Hiked this beautiful section of the trail with my friend Jack in November 2022. We started in Palo Alto, and weaved our way up through various open spaces until we reached the Peninsula Ridge. It was a treat to watch as brushy chaparral on the east side met the redwood forests on the west. We got to visit a few ornate visitor centers in the Foothills Nature Preserve and another atop the ridge as well.
The trail is kind of close to the road going south along the ridge, but most of the time you don’t notice it. We camped at a spot perched high over the South Bay. The next day we continued south, and eventually we had reached the end of the constructed trail, and pounded pavement for a few miles down to Vasona Reservoir. From there, we veered off the Bay Area Ridge Trail and took a beautiful trail along the Los Gatos Creek and back to civilization.
Anthony Ottati 