TrailStompers.com: San Francisco Bay Area Trail Running

The South Skyline Region includes multiple connected parks and open space preserves.  If you include other adjoining parks (Rancho, Castle Rock, Big Basin, etc.) it is possible to continuously run from Cupertino to the Pacific Ocean without ever stepping on a paved road!  The five parks included on this page border Skyline Blvd (Hwy 35), which makes it possible to do a variety of short or very long runs without ever being more than a few miles from a main road.  Most of the trails in the region are fire roads, with a few exceptions such as the Table Mountain Trail, Stevens Creek Nature Trail, and sections of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.  There are many trailheads to start from along Skyline Blvd, Page Mill Road, Alpine Road, or Hwy 9.

One word of caution: Even though the Canyon Trail is a wide, gentle fire road in most sections, it is one of the most common trails in the area for local punks to dress up in ridiculous looking full-body armor and flaunt the laws of physics by bombing downhill in a testosterone-blinded state on their two-wheeled death machines.  In other words: watch out for crazy downhill "bikers" when running on the Canyon Trail!!

The Dirt:

• For the official OpenSpace.org website click here.
  
• For maps of Russian Ridge, Skyline Ridge, Long Ridge, and Monte Bello click here.  (Scroll to the bottom of the page and click on the "South Skyline Region" map for a great overview map of the entire region.  This map is also available in printed form for free at most trailheads.)
  
• For the official site and detailed map of the Stevens Creek County Park area click here.
• There are so many different trailheads in this region that the driving directions are listed with each run below.
  

Extras:

• There is no drinking water available in the entire South Skyline Region.  (I have friends that drink the water available at the Black Mountain Backpack Camp, but the official site claims that it is non-potable.  Drink at your own risk!)  UPDATE 1/11/10: I spoke with a representative from the Open Space District who confirmed that none of the water in the area is potable!
  
• Sections of the Bay Area Ridge Trail pass through this region.  The Ridge Trail is a proposed 550+ mile continuous loop trail that completely surrounds the Bay.  About 320 miles are now completed.  For more information, visit the official Bay Area Ridge Trail website.
  

This run is a nice loop that takes you from the ridgeline along Skyline all of the way down to the bottom of Stevens Creek Canyon, and back up again!  The long rolling descent along the Table Mountain Trail is some of the best singletrack in the region.  The lower portion is open to mountain bikes; however, they are restricted to the uphill direction only.   

This run starts at the Grizzly Flat Trailhead on Skyline Blvd about 3 miles north of Hwy 9.  If you are driving north from Hwy 9, the parking area will be on your right.  For driving directions via Google Maps, click here.  Begin the run by crossing over Skyline Blvd and getting on Peters Creek Trail.  (Note: I'm using the mileages from the Upper Stevens Creek County Park Map.  The South Skyline Region map shows the Table Mountain Trail as 0.6 miles longer and Grizzly Flat Trail as 0.6 miles longer, for a total run distance of 10.9 miles.  Personally, I like this number more...).

• 0.0 mi: Cross over Skyline Blvd and get on the Peters Creek Trail.
• 0.4 mi: Ridge Trail intersection. Turn left to continue on the Peters Creek Trail.  (You're now on the Bay Area Ridge Trail.)
  
• 0.5 mi: Long Ridge Trail intersection. Turn left to stay on the Peters Creek Trail.  Continue on the Peters Creek Trail for the next 1.6 miles.  You'll pass a small lake and then switchback up a hill.
  
• 2.1 mi: Turn left onto Long Ridge Road (follow the Bay Area Ridge Trail).
  
• 2.2 mi: Pass Ward Road on your left.  Stay on the Long Ridge Road (follow the Bay Area Ridge Trail).
• 2.4 mi: Turn left onto Hickory Oaks Trail (follow the Bay Area Ridge Trail).
• 2.9 mi: Trail splits.  Take either direction, since they join up again soon (the trail to the right has a view!).
• 3.2 mi: Turn left at the Achistaca Trail junction and descend to Skyline Blvd. 
  
• 3.3 mi: Cross Skyline and get onto the Saratoga Gap trail (follow the Bay Area Ridge Trail).
• 3.6 mi: Trail ends at Charcoal Road.  Get onto the Table Mountain Trail singletrack, which veers off to the left of Charcoal Road.  The next 3.3 miles are a long rolling descent to Stevens Creek.
• 5.6 mi: The singletrack ends at a fire road.  Turn left to continue on Table Mountain Trail towards Stevens Creek Canyon Trail.
• 6.9 mi: Table Mountain Trail ends at the Canyon trail.  Turn left, cross the creek, and then start climbing.  Watch for mountain bikers!
  
• 7.8 mi: After a short steep climb, turn left onto Grizzly Flat Trail.  The initial section of trail is singletrack: you'll descend briefly, cross the creek again, and come out to a fire road.  Continue climbing up the Grizzly Flat Trail fire road.
• 8.7 mi: The Grizzly Flat Trail splits.  Stay right to continue up the north trail.  (Both trails take you to the top, but the north trail is a more gradual climb.)
• 9.3 mi: Stay right at the connector trail to continue up Grizzly Flat Trail.
• 9.7 mi: Back at the car!
  

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