We made it to the top
Sign for Windy Hill along Skyline Boulevard
View out to the ocean from Skyline Boulevard
Windy Hill parking along Skyline Boulevard
Snack break!
Break over, hit the trail again
View out over the Bay Area
Group photo time
Bench mark at the top
A shaded spot on the way down ...
But most of it was open like this
Betsy Crowder Trailhead
Hiking down the Betsy Crowder Trail
On Saturday, September 1, 2007, I joined in with the meetup.com “Let's hike and maybe take a break if we get tired” hiking group for a hike at Windy Hill Open Space Preserve.
Hike Route: Hamms Gulch Trail -> Anniversary Trail -> Spring Ridge Trail -> Betsy Crowder Trail -> end
National Geographic TOPO! software website:
GPS Stats
Distance hiked: 7.2 miles
Total ascent: 1594 ft
Trailhead Elevation: 542 ft
Max Elevation: 1910 ft
Moving time: 3 hrs
Moving Average: 2.3 mph
Overall average: 1.4 mph
Time stopped: 1 hr 45 min
Personal stats
Dates Hiked:
1-Sep-2007
Start time: 10:00 AM
Weather: Clear, sunny, and warm. Temperatures reached the low 90’s during the hike.
Water consumed: 1.5 liters
plus 600 ml Gatorade
Finish time: 2:45 PM
Total time: ~ 4 hrs 45 min
Beauty: Tree shaded trails, open hill sides, Bay Area and some coastal views!
The Bay Area really does have a nice concept with the open space parks here. It’s not that you go to these parks to have a barbeque and play on the swings. The open space parks are not for that. No, they are for hiking and given the hills surrounding the Bay Area, you can get some really good hikes in.
And since I am still on my quest here to hike all of the known parks in the greater Bay Area, when I saw that our local meetup.com hiking group had a hike planned for Windy Hill, a park I had never been to, I decided to join in.
This hike was organized by Maura, and besides being a really nice and fun person, she does a great job of it and for this hike she planned a roughly 7 mile loop up Windy Hill and back down for about 1400 feet of elevation gain. Modest perhaps compared to some hikes but on a warm day as this one was; it was a good workout.
We started the hike from the Windy Hill parking lot of Portola Road. As you get into the hike, you come to a trail junction where you can go right, or left. If you go right, you will hike up the hill mostly in the open and in the sun. OK for a cool day but on a warm day, maybe not the best idea.
If you take the left fork, you can hike up the hill in complete shade almost the entire way up. We took the left fork. I’m not certain of the trail name at that point but it took us to the Hamms Gulch Trail, a 2.6 mile section that climbs up the hill to a park area with picnic tables and a pit toilet along Skyline Boulevard.
The Hamms Gulch Trail does have a lot of switch-backs going up it as you climb so it never gets real steep, but it is still a workout. And it offers some nice views out over the Bay Area here and there while still keeping you shaded. By the time we hit the top of the hill we were ready for a snack break and took advantage of a shaded picnic table to do just that.
After our break we caught the Anniversary Trail and climbed a little more. At the highest point of the Anniversary Trial there is a little side spur you can take up to the top peak of Windy Hill where we had the best view out over the Bay Area and even out to the ocean. From there it was back on down where we caught the Spring Ridge Trail, a dirt road really, which took us most of the way back down.
Towards the end of the hike we caught the Betsy Crowder Trial, a 0.6 mile, tree covered section and finished up at the parking area where we started.
During this time of year (Labor Day Weekend) the area is pretty dry and it is almost surprising how certain areas within it can have so much green. But then the open areas are pretty dry and dusty. Still, this was a good hike though I would not my rate it as my favorite in the Bay Area. I think I prefer Rancho San Antonio, a similar type of hike, if only because the Deer Hollow Farm offers a nice diversion at the end of a hike up the hill. Still, I would consider Windy Hill a must hike for anyone exploring the Bay Area open space parks. Now let’s see the pictures.
Wildlife seen: not so much, a few birds, but then I rarely see wildlife in group hikes.
Difficulty: Except for the warm weather, this hike was mostly easy for me and should be fine for anyone who is not a couch potato or suffering from heart disease. The hike does have a total ascent of over 1500 feet which is not trivial but the trail has a lot of switch backs to ease the slope up.
