SUNDAY DRIVE
What you’ll see: A short walk up a hill leads to a pretty, tulelined pond, Arastradero Lake, that is tucked in a pocket of the Palo Alto foothills. It’s a gorgeous site for a picnic, an easy hike, a chance to fish for small bass or a launch point for a more ambitious trek. This is the centerpiece for Enid W. PearsonArastradero Preserve, overlooked by people outside the area, what I call the “10-mile Bubble Rule.” The landscape spans rolling foothills with oaks and features many trails for hiking or mountain biking.
Location: The preserve is in the Palo Alto foothills south of Stanford.
Wildlife: One thing I’ve noticed here is high numbers of ground squirrels and significant numbers of rabbits. They provide food for a large variety of wildlife. This is one of the better habitats for a chance to see a bobcat. Deer are common at dusk. Coyotes, raccoons, skunks and mountain lions are mainly nocturnal.
Arastradero Lake: It’s reached by a 0.64-mile hike one way, short climb and descent; shore fishing for small bass and bluegill; no swimming, float tubes or water contact.
Trail link: From Arastradero Lake, the ambitious can hike onward up the hill 1.44 miles (past tiny Sobey Pond at 530 feet) and connect to Foothills Park — a gate at 789-foot elevation marks the only Foothills access for non-Palo Alto residents. For people who are frustrated that only Palo Alto residents can gain access at the main entrance, this is the answer.
Mountain bikes: This park provides the opportunity for mountain bikers to prove their ethics and trail etiquette. On one trip, my senior parents, trudging uphill, nearly got mowed down and were partially struck by teenage cyclists careening downhill at full speed.
Dogs: Leashed dogs OK. If you plan on hiking the trail link into neighboring Foothills Park, note that dogs are not permitted on weekends at Foothills Park. Always keep dogs under short leash control here. Unleashed dogs can give chase to ground squirrels and, in turn, run into the occasional rattlesnake that otherwise tries to stay out of your way.
Cost: Access, parking free.
Facilities: Wheelchair-accessible restrooms, drinking water.
GPS: Use 1530 Arastradero Road, Palo Alto.
How to get there: On the Pen- insula, take Interstate 280 to Palo Alto (about 35 miles south of San Francisco) and the exit for Page Mill Road. Take that exit 0.4 of a mile to Page Mill Road. Turn right and drive 0.3 of a mile to Arastradero Road. Turn right and go 0.5 of a mile to PearsonArastradero Preserve on your right, with signed parking.
To trailhead: After parking, turn and walk back to the south end of the parking lot. You’ll see a trail that runs a short distance along Arastradero Road to a
designated road crossing. Cross the road to the trailhead on the west side of the road.
Distances: 5 miles from Stanford, 20 miles from San Jose, 35 miles from Hayward, 38 miles from downtown San Francisco, 40 miles from Dublin, 43 miles from Sausalito.
Contacts: Pearson-Arastradero Preserve, c/o Foothills Park, Palo Alto, (650) 329-2423; www.cityofpaloalto.org.