Wild Horse Valley - Page Mill - Alpine - Extended Loop

Distance: Medium - approx 18 miles
Trail: gravel roads, single track, switch backs, 3 miles of paved road
Vertical: approx 3000 feet
Start: Alpine Inn parking - on Alpine Rd in Portola Valley, CA
Route:
- Run up from Alpine Inn to Arastradero preserve (steep uphill road for first 1/2 mile)
- Continue in on gravel roads climbing up in Arastradero preserve for another 1 mile
- Turn right on single track and decend to gravel road
- Continue gradual climb for just under a mile, until crest at gate where road ends
- Pass through gate and decend down steep asphalt road to Nature center
- Turn left down past car parking, and steer right into fire roads to Wild Horse Valley
- Continue approx 1 mile, past 1 bridge, and before second bridge exit onto small trail leading up right
- Continue right trail, and climb switch backs for 20 minutes, enjoy pretty waterfall scenery
- coming to top turn left and continue for another 5-10 minutes to trail exits out on fire road
- turn left, up the hill and then right, exit out over gate to Page Mill Rd
- Follow Page Mill for approx 10 minutes, until trail entry on left curve of road.
- Follow single track for 5-10 minutes up to Bello car parking lot
- Follow Page Mill up for 5 minutes until can turn right down on Alpine Rd trail.
- Continue down Alpine Rd (fire trail/mud trail) for 15-20 minutes
- Continue down paved Alpine Rd for 1/2 mile, then turn right up on trail (just after empty lot on right side of road)
- Climb up 1/2 mile to get to Coal Mine trail, turn left and continue down any of the trails down to trail head at Alpine Rd closer to Portola Valley
- Continue down trails down along Alpine Rd, past Portola Rd / Alpine Rd crossing
- Continue down to Alpine Inn

Great run for early mornings / late evenings since easy car parking and easy to find trails etc.

JF

Wild Horse Valley

Distance: Medium - approx 13 miles
Trail: gravel roads, single track, switch backs, 1/2 mile of paved road
Vertical: approx 1500 feet
Start: Alpine Inn parking - on Alpine Rd in Portola Valley, CA
Route:
- Run up from Alpine Inn to Arastradero preserve (steep uphill road for first 1/2 mile)
- Continue in on gravel roads climbing up in Arastradero preserve for another 1 mile
- Turn right on single track and decend to gravel road
- Continue gradual climb for just under a mile, until crest at gate where road ends
- Pass through gate and decend down steep asphalt road to Nature center
- Turn left down past car parking, and steer right into fire roads to Wild Horse Valley
- Continue approx 1 mile, past 1 bridge, and before second bridge exit onto small trail leading up
- Continue right trail, and climb switch backs for 20 minutes, enjoy pretty waterfall scenery
- At top continue on single track, for 1 mile down hill, and left on fire road
- Climb up fireroad nearby Page Mill rd, past a couple of trail, exit down trail leading down to Los Trancos trails
- Descend narrow switchbacks for 1-2 miles, until reaching bottom of streambed
- Continue mixed up/down narrow switchbacks for 1 mile, leading upwards
- Finish with 1-mile steep climb up over ridge back leading over to Wild Horse Valley
- Continue down the valley floor, and return gravel road back same way as came in

JF

Hamms Gulch - Skyline Loop

Distance: Medium/short - approx 10 miles
Trail: single track, with a little section of road, switch backs
Vertical: approx 2000 feet
Start: Portola Rd / Alpine Rd
Route:
- Run up Alpine Rd past school, and past car parking, and another 1.5 miles up Alpine Rd
- Turn right across bridge over creek (sign says Private road - but it allows passage to trail)
- After 1/4 mile enter right onto trail, follow switchbacks for approx 3 miles to close to Skyline
- Continue trail north, cross dirt road, and to trail Y-intersection
- option 1: go right to return back down, to Alpine Rd - and return to PV along Alpine Rd
- option 2: go left to add an extra 2 miles for swing around Windy Hill, and down along main trails, at bottom of trail go right to return over bridge to Alpine Rd

Note: both the down trails can become seriously muddy in rain...

A great map for reference - from great site: http://www.durt.org/main.html

and a further link http://www.openspace.org/preserves/pr_windy_hill.asp

and map at http://www.openspace.org/preserves/maps/windy_hill_map.pdf

JF

Huddart-Wunderlich Loop

Distance: medium run - approx 17 miles
Trail: single track trails
Vertical: approx 2500 feet
Start: Woodside Old Store
Route:
- Run north approx a mile to lower entrance on Huddart park
- Continue up into Huddart park on trails along creek (Richards Trail)
- Climb up to Skyline on Crystal Springs trail
- Continue along Skyline trail to Wunderlich park
- Decend down on Alambique trail all the way to "Ranger Station"
- Return along Hwy 84 North to start at Woodside Old Store

Note: Parking at Old Store may close at sunset, pick other parking to avoid getting locked in...

JF

Western States run Solo

Distance: very long run - approx 60 miles
Trail: firetrails, single track, rocky trails
Vertical: approx 10000+ feet
Start: Squaw valley

Logistics
- Get an early start from Squaw Valley, to help avoid worst heat in canyons
Equipment:
- Dual water bottles + hydration pack+ water treatment tablets
- Salt tablets + food + energy drink mix
- Headlamp + extra batteries
- Cap + sunglasses
- Extra socks
- First aid kit
- Wind breaker
- Extra map and route description
- Plan in advance for where water will be along the trail

Have someone pick you up in Forrest Hill

JF