Back in December I took some time to explore one of the less crowded trails in the Bay Area. This search took me to El Corte de Madera Open Space Preserve, which is an alternative to the popular Purisima Creek Redwoods Preserve up on the Pacific side of Skyline Boulevard (CA-35) in the Santa Cruz Mountains. As the Spanish name indicates, this area was once a busy logging area. Eight saw mills processed the clear-cut logs which supplied the growing city of San Francisco in the 1860s.

I decided to try the more remote Southwestern portion of the park, along the Lawrence Creek Trail and the Virginia Mill Trail. This trail is good if you like any of these: tall and audible trees, hills, solitude. Audible trees? Yes – the swish of the wind traveling through their limbs, the squeaks of limbs rubbing and the occasional creak or crack of limbs. In the early 1 mile or so of the trail I saw a few mountain bikers but after that I only saw a few people the next several hours. Although it was only ~35 minutes from my house it felt like I had entered a different zone.

The trail is not so good if you want great views (I only saw one good vista point) or want to do some birding (surprisingly I didn’t notice that many birds). The steady downhill at the start could also be a challenge for some knees, or the return uphill a challenge for kids.

The route I took was “out and back”, so you can hike as long or little as you like. I went out about 4.5 miles before turning around where Virginia Mill Trail connects to Star Hill Road (CM09).

Travel logistics: Much of the area was out of cellphone range, so I was glad to have downloaded map to my phone. From Skyline Blvd, take Bear Gulch Road (one-lane), past where it meets Allen Road and you’ll see a small parking lot on the right with space for a few cars.