moderate
Activities
Mindego Hill Trail Information
As one of the highest points in the area, Mindego Hill has amazing 360-degree views.
Watch for:
The preserve is one of the best places in the Bay Area to spot raptors, including red-tailed hawks, turkey vultures, Cooper’s hawks and golden eagles. Wildflowers are also abundant in the spring, and in May and June, gumweed, mule ears, farewell-to-spring and Brodiaea bloom along the hillsides.
Hiking Details for Mindego Hill Trail
Distance: 4.6 miles
Elevation change: 1300′ elevation gain
Hiking time: 3-4 hours
Trail surface: Mixed
Best Season: Year round
Managing agency: Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District
Parking lot location: Click here for directions
Overview: The Russian Ridge Open Space Preserve has over 10 miles of hiking trails. For a moderately strenuous 5-mile hike, follow the Mindego Hill Trail out to the summit and back. This trail leads out from the Mindego Gateway parking area.
Please note: The beginning of the trail is on a gravel road with a steep decline—and what goes down, must come up! Some hikers may wish to use hiking poles. There is limited bike and equestrian access throughout the preserve.
Mindego Hill Trail Photo Gallery
More About Mindego Hill and the Russian Ridge Preserve.
Audrey’s Way at Mindego Gateway is a commemorative site honoring former POST President Audrey C. Rust for her 24 years of conservation leadership. Featuring a short accessible paved pathway, lookout deck and connections to surrounding trails, the site 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.
With generous support from our donors and in partnership with Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District, POST funded the creation of this new destination stopping point so future generations can continue to enjoy breathtaking coastal views from this dramatic lookout point.
The Mindego Hill portion of the Russian Ridge preserve was opened to the public on March 30, 2016.