Palo Alto to the Pacific
Distance: Approximately 48 miles one way and includes two nights of camping.
Elevation change: Gained 10,500 feet
Difficulty: Strenuous
Hiking time: Appx. 23 hours of hiking (assuming roughly a 30-minute mile pace) and two nights of camping.
Season: Summer is best (campsites are open roughly April to November)
Overview:
The Bay Area provides a wonderful variety of landscapes, protected by so many incredible organizations who have been working in the area for decades.
Appreciating the deliberate foresight of those who fought to preserve the Peninsula, I decided to walk from my hometown of Palo Alto all the way to the ocean, taking advantage of the incredible network of protected lands and the trails that wind through them.
This trail route crosses through three counties, and ten different preserves. These preserves represent almost 41,000 acres of protected land and are considered some of the Bay Area’s rarest gems. Follow along on our epic two-night cross-Peninsula adventure and find the information you need to do this trip on your own:
Day 1:
Pearson–Arastradero Preserve
Follow the trail along Arastradero Creek. Just past Sobey Pond, you’ll begin to feel the upslope carry you westward toward the Bay-to-Ridge Trail. You will access Foothills Park at gate D. A plethora of wildlife call this preserve home. Be careful where you step as rattlesnakes are known for sunning themselves on these slopes.
Foothills Park
Enter the park through gate D and follow the road down to the Interpretive Center. Fill up your water bottles and take this opportunity to use the restroom. Continue south through the Las Trampas Valley towards the Wildhorse Valley and Towle Campground.
At the end of the fire road, begin the serious ascent of the Costanoa Trail to the well-loved Los Trancos Trail (designated as part of the Bay Area Ridge Trail). Here you’ll get your first glimpses of the Bay sparkling below and can hear cars whiz through the turns on nearby Page Mill Road.
Los Trancos Open Space Preserve
Cross into Los Trancos Open Space Preserve and onto the Page Mill Trail to begin hugging the contours of the hillside whose slope drains into the Los Trancos Creek basin. Keep your eyes peeled for juvenile mountain lions, they’ve been spotted by neighbors in this particular drainage.
After about 2.5 miles you’ll pop out right on Page Mill Road, where you will cross the street into Monte Bello’s gate 3.
Monte Bello Open Space Preserve
Black Mountain was a regular sight from my childhood home and a spot my family frequented. It’s a great place to camp. You’ll enter Monte Bello on the Canyon Trail. After passing by the historic orchard and Sag Pond, you’ll pick up the Bella Vista Trail for the last climb to the Black Mountain Trail Camp at the top. This is where we camped our first night. Take advantage of the campground having water (non-potable so you’ll need a filter), a vault toilet with hand sanitizer and cement rounds to prepare your meals.
Click here to see part 2 of this story!
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About Post
Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST) protects open space on the Peninsula and in the South Bay for the benefit of all. Since its founding in 1977, POST has been responsible for saving more than 87,000 acres as permanently protected land in San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. Learn more