Long Ridge Open Space Preserve covers 2,035 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains and has 13.5 miles of trails for hiking, biking and horseback riding, according to Wikipedia. The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District says it's popular with all three.
The loop
Midpen recommends the Long Ridge Loop, a flat 4.3-mile hike. Take the Peters Creek Trail from the parking area to the Long Ridge Trail, then follow the Long Ridge Trail back to Peters Creek. It winds through a small valley to the headwaters of Peters Creek and then comes out on a ridge with views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. Expect oak woodlands, and wildflowers in spring.
Stops worth making
- Wallace Stegner bench: a granite bench at Long Ridge Road and Long Ridge Trail, dedicated in 1996 to the Pulitzer Prize-winning author and environmentalist, who was a big Midpen supporter
- Turtle Rock: off the Hickory Oaks Trail, which follows an old roadbed through canyon oaks. It has views of Big Basin, Butano Ridge and the Pacific
- Bay Area Ridge Trail: Long Ridge is on one of the trail's longest continuous stretches. It runs 13 miles from Sanborn-Skyline County Park to the north end of Russian Ridge, linking to Skyline Ridge
Parking
The Peters Creek roadside lot has 20 spaces on the west side of Skyline Boulevard. It's about 3.6 miles north of Highway 9 and about 3.3 miles south of Page Mill Road. Midpen says some trails can close to bikes and horses in wet weather, and most preserves have no trash cans.