I recently hiked part of the John Nicholas Trail in Sanborn County Park, which is accessible both from Saratoga via highway CA-9 or via Skyline (CA-35), as well as a few other entrances. It was a solid ~7 mile moderate hike, taking a total of 2 hours and 10 minutes, with a fair bit of elevation change.

This hike is good if you enjoy: dusty trails, shaded tall forests (mostly pine and oak), views of the south bay (mostly from one spot), hills and a modest amount of water (as of July 19).

The hike would not be so good if: you don’t like mountain bikers passing by, you want a trail with more constant/open views, want an easy/peaceful stroll, want a wide trail or one with fewer people.

From the Sunnyvale Mountain Trailhead off of Sklyline, you start by getting to the John Nicolas Trail and heading down hill. There are also a few other parking areas off of Skyline from which you can connect to the same trail.

After rounding only a few bends, you get to a terrific vista point, from which you can see the nearby hills, the valley and across to the East Bay hills with Mt. Diablo in the background. Not a bad reward for only a few minutes of work.

For those with little kids, you could walk along the paths close to Skyline and then go to the vista point and skip the rest of the hilly/busy spots. Just note that the vista point doesn’t have hand rails, and there is a sloping drop off.

Meandering down the hill, navigating the switchbacks and keeping aware of my surroundings, I arrived at the Lake Ranch Reservoir and connecting creeks, in about 1 hour. After a water and snack break I turned around and went back up at a steady pace, reaching the vista point in about 1 hour. Then about 10 more minutes to reach the parking lot.

Bikes! The trail was popular with mountain bikers, often in groups of 2-6. They were quite polite and courteous, calling out as they approached and often saying how many more bikers would follow. I didn’t have any issue, as I could usually find a spot to the side of the trail quick enough before they arrived. With little kids this could be annoying or stressful depending on how close the kids stick to you or follow directions.

Birds! I saw and heard many distinct bird species along the way. Oddly enough, two of my best views and positive IDs of new-to-me species came just minutes from the parking lot. On my way out I saw a bright yellow and black Western Tanager picking off insects above a field. And on my way back I saw a swift, large bird with a pointy face and red head – a crow-sized Pileated Woodpecker.

COVID-factor? This was not the best option for a socially-distanced outing. The trail can be narrow, making passing a bit iffy. Only about 1/3 of walkers/hikers wore masks. Mountain bikers announcing themselves as they pass is normally considerate, but yelling emits more particles and hardly any bikers wore masks. And to top it off, on Sunday around 10:30 it was a tad crowded.

This hike was actually my backup choice. I wanted to try Bear Creek Redwoods, which I recently heard about in a live-streamed birding event by the Peninsula Open Space Trust (POST). But when I arrived at Bear Creek around 9 AM on Sunday, the parking lot was crowded and overflowing onto the road. If I try again on the weekend, I will have to go around sunrise, or else try a random weekday.

But at least I had a good hike at Sanborn County Park, saw some birds and got a chance to break in my new retro-styled hiking boots: