Skyline Ridge Open Space Preserve

If you can make this drive, then it’s well worth it. More of a side of the road/​shoulder pit stop but that doesn’t take away anything from the views. Recently added more safety features for bad drivers as accidents used to happen pretty often! Great on an evening where it isn’t cloudy. Parking spots may be filled and it will get pretty crowded on an evening of a meteor shower or other astrological wonder.

Michael and I came here on a lovely spring evening when the half-​moon was high. Alpine Pond is a magical misty place, full of energy and life… and the hilltop beyond the lake was reminiscent of the legendary Tor at Glastonbury. Ducks and cormorants floated along the rippling dark waters, and a bench at the far side provided views of the mirroring surface. Such an amazing, spirit-​connected place…

Any open space preserve, in my opinion, deserves 5 stars for providing an experience closest to nature that may not be around in 100 years.
Yet I’m giving 4 stars solely based on my almost 4-yr-old’s perspective. We observed a couple of deer on the road while driving, went through a little tunnel, stood on a shaky plank watching cattail and ducks in tiny Alpine pond, saw a dozen holes that used to be mortars by native Americans (shouldn’t these be fenced?), and walked around horseshoe lake. We did not find any wild mushrooms that appeared so often on signs. The nature center was not open at the time of visit.
I was surprised to see so few people during our hike (fewer than 70). Most people were pretty nice when I asked how to get from point A to point B. Only two mothers supervising 6 girls simply replied «there’s the map».
Overall it’s a great place to enjoy panoramic views as long as you don’t have motion sickness.

As the name tells, you can hike on the rige trail. From the trail, sky is so blue and beautiful. Hills are so green and pretty. This scenery makes me refreshed, think to my self.

Has nothing on Russian Ridge, but it has some nice views to the coast, an old farm area that seems to be a favorite for deer, and a nice pond with ducks. The southern part of the preserve is a major letdown; everything is between two crests, so there are no views, and the trails are not well kept.

Growing up in northern California has had a big influence on my love and respect for the outdoors. When I lived in Oakland, we would think nothing of driving to Half Moon Bay and Santa Cruz one day and then driving to the foothills of the Sierras the next day — Tom Hanks
The Santa Cruz Mountains are one of the most gorgeous areas of hiking that is also very close to a major population area. I have been to most of the State & County Parks in this area but based on Bradley N’s 01−17−13 review of Skyline Ridge, I decided to give this Preserve a chance. Bradley wrote what probably is the definitive review so I will just add that he is right and I will include some photos of the amazing views.
There is a small lake and nature center but the «show piece» part of this park is the mile trail after the rattlesnake sign with a spectacular visage out to the Pacific Ocean. Well worth a stop off of Skyline Blvd… see attached photos…
Highly Recommended!

Accessibility is underrated.
At least this is generally the case with me, especially when I am hiking in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The more remote, steep, and inaccessible, the better!
That’s why I didn’t visit Skyline Ridge OSP for several years, despite having spent considerable time in its surrounding preserves and parks — Russian Ridge, Monte Bello, Long Ridge, Stevens Creek, Butano Ridge, Big Basin, Pescadero Creek, and Portola Redwoods. It seemed, well, TOO accessible: a nature center, lakes for the kids, wide, multi-​use trails for horses and bikes. Even a U-​Pick chestnut orchard and Christmas tree farm, for goodness sake! So I wisely left Skyline to those people living on the Peninsula who appreciated things like accessibility, while I roamed the far reaches of places like Purisima, El Corte de Madera, or the Peters Creek Grove alone. It seemed like a good system.
But then I realized that I was missing out on what Skyline Ridge has to offer: it’s so obvious that I missed it for many years.
What did I miss?
What was so obvious?
The name!
Skyline Ridge. Not Horseshoe Lake or Daniels Nature Center or «that place with the chestnuts and Christmas tree farm.» There is an actual ridge here («literally!», as the late Huell Howser might have said): a North to South trending spine of stone, trees, and grassy meadows. It does what all great ridges in the area do. It elevates you to a location where panoramas are possible, vistas that are never the same thing twice: of Monte Bello Ridge, exposed and elemental in mid-​morning sun; of redwood-​crusted Butano Ridge looming like the back of an emerald green, sleeping dragon; of small creeks and steep ravines and hidden watersheds that descend from Skyline to the Pacific Ocean, which you’ll see on the horizon, deep, eternal, and blue. And no matter how times I gaze upon the Pacific from 2,000 feet above, I just can’t get enough. It’s the mother of all views, and one major reason why these particular preserves are so special and deserving of public use.
So, if you want to experience Skyline Ridge the Santa Cruz Mountain way, head out on foot on the Ipiwa Trail, beginning at the Horseshoe Lake parking area. It’s just down the road on Skyline Boulevard from the Alpine Road and Page Mill Road intersection. Avoid the multi-​use trails if you can, as they get muddy and rutted from bike tires and horses’ hooves. Once you climb above the lake and see the Rattlesnake Sign (
), you’ll know you are on the right path.
From there, the next mile is spectacular, if the skies are clear and the foot traffic light. It’s a microcosm of what makes the West Side open space preserves so wonderful. Behind you, Monte Bello Ridge and the Black Mountain summit rise up from Stevens Creek (
), while above the grass-​covered hillsides shimmer in seasonal colors — yellow, gold, or green depending on the time of year (
). The trail itself winds around the ridge edging even closer to the ocean, with simple but satisfying views of the landscape below, heading towards Pescadero (
). Nothing snow-​capped here, no alpine lakes and rocky ramparts, but beautiful in a serene kind of way (
). If there is no fog that day, you’ll soon spot the blue horizon of the Pacific, just enough to attract your eye’s attention (
).
Soon enough you’ll approach the Notch, a stone outcropping secured with cables and poles for those who might be inclined to imitate the birds by attempting to soar into space (
), and then you’ll reach the Eberhardt Bench (
), a worn wooden resting spot named for a hiker, nature lover, and advocate of the Mid-​Peninsula regional open space movement (
).
There’s more to Skyline than the Ipiwa Trail, which does double duty as a leg on the Bay Area Ridge trail (and thus can be hiked through as part of a point-​to-​point hike to Saratoga Gap and beyond). But for me, this tiny stretch of single-​track trail is the heart and soul of the place: quintessential Santa Cruz Mountains. It’s so simple to find, but it’s really hard to forget.
Accessibility. It has its appeal …

Thought this was an okay hike — we were looking for something super-​easy & a gateway back into the hiking arena & were fool enough to believe this would be a nice easy trail… let me just assure you it’s not.
Well, maybe it’s easy but not the *super* easy hike I was hoping for. And the roads to get up here will have you in need of a break for sure! TONS of hairpin turns & cyclists tackling the mountain — very harrowing! It took us longer to drive up there than it took to hike the short trail :-(
Maybe for those experienced, in-​shape people but for someone who’s trying to rebuild her stamina, it seemed like the longest 3 miles of my life
Thank goodness it was a cool day so we didn’t have to beware of the Rattlesnakes & the guide-​writer mentioned seeing a Bobcat here once… again, PHEW!

Great hiking but can be windy. Be prepared!

I hiked many hours and many trails at Sklyline Ridge with Team in Training when I was training for an all day hike of the Grand Canyon.
The wonderful, beautiul great outdoors.
Make sure you get a map if any are available at the main trail entrance stand.

Tried this place out on a Saturday morning. My friend and I took the Ipiwa trail to then the Sunny Jim Trail back. There was nice shade here and there and incline wasn’t too bad. There were a few spots of dead on sun but it was an ok day so it wasn’t too bad with breeze every once in awhile. Not a lot of people were out but there were several people around everytime we walked. Hiking trails were good enough space and had wonderful views everywhere. I’d definitely come again or all the nearby preserves around the area.

Peaceful place to go for a walk and to break up the drive on Skyline. Come prepared for a range of weather as even in summer the fog can be super cold.

A nice mix of sun and forest. a good trail hike for the day!
I ran the horseshoe lake trail marathon here about 2 weeks ago but did a mild jog here about a month ago before that. Getting here had plenty of curvy roads and bikers so be careful when driving up here. Parking wasn’t too bad when I came here, didn’t seem like too many people came here.
There are a few trails here and most of them are decent to hike. Not a lot of great views unless your into the forest and enjoy trees. I ran across a location that actually grew christmas trees and sold them there during the season. There are plenty of better hike’s in california I think, this is a decent one. There are a few signs that show that bobcats are in the area… never saw one. Maybe a few birds, a snake, and some deer.
Bottom line: if you feel like going out and getting some fresh air, this may be good to try. Bring some water and enjoy the sun. Inclines weren’t too bad for hiking, there were a few spots that were difficult but overall, it wasn’t too strenuous.

Great place to hike with kids. Staff at the Nature Center are very friendly and there are good interactive exhibits. Check out the Ohlone Indian acorn grinding stone and natural slide near the pond – my kids love it!

Horseshoe lake is a nice little place to stop and rest. The trails are well maintained, although not all are covered under the canopy and on a hot day I can see the sun being a problem.
Overall I think I’d restrict visits here to winter days when it’s cool out and you can enjoy the views and hikes more.

I signed up for a docent led hike through
, a great resource for local bay area hikers and totally free. Our docent brought along his grandson who was a mere 12 years old. But this kid sure knew his stuff on plants and local animals.
The hike was about the many plants in the area, used for medicine, mostly. At first I was a little concerned that we would not be getting any shade on this path, from the parking lot, located at Russian Ridge Preserve, it seemed fairly dry and not very cool. Luckily we did walk by some cool patches that trees canopied over, mostly oaks.
About three fourths in to the hike we ascended some hills and stopped at a good view of the reserve, trees, birds, and more trees were visible from this point.
On the way up we spotted a rattle snake, hiding in between two rocks attempting to blend in and cool off.
Near the end of the journey we stopped by some benches and had a peaceful lunch while listening to our docents history of the preserve and where it’s name originated.
We stopped along the nature center and got a great few of the small lake that mirrors the center.
This was a very short easy hike, only two miles long, but it was so warm that day that I was red and sweaty anyway.

I like Skyline Ridge. It’s one of the least crowded parks along Skyline and there are numerous places where you can have a private chat or share a moment with a special someone. However, it is lacking in views compared to the absolutely spectacular Russian Ridge just to the north, and it lacks the ambiance of Long Ridge just to the south.
There are some days when you just want to be out there alone though, and I’m glad they set it aside for that.

I keep having to pass up hike events posted by Unilocalers because let’s face it, I am out of shape. So, Sunday, after eating a Super Burrito al Pastor (nom nom nom), doing something active seemed much more prudent than watching TV, playing video games, or even –gasp– Unilocaling. If only those things burned calories!
So, I pulled out the easy hikes guide, went to DSW for some hiking shoes, and hit the trail. It was cool, so I didn’t worry about the rattlesnakes and I went from Horseshoe lake (probably the easiest hike from the parking lot) and then a steep climb to Russian Ridge, passing another lake, some rabbits, and then up to a hill.
It was a wet weekend, and that made the trails from the parking lots very muddy and difficult. Ultra slippery and I almost lost my shoe in it after stopping for some water.
SportsTrack of the hike, complete with elevation, my slow pace, pictures, and music playlist:
The elevation oscillated from 1900 — 2400ft but for the most part rolling hills so it wasn’t difficult once past the mud.

This space is awesome! There are so many hikes in this district that it would take you days to complete them all.
Some of the more popular hikes are:
–Coal Creek
–Long Ridge
— Los Trancos
–Monte bello
— Rancho San Antonio
— Russian Ridge
— Saratoga Gap
–Skyline Ridge
My favorites are the Russian Ridge and Skyline Ridge.
A word to the wise, when you part definitely ask for a trail map. You can easily get lost in this open space preserve and since its so large — just get a map!
The hikes are nice but not too many «views» on the trails I went on.
Beware of the heat too– Saratoga gets really warm in the summer so be sure to pack plenty of water!

Skyline Ridge offers pretty ridge views, miles and miles of challenging trails, meadows, ponds, and Horseshoe lake for a quiet picnic. The trails are rarely crowded and make for an intimate run or hike. About two and a half miles into the preserve is Alpine Pond with a nature center that handed out free bandannas in honor of Earth Day!
Not sure if it was the new altitude or beginning of really warm weather that had us sucking wind, but my BF and I were having a tough time getting up to the first ridge! We are intermediately experienced hikers so a couple of miles with intermittent grades of 20 – 30 degrees is usually a piece of cake for us. Would of been nice if this particular trail had more trees for us to take a break under the shade.
Anywho, the somewhat steep inclines and declines SROP offers makes for great Half-​Dome training. We aren’t nearly in shape for a 17mi hike with a 60 degree incline (not to mention the BF has a light fear of heights). :/​But we’re getting there!