One of my favourite spots that escapes form the urban jungle. I will trully miss this spot since I no longer live in the Bay Area. If you love nature, check it out and be mindful of locals and driving etiquette in that area!

Always a wonderful place to go hiking! Lots of different trails with varying degrees of incline. Usually pretty quiet during the week, moreso in the mornings and gets a little busy on weekends.

Beautiful Vista views from the top. Dead zone with cell phones when driving, roads popular with bicycle riders. one public restroom. small amphitheater seating. Great for socially distanced gatherings (2020). Good for group meditation or yoga and a photoshoot.

A beautiful surprise to find this spot while out on a weekend ride.

Great views on a sunny winter day when there is no fog to obscure the ocean.

It’s a beautiful place. Quite a gem! Very easy to find. Parking lot is small (Alpine road) but free. It’s got restroom, area map. There are several different trail. Ridge trail/Hawkeye loop is my favorite (see map below) - about 5 miles. Elevation is minimal so it’s a fairly flat hike. Morning can be foggy which takes away from scenery but makes your hike easy and pleasant. Otherwise lots of open space, so don’t forget your hat and bring plenty of water! There are parts on Hawkeye and Ancient Oaks trails that are shaded.No dogs allowed but horses are welcome.

Quite beautiful during sunset :) We parked at the entrance on the Alpine Rd where has more parking space.

Beautiful hikes, about 5 miles long. If you go counterclockwise through the loop, you will find yourself above the clouds as you start the hike. There are 2 major incline. The first climb has no shade, second climb is partially shaded. You will find plenty of pretty flowers along the trail. Overall a wonderful hike.There is a small parking lot, parking is free. No reception nor wifi here so download the map if you need GPS.

Carpets of color. We went on a Friday, arrived about noon. Parking lot was full but waited for a space to open up: well worth it!

Really nice and well kept. Can say its the best place to hike in this area. Also allot of exposure in this hike so wear glasses and hat.

Shot hike to the Borel Hill opens up fantastic views of the silicon valley, San Francisco city, the East Bay and even distant views of the Pacific ocean. Lovely place!

Beautiful hike. We went there on a Saturday morning (around 10am), and there were plenty of parking spots available. The trail is well-maintained and there are physical maps available at the entrance. Its an easy to moderate hike. The views are breath taking. I definitely recommend this hike. I also recommend going clockwise (the hike is a loop).

Another beautiful place in the middle of nowhere... FYI At&t phones work in the parking lot.

Great views in both directions.. Great place to stop for photos on Skyline

Perfect place to watch sunset and meteor shower.

Good spot for astronomical event. Could see milky way and meteor shower here

Beautiful hiking on the of the Bay. Views of the the ocean and coastal areas are spectacular.

Plenty of trails in the area some roads are a little tight but its worth it just drive safe be careful enjoy yourself and have fun!

I’ve explored a lot of beautiful Bay Area sports but this is my favorite one

Great views, not to challenging. Open areas as well as oak groves. Parking can fill up a little, but theres another entrance a mile down the road along Skyline, across from a scenic overlook parking lot. Theres a basic bathroom at the main lot.

Lots of available parking, and entrance to the open preserve is free! Trails are well maintained and not super crowded. Trails are open to hikers, runners, mountain bikers, and people riding horses. Most of the trails are exposed, but occasionally will go through some sparse forest.

Not too far from the traffic of silicon valley is a secluded nature scene for good mountain biking, hiking, or trail running. Plenty of free parking makes this a good place to meet up with friends for an afternoon hike. Good views, but the majority of the path is not shaded so bring sunscreen!

One of the best view of bay area as well as west coast depending on weather

Large public open space with great views on clear days of both the bay and the ocean. Many short hiking trails that also connect to neighboring open space preserves if you want a longer hike. Most trails are also open to bicycles and horses. Large variety of colorful wildflowers during the spring, but can be dry and dusty in the fall.

Came here dozens of times over the years. Best hour: sunset. Best season: spring. Best trail: ancient oak trail. Be sure to bring a jacket to shield you from the wind. Don’t go to the southern most part because it’s too steep.

Good place to hike and bike

Really nice park for mountain biking or hiking. Its rarely crowded and has a big, free parking lot. Most of the trails get full sun and are exposed to the wind, so be prepared. It dries out fairly quickly after winter rains, much more than nearby parks with more tree-covered trails.

Trails that are friendly for both mountain bikers and hikers. We parked by Rapley Ridge road and we were the only ones who parked there, instead of up by Skyline, and it added a beautiful 2.5 miles to our total hike.

The trails were too narrow for the number of people. With the lack of consistency with masks during Covid 19, we felt it wasnt safe to stay.

Great hikes and views.

Great area for morning hikes (it can get hot in the afternoon since its exposed) with great views that can go as far as the ocean when visibility is good. Go early morning on beautiful days for a chance to see stunning views from above a sea of clouds reaching inland from the ocean through the valleys.

Beautifully quiet if just want to get away from the bussle of traffic & people.

A nice, relatively short loop hike with a noticeable elevation drop. Probably not for the novice hiker. We did a 3 mile loop that started by walking down Crazy Petes Road, off Skyline. Trail is in pretty good shape but there were a couple fallen trees to climb over/ get around. I recommend grabbing the provided paper map because your phone probably wont have signal. there are a few beautiful vistas along the way.

Great hike with a view of the ocean and the Bay area

Amazing views from the top!

Beautiful sweeping views. Lots of smooth contouring trails with gentle slopes up to the ridgelines.

Beautiful park, would have given it 5 stars, but during BAMRU training, I got systemic poison oak here. Totally my fault, but as miserable as I was, you aint getting 5 stars haha

Peaceful

Amazing place. Plenty of trails to walk or bike on. Plus youll be treated with astounding views.

Lovely, clear and cool morning, but to my knowledge, not a Russian to be found.

A great place to visit! lots of trails. this is a go-to, for sure!

Great place for an easy to medium hike. Nice scenery.

Great place to hike and bike. You probably dont want to go mid day in summer because it can get really hot and there is little shade

Lovely place to ride bike- That is, until they poured gravel all over the trails making it almost impossible to go uphill, and dangerous to go down!! Not sure what they were thinking, but one by one, they have been doing this to the openspaces, destroying them. For a place where nature is to be preserved, dumping rock from a quarry far away all over is sad.

Awesome park. Lots of room, tables, and decent parking. And lots of shade

Great place for hiking

Bay, Ocean, Hills, Poison Oak, Snakes - Beautiful but beware!

Beautiful park, can be busy during wildflowers season

Nice local hiking and biking area. Too exposed for day hikes but great spot to stretch the legs early morning or afternoon.

Nice place for sunset view

Beautiful nature in the heart of silicon valley!

Great place to watch the sunset.

Great viewsand good hikes. Be prepared to be in the sun the whole time and get dusty!

Beautiful hiking trail with berries and interesting stops. We enjoyed our time walking around and the views were incredible.

Beautiful hiking trails! Especially in the fog, surreal experiences. Also, during spring, beautiful wildflower blooms!

Nice hiking trails around, part of Bay Area Ridge Trail goes here.

Nice place for hiking with beautiful views.

Beautiful views of ocean and bay.

Nice views with little of climbing.

Beautiful park with amazing hiking.

Nice well maintained paths. Not much shade so be prepared.

Nice views of the Bay Area

Gorgeous deep valley views and diverse set of wildflowers as well as views over San Mateo County - the best views are on Hawk Ridge Trail where the deep valley views are amazing - also very serene and peaceful (until you go close to hwy 35)... Lots of options for short hikes (2-3miles) as well as longer onesNote: When it is cloudy, expect FREEZING temperatures with giant winds. The view could also be jeopardized by the clouds blocking mountains, which happened the second time I visited Russian Ridge :(

Great sunset view

Beautiful views

Beautiful place to start short and long hikes. Excellent place to view wildflowers in the spring.

Really beautiful place to walk around for a while along thr trails. I strongly recommend to be there at sunset.

In my opinion, the best of all the Open Space Preserves. Youll definitely get a great view of the bay, and if you are lucky, also of the ocean. A great ridge walk. I would stop and turn around at the deck lookout - past that, theres not much. Watch out for snakes.

Great place for a short/medium hike or mountain bike ride. The place is about 50% shaded, 50% under direct sunlight, so hats are recommended during the hot months of the year. Nice views from the trail.

We parked in Skyline Blvd Vista Parking Lot (a bit North of Skyline and Alpine) and walked on Ridge Trail SW. It was super hot (around 10:00am), beautiful while we could see 180 panoramic views and after that kinda boring and the trail ended into Langley Hill Rd (or Fire Ln). I would recommend going the other direction - NE if this is your starting point (Skyline Blvd Vista Parking Lot). Its greener and more shaded (during summer months).

Great park, very accessible through Skyline Boulevard, and beautiful hiking trails. The Ridge Trail offers stunning views, but can be a bit hot in the summer. Circling back via Ancient Oaks trail offers more shade. Great hike for kids 4-6 yrs old.

Excellent place.

Cool bike place

Nice hike

Great hiking trails with amazing views.

Beautiful place to hike. You can catch a glimpse of the bay and the ocean while hiking the ridge. Highly recommended.

Beautiful hikes

Good hiking place with great views. 6 to 8 miles. Most of the trail us exposed, no shades.Avoid hiking here when its hot.

Inspirational views!

Nice place, but a lot of time it has no shade skit is quite a pain to walk under the sun. View is great, and connect to other parks.

It was nice

Great views

Easy hike

A hidden gem for the amatuer tourist, this open preserve just a half hour into the Santa Cruz mountains from Facebook HQ, Stanford, and more is the perfect spot to go hiking. Trail running or to just relax with the gorgeous views of the Pacific on the West and the Bay on the East. Especially worth the trip an hour before sunset. I saw several deer and a buck and really had an incredibly peaceful almost spiritual experience. The road to Russian Ridge is very windy and has a fairly high speed limit so maybe take some Dramamine if you get motion sickness.

Great spot for a low key hike with some awesome views.

Stunning sunsets from the top. You can see both the ocean and Bay Area at the same time.

Cool hike with nice views. A mix of grassy hills and wooded areas.

Good for a short night hike.

Super sunset view

Beautiful views when not hidden by the fog

Delightful. Stunning views, especially at sunset.

Come here for sunset!

Gorgeous views any time

Great views