Bay Area Hiker: Photos from Rancho San Antonio


Photos from a December 2000 Hike at Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve (click on any image for a larger view)
Trailhead	Start of trail	Crossing a creek	Junction
Grassy meadow	Hiking-only trail	Huge California bay	Skirting the tennis courts
The border between the county park and open space preserve	Entering the open space preserve	Hiking only path adjacent to paved trail/road	Approaching a junction with the paved road/trail
Lower Meadow Trail skirts the by-permit parking area	Picking up the trail again	Bridge crosses a creek	Eucalyptus, willow, and oak can be found along the trail
For a short stretch, the trail runs along the road	Approaching a junction	You can stay to the right and continue on the dirt, or take the left paved road	After a few dips, the trail prepares to end for good, just before the farm
Lower Meadow Trail dumps into the paved road	Deer Hollow Farm	Some of the old farm buildings	Pomegranate trees
Persimmon tree	Goats, sheep, cows, and pigs live at the farm	Farm's garden, with the educational barn in the background	Just past the barn, you pass through a gate and reach a junction
Trail west of Deer Hollow Farm	Maple	Approaching junction	Heading uphill on High Meadow Trail
Silktassel	Sagebrush	Blue oak	Coast live oak
Trail switchbacks uphill	A grassy area, populated with oaks	Bench under coast live oaks	Looking up, through the oak leaves
Trail is protected by fences	Grassy knoll	Cercocarpus, or mountain mahogany	Contrast between grassy foothills, and Black Mountain
Trail edges under oaks	Toyon	High Meadow Trail nears a crest	Approaching a junction
Path to viewpoint	View	Looking back down to junction	Trail climbs easily through a typical east-facing mountain slope
Passing from the east to the west side of the ridge, the change in plant communities is dramatic	Through chaparral	Junction	View to the northwest
Junction	Animal prints	Coyote print	Upper Wildcat Canyon Trail
Photo of large scat	Madrone	Descending into the canyon	An oak
Reaching the canyon floor	Passing beneath California bays	Winding through a cool canyon	One of many creek crossings
Junction with Wildcat Loop Trail	A particularly lovely stretch of trail	Junction; this is what happens when the camera flash breaks	A more narrow, hiking only trail
Damp woods under California bays	Another lovely bridge	Moss covered tree trunks	Junction
Deer appropriately encountered at Deer Hollow Farm			Go to Bay Area Hiker Rancho San Antonio page Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page