A Quiet Trail and a Bike Return
Distance: 7.4 Miles Elevation Gain/Loss: 715 feet/845 feet one-way
In spite of the name, the route for this hike includes only a short section in Huddart County Park and a couple of miles in El Corte de Madera. The majority runs along a relatively direct and seemingly rarely used trail through Bear Gulch Watershed. When hiking this route in one direction a return trip to the car would add more than 4 miles of road walking. Rather than walk along Skyline Blvd again, I decided to try something new, a bike shuttle. A brief mapping exercise showed that the south end is at a slightly higher elevation, so I locked a bike at El Corte de Madera and drove to Huddart. The thought had crossed my mind, while abandoning my bicycle, that there is always the chance it will not be there when I return. But comparing the alternative option of walking back to the beginning made this feel like a reasonable risk.
During the 5 miles through Bear Gulch Watershed I encountered a total of 3 people. There is no parking lot and limited access to this trail and so it seems to function best primarily as a way to connect you from one park to another. Still, the trail was well maintained for the most part, with the exception being sections damaged from the heavy storms of the recent winter. In one section the damage was so extensive that I lost the trail while scrambling along fallen logs and branches. Fortunately, I managed to find my way by continuing in the same relative direction and looking for visual signs.
I had anticipated some great views through Bear Gulch. The trail runs along close to the ridge line on the eastern slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains facing the south bay. A section even runs right under Skeggs Point, a commonly used vista for those driving along Skyline. I expected, at the very least, to get a new and unique vantage for Skeggs Point away from the noisy roads and with no access from the crowded parking lot. Unfortunately, the cover of the forest had other plans for me. I did manage to make out a small bit of Santa Clara through the foliage, but that was it. Still, the emptiness and quiet of the trail was calming and it carried the feeling that I was walking through a part of the bay where a relatively few have gone.
The eventual cross from Skyline into El Corte de Madera created a significant change. Almost immediately I could once again see and hear other hikers exploring the trails of this park. I hiked the rest of the way back to my bicycle listening to the voices off in the distance and trying to spot the differences in foliage as I was now on the moister, ocean-facing western slope of the Santa Cruz Mountains.
My bicycle remained where I has left it, and the ride back to the car took 20 minutes rather than the 2 hours it would have taken to walk. I even managed to stop at the Methuselah Tree for some quick photos and Skeggs Point to take in that view I felt I had missed.
A map of this trail can be found here: El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve to Huddart County Park
Next segments:
Clockwise: Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve
Counterclockwise: Windy Hill (coming soon, next available: Mussel Rock to Stern Grove)
You must be logged in to post a comment.