TrailStompers.com: San Francisco Bay Area Trail Running

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Today the sun came out for a few hours, making it a perfect day for a little run.  These pictures were taken on a variation of the Huddart Park/Purisimia Creek Redwoods "super-loop" run through Soda Gulch.  This time, I did the Soda Gulch loop clockwise, going down the Purisima Creek Trail, then through Soda Gulch on the Craig Britton Trail, and finally climbing back up to Skyline on the Harkins Ridge and North Ridge Trails.

Today was simply an amazing day in the Bay Area.  It can only be described by the French phrase: "f$#king beautiful!!"  (That is French, right?).  Anyway, I decided to explore today in the Portola Valley area.  If you've never been on the Ridge Trail from Borel Hill north to Rapley Ranch Road, it's a must-do!  Here's a summary of the 20-mile run:

Start in Windy Hill parking area off of Portola Road.  Cut over to Alpine Road.  Run up Eagle Trail then Alpine Road to where it turns to dirt.  Continue up old Alpine Road, turn right on Meadow Trail in Coal Creek OSP.  Head up to Skyline and take a brief detour to Borel Hill (2572').  Then take the Ridge Trail as far north as possible, and get onto Skyline Road when the Ridge Trail ends.  Follow Skyline Road to Windy Hill summit.  Head down Lost Trail / Razorback Ridge trail.  Cut up to Betsy Crower Trail back to the car. 

Enjoy the pictures!

Today was another beautiful day in the Bay Area!  The run today was the Waterman Gap Super-Loop, but done in reverse.  here's the summary: Start at Waterman Gap (junction of Hwy 9/236), climb up Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail to Saratoga Gap (junction of Hwy 9/35), take Skyline Trail south, turn right on Loughry Woods Trail to the Castle Rock Trail Camp, turn right on Saratoga Gap Trail (fire road), turn left on Travertine Springs Trail, turn left on Saratoga Toll Road, turn right on the Interconnector Trail, turn right on Skyline-to-the-Sea Trail back to the car.  If you are going to do the loop backwards, keep a sharp eye out for signs - we got off the trail several times because the trails are not marked as well in this direction.

Important note: do not forget to stop by Saratoga Gap after the run for Mr. Mustard hot dogs!!!

So I've been really busy and I am about a month late in posting these pics!  Last month I checked out the Mission Peak Regional Preserve and Ohlone Wilderness Trail.  My route was simple: start at Ohlone College in Fremont, run up to Mission Peak, drop down the back side to the Sunol Wilderness Headquarters, then retrace my steps back to the car.  The overall distance was only about 16 miles, but it was a real butt-kicker!  But putting aside the physical pain, I was amazed at how beautiful the run was, especially through the section on the Ohlone Wilderness Trail from Mission Peak to the Sunol Wilderness HQ.  One thing to note: there was very little shade on the route, and I could see this run being miserable on a hot summer day... Enjoy the pics!

What better to do on a Friday afternoon than experience the beauty of the SF Bay Area at Rancho San Antonio?  Today at lunch I stole away and ran the loop listed as Favorite Run #2 (The "Big Loop") on the Rancho San Antonio Trail Runs page.  Even though I've run at Rancho for years, I've never taken any pictures, so enjoy!