Hidden Long Ridge

Peters Creek Hike in Long Ridge

{NOTE: February 2025. After the recent storm, please be sure to check ahead on Long Ridge Open Space Preserve's website for updates on trail conditions and potential temporary closures.}

After heavy rains, the rolling headwaters of Peters Creek in Long Ridge Open Space Preserve pulsate along the forest floor via a series of small waterfalls that cut grooves in sandstone boulders. See it on a 4.5-mile loop hike starting from the Grizzly Flat parking lot. Wind 0.6 mile down toward a forest of Douglas fir and rushing Peters Creek, a serpentine stream after rains. Follow the water left, over a bridge and upstream through a valley of vibrant greens.

After about a mile along the creek, turn right at a man-made lake and cross the dam to emerge onto Long Ridge at Ward Road. Another right turn at the street sign onto a ridgeline fire road passes open fields and a granite bench dedicated to Wallace Stegner, a Stanford author and conservationist. Enjoy views to the Pacific and perhaps some early blooming wildflowers. A junction just past the bench leads back down into the forest and straight through another junction onto Long Ridge Trail, which loops around for 0.7 mile before a left turn leads 0.6 mile back to Hwy. 35.

WINE TIP: Thomas Fogarty Winery is 7 miles northwest of the trailhead on Skyline Blvd. Pair a pinot with vistas of the entire Bay Area behind vineyards in their deep green winter depths. It is the holidays, after all!

Be sure to check Long Ridge Open Space Preserve's website to see conditions on trails and any closures. From I-280, take exit 24 and go west on Sand Hill Rd. After 2 miles turn right onto Portola Rd., and then a sharp left onto CA-84 W/La Honda Rd. for 3.5 miles. Turn left onto CA-35/Skyline Blvd. and follow it 7 miles past Thomas Fogarty Winery to the Grizzly Flat trailhead parking lot on the left. Trailhead is across the street, so you'll have to cross Hwy. 35. Free parking. No dogs.

Trending Stories NorCal

View all Stories
  1. Field of Light at Sensorio in Paso Robles

    Light This Way

    Hidden in the bucolic hills of Paso Robles lies one of the greatest light shows on earth. The lighted art exhibition, Sensorio, is as if the rainbow magic of the aurora borealis was plucked from the sky and planted in the fields.

    View
  2. Surfboards and tents for shade are set up on the beach at Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area in the Swim Lagoon Area

    Switchbacks and Swimming Holes

    Hike hard, play hard! This 7-mile out-and-back in Cull Canyon Regional Recreation Area is a great workout with payoff vistas and a relaxing post-hike picnic and dip in the water.

    View
  3. Hike the Rainbow

    Catch all the colors of a rainbow at Calero County Park on this 10-mile hike currently showcasing the season’s best blooms.

    View
  4. Hike Purisima Creek Open Space Preserve

    Purisima Charisma

    Hundred-foot redwoods, a shaded canyon, and views overlooking Half Moon Bay. This 10-mile loop hike in Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve is a roller-coaster of uphill and downhill along with easygoing stretches through some of the Bay Area’s most beautiful landscape.

    View

Trending Stories SoCal

View all Stories
  1. People on a guided horseback tour with Central Coast Trailrides at Santa Margarita Ranch near Paso Robles

    Saddle Up with Central Coast Trailrides

    Untouched and sweeping, the mountainous scenery and deep valleys of Santa Margarita near Paso Robles are just begging to be explored. So saddle up for a scenic adventure with Central Coast Trailrides (CCT) at the 14,000-acre Santa Margarita Ranch.

    View
  2. A woman on a hiking trail with huge open space and yellow flowers around her at Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks

    Going Wildwood

    Consider this your invitation to get a little untamed. In just one walk through Wildwood Park in Thousand Oaks, you can chase the sound of a cascading waterfall, duck into a shadowy cave, and soak in big hillside vistas. The mostly flat 4.25-mile loop makes wild feel wonderfully accessible.

    View
  3. Two people fly fishing on the Truckee River with guides from Reno Fly Shop

    Zen and the Art of Fly Fishing

    Learning to fly fish is one of the most fun and beautiful ways to connect with nature, family, friends, and yourself. It’s also a great way to truly experience the magic of a place. Make that place Reno Tahoe, where a fly fishing adventure with Reno Fly Shop is like being planted in a plein air painting of dreamy outdoors.

    View
  4. A woman on the overlook deck overlooking the Truckee River at Oxbow Nature Study Area in Reno

    This Way to Oxbow and Dickerson Road

    Just west of downtown Reno—tucked right alongside the Truckee River—is a nature haven for wildlife spotting and waterside relaxing. The 22-acre Oxbow Nature Study Area is ideal for those seeking solitude and a short hike. Afterwards, explore the creative hub of Dickerson Road.

    View