Look west from almost anywhere in the Midpeninsula and you'll see a bald, grassy summit on a ridge that's otherwise covered in forest. That's Windy Hill, named for its breezy hilltop, and it's one of the most popular preserves run by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District. If you're planning a hike next week, note one closure.

Closure Nov. 3–6

The district says the trail connector between the Hamms Gulch Trail and the Eagle Trail will be closed for bridge repairs from Nov. 3 to Nov. 6. Hikers can use Alpine Road to get around it.

The preserve

The 1,414-acre preserve has open grassland ridges and forests of redwood, fir and oak. It rises from the valley floor near Portola Valley to a 1,905-foot summit. The Peninsula Open Space Trust provided major support for buying the land. On clear days, the summit view takes in Stanford, San Francisco Bay, downtown San Francisco, Mount Tamalpais, Mount Diablo and the Pacific Ocean. Conditions on top are often cooler, windier or foggier than at the trailheads below, so bring a layer.

Three hikes

  • Anniversary Trail (0.6 mile): runs between the two parking areas on Skyline Boulevard, with side trips to the summit and the Herb Grench overlook. The district calls the view a 360-degree panorama of the bay and the ocean. Make it a one-mile loop by returning along Skyline.
  • Sausal Pond Loop (1.6 miles): about 200 feet of elevation gain through oak woodland and meadows that bloom with wildflowers in spring. At the pond, look for egrets, blue herons, wood ducks, dragonflies and the western pond turtle, a California species of special concern. Leashed dogs are allowed on this trail.
  • Windy Hill Loop (7.2 miles): combines the Spring Ridge Trail, Lost Trail and Hamms Gulch Trail, passing Sausal Pond and climbing through oak woodland, chaparral and grassland to the summit.

Spring Ridge Trail, like most of the lower trails, is a fire road open to cyclists, hikers and horses. Hamms Gulch and the Lost Trail–Razorback Ridge–Eagle Trail route are single-track trails closed to bikes.

Wildlife and flyers

Mule deer, coyotes, white-tailed kites, American kestrels and California quail are common. There are mountain lion warning signs, though bobcats are more often seen. Watch for rattlesnakes, and for banana slugs and newts in wet weather. Windy Hill is also a paragliding and hang gliding site. Access and permits are managed by the Wings of Rogallo club, and the district says flying here requires excellent judgment and skill.

Parking

  • Lower lot on Portola Road: 47 spaces plus two accessible spots. It fills quickly, and parking on Portola Road is strictly enforced. Overflow parking is at the Portola Valley Town Center, about 0.4 mile north, via the Portola Trail.
  • Skyline Boulevard: roadside parking near the Spring Ridge, Anniversary and Razorback Ridge trailheads, from six to 11 spaces each. Picnic tables sit next to the Spring Ridge parking area.
  • Willowbrook Drive and Alpine Road: four roadside spaces at the trailhead.

Most Midpen preserves don't have trash cans, so pack out what you bring, and yield to horses on the trail.