To celebrate the start of May, I went on an amazing hike at Sunol Regional Wilderness around Maguire Peaks, a distinctive set of peaks visible from Interstate-680. This 5.5-mile lollipop trail was so lovely in the spring. I saw an absolute abundance of wildflowers, especially winter vetch. The blooms looked like a river of purple rolling down the mountain here and there. It was amazing!
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To celebrate my birthday, I decided to do a 5.5-mile hike in gorgeous Morgan Territory. It was an absolutely perfect day, and I had a blast on this trail. To see LOTS more photos and to read the details of my hike click "read more."
This 8-mile hike at Round Valley Regional Preserve is an amazing hike to do in the spring when the hills are emerald green, the wildflowers are starting to pop out, and the heat of the summer has not really gotten into full swing. I loved this hike, and would totally do it again, or a variation of it. Spending the day in the green hills was a perfect way to celebrate St. Patrick's Day!
Sierra Azul is the largest preserve in the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). Here is the blurb on the park from their website:
Just south of the Town of Los Gatos, on the east side of the Lexington Reservoir, sits Sierra Azul, the District's southernmost open space preserve. Translated Sierra Azul means "Blue Range." Encompassing more than 18,000 acres, this is the District's largest Preserve. Sierra Azul Preserve is a true wilderness area, yet surprisingly close to the urban areas of the South Bay, making it a popular destination. Because of its size, Sierra Azul is divided into four areas: Kennedy-Limekiln, Mount Umunhum, Cathedral Oaks, and Rancho do Guadalupe. Today, I visited the Kennedy-Limekiln area for the first time. I took a loop that is just over 5 miles, and I was treated to a bay laurel forest, a mixed forest of oak and madrone, a chaparral ecosystem with manzanita and chamise (and 360-degree views of mountains), eucalyptus trees, and views of the Lexington Reservoir. Alviso Marina County Park is one of the key gateways to Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge; specifically, it is near the Environmental Education Center in Alviso. The refuge is very large (30,000 acres) and has several access points; I liked this one a lot--much better than Ravenswood and as much as Coyote Hills. The birds here were TRULY spectacular. This is a birder's paradise!
This was a return trip for me to one of my absolute favorite spring wildflower hikes. Last year, when I made this loop in Pescadero Creek County Park, I saw a proliferation of wild irises blooming. Although I did not see nearly as many irises this year, I saw trillium blooming along Canyon trail in the deep shade of the redwoods--a real treat!
This was a return trip to Edgewood County Park for me. I am a teacher, and I went with a small group of my students to check out some of the earliest spring wildflowers, which are popping out a bit early (even in late January!) because of the good rain that we have had this winter. Because I was with so many people, I did not take a lot of photos, but I did get a few good shots of some Pacific Hounds Tongue, Indian Warrior, outcroppings of cool rocks (possibly limestone?), quite a few deer, and some transplanted flowers (probably daffodils) that don't look to be native. The kids picked their own route for hiking, and we made about a 5.5-6-mile loop.
Sunol Regional Wilderness in the East Bay is a lovely wilderness area. Here is a blurb on the park website:
Bedrock mortars used by Native Americans for pounding acorns that were found in the area are reminders of Sunol's first inhabitants. For the past century, however, the land known today as Sunol Regional Wilderness was used almost exclusively as ranch land. Under the East Bay Regional Park District's multi-use land management policy, cattle continue to graze in the 6,859-acre wilderness. We definitely saw lots and lots of cows grazing on our 5.4-mile loop! This 6-mile hike was a new trail for me at Long Ridge Open Space Preserve. The last time I came to Long Ridge, I made a loop into Upper Stevens Creek County Park. This trip, I explored a part of the park that borders Portola Redwoods State Park. I hope to one day make the trek from Portola through Long Ridge so that I can explore the site of the historic Page Mill! The hike that I did most recently was a really nice one that offered some shade through a mixed forest of oak, madrone, and bay laurel. The eponymous ridge offers some amazing views of the Santa Cruz Mountains, but with that comes intense exposure to sun. The shaded woods were a welcome respite from the sun.
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