Waddell Beach is on the bottom and West side of Big Basin Redwoods. We like to think of Big Basin Redwoods as Fairy Land as we halfway expect to see fairies flitting amongst the massive redwoods. From Big Basin, in the Santa Cruz Mountains, one can hike all the way down to Waddell Beach.
Continue reading “Waddell Beach: The Other Side of Fairy Land”
The other day, we had to take a trip down the peninsula to San Jose. Once we had our business taken care of, we headed back home. The timing put us on the freeway at the start of the rush hour. Yucky!
Since freeways are boring at the best of times, we took a detour and wound up taking the scenic route home. We drove West on Page Mill Road until it connected with Hwy 35 aka Skyline Boulevard. Before we got to Skyline, we pulled off at Monte Bello Open Space Preserve. The Midpeninsula Open Space Preserves are wonderful places to visit, hike, bike, or ride horses. We didn’t stay long or hike far as it was getting late in the day. I did manage to take a few pictures though.
The hills were green and the grasses were tall. Wildflowers grew in abundance along the trail.
Russian Ridge is a part of the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. This district manages more than 60,000 acres in 26 preserves. Of these 26 preserves, 24 are open to the public for hiking, cycling, and horseback riding. They are free to the public and open year round from dawn until dusk.
Continue reading “Hiking the Bay Area trails: Russian Ridge”
