A Short Section with a Great View
Distance: 3.3 miles Elevation Gain/Loss: 420/550
The Windy Hill section fills in part of a gap in the trail between El Corte and Russian Ridge and is disconnected from both. What it lacks in distance it more than makes up for with views.
There is limited parking at the south end, north end and middle. So you have a few choices in direction. We parked in the main lot in the middle, which is the main lot for Windy Hill. From there we completed the small loop by following the biking path north and the walking path back south to the parking lot. The remaining section we completed as an out and back hike, for a total of 6.4 miles.
The northern end is wide open. There are two short spur trails, Windy Hill Trail and Herb Grench Overlook Trail, each going up to the top of one of the neighboring peaks. Both are worth taking and are the highlights of this section.
The southern section is more wooded and the terrain varies between hard packed soil with coyote brush to ferns and tall trees. This stark difference occurs a couple of times creating rapid and very noticeable terrain changes.
The official map for this segment can be found here.
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Next Segments:
Clockwise: El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve to Huddart County Park
Counterclockwise: Skyline Ridge and Russian Ridge Open Space Preserves
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