Journeys›Photograph

Clear January Day Hiking at Windy Hill

·Portola Valley, California·#winter#hiking#california#bay area#landscape
A panoramic view of rolling green hills, distant mountains, a dirt path, and a clear blue sky with a sun flare.

The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District manages a string of tracts down the peninsula, and we stopped at Windy Hill Preserve for a clear January day hiking in the green hills. From the two parking areas on Skyline Boulevard, a brief trail connects the upper ridges. Instead of the short 1.6-mile loop near the summit detours, we took the dirt track heading down toward the exposed rock faces. The full 7.2-mile route covers Spring Ridge Trail, Lost Trail, and Hamm’s Gulch Trail. In mid-winter, the hillside grass is completely green, interrupted by bare oaks that shade the lower sections of the path. We followed the open ridgeline until the trail met a barbed wire fence marking the edge of the steep drop into the valley below.

Two people smile while taking a selfie outdoors with rolling green hills and mountains under a clear sky.A dirt path winds through a grassy hillside with bare trees, leading towards rocky, tree-covered mountains under a blue sky.A dirt path winds through green grass and trees towards rugged, brush-covered mountains under a clear blue sky.Rolling green hills and mountains with rock formations under a clear blue sky with a faint crescent moon.A towering tan cliff and mountain peak under a clear blue sky, with a forest of bare trees and green grass.Rugged, rocky mountainside with tan peaks and green trees against a clear blue sky with a faint crescent moon.Bare trees on a grassy hillside overlook green valleys, distant hills, and a clear blue sky.A wooden fence post and barbed wire stand on a grassy hill with rolling hills and a clear blue sky in the background.

More Entries