Ravenswood
Open Space Preserve,
Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District,
San Mateo County
In brief:
2.7 mile out and back through marshlands, on the edge of East Palo Alto.
Getting there:
From US 101 in San Mateo County, exit #403 University Avenue. Drive northeast
on University about 1 mile, then turn right on Bay Road (look for a post office
on the right corner). Drive about 0.6 mile on Bay Road, through the preserve gate,
then continue 0.2 mile to the trailhead on the left side of the road.
Trailhead details:
Parking for 12 vehicles in a dirt lot (also note the last 0.2 mile of Bay Road
is dirt). One designated handicapped parking spot, and the trail, although accessible
to wheelchairs, is somewhat overgrown in places. No parking or entrance fees.
Maps at the information signboard. No drinking water. One portable toilet on the
side of Bay Road. There is no direct public transportation to this trailhead,
and the walk from the nearest bus stop is not a safe trip.
Gas, food, and lodging:
Gas, pay phones, stores, and restaurants along University. No camping.
Rules:
No dogs or horses. Preserve is open from dawn to 1/2 hour after dusk.
Distance, category, and difficulty:
This 2.7 mile out and back hike is extremely easy, on a perfectly flat
trail.
The Official Story:
MROSD's Ravenswood
page
MROSD field office 650-691-1200
Map Choices:
• Use AAA's San Francisco Bay Region map to get there.
• Map
from MROSD (download the pdf)
• 
Peninsula Tales
and Trails, by David Weintraub (order
this book from Amazon.com) has an overview of the preserve, descriptions of
hikes, and simple maps.
• Map
from the Bay Trail website
• Peninsula Trails, by Jean Rusmore, Frances Spangle, and Betsy Crowder
(order
this book from Amazon.com) has a simple map and trail descriptions.
Ravenswood
in a nutshell -- a printable, text-only guide to the featured hike.
View
photos from this hike.
Ravenswood is perched 
on
the edge of East Palo Alto. On the way to the trailhead the neighborhood transitions
from scrappy mixed business, to shabby residential, and finally, to downright
scary industrial. I'd like to say that when a visitor reaches the entrance gate
all the trappings of East Palo Alto's run-down neighborhoods fall away, but unfortunately
that's not the case. On my visit there were several abandoned cars right on the
outside of the preserve gate, and once inside the preserve industrial businesses
loom at the western edge of the property. Since I was on my own, I felt so panicked
about this place I made the out-and-back hike nearly at a run.
The preserve consists of two parcels, kept apart
by intervening private property. The northern section is a 1/2 mile dead-end trail
departing from the side of the Dumbarton Bridge approach. The southern segment
is larger, and features a 1.2 mile one-way path. Both are important additions
to the Bay Trail, and are links in a nearly continuous 
shoreline
wetland chain running along the southern shores of San Francoisco Bay. Ravenswood's
main segment, adjacent to the former port of Cooley Landing, is a restored salt
pond returning to marshland. It's a good place for birdwatching, but there are
parks nearby (Don Edwards, Baylands,
and Shoreline at Mountain View) that offer longer
hikers with more of a sense of security.
From late autumn to spring visitors can scan the
marsh for migrating birds, mixed through the year-round populations of avocets,
ducks, sandpipers, and other common birds. I love the way the marsh looks after
the first few rains of autumn, when fresh green grass contrasts with the magenta
blush of pickleweed and salt marsh dodder's electric orange hue.
Begin at the parking area, and walk back toward
East Palo Alto on a paved path running parallel to the road. You may 
see
ducks in the slough on the right. At 0.13 mile the trail bends right, crosses
a bridge, and reaches a T junction. Bear left.
At a level grade, the broad paved levee trail, open
to hikers and cyclists, passes through smatterings of mustard, fennel, and coyote
brush. Initially the trail lingers near the property line on the left, and industrial
properties are visible and audible. Small aircraft traffic from nearby Palo Alto
Airport is nearly constant. Gradually, the buildings and barbed-wire fences fade
away, and a salt marsh stretches to the west. Dock, salt marsh baccharis, and
gumplant are joined by pickleweed, sea lavender, New Zealand spinach, and alkali
heath as the trail bends right and heads northeast. In the tidal mudflats on the
right you might see avocets and other sandpiper-like birds. The trail passes under
power lines and draws near to the shoreline. A few plants have wandered from the
sides of the trail to grow unchecked through cracks in the pavement. There are
views to the Dumbarton Bridge, an old railroad bridge, and the east bay. At 1.34
mile the trail ends at a wooden platform from which you might view birds in the
marsh and bay. When ready, retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
Total distance: 2.68 miles
Last hiked: Wednesday, December 11, 2002
Go to Bay Area Hiker Home page
on
the edge of East Palo Alto. On the way to the trailhead the neighborhood transitions
from scrappy mixed business, to shabby residential, and finally, to downright
scary industrial. I'd like to say that when a visitor reaches the entrance gate
all the trappings of East Palo Alto's run-down neighborhoods fall away, but unfortunately
that's not the case. On my visit there were several abandoned cars right on the
outside of the preserve gate, and once inside the preserve industrial businesses
loom at the western edge of the property. Since I was on my own, I felt so panicked
about this place I made the out-and-back hike nearly at a run. 
shoreline
wetland chain running along the southern shores of San Francoisco Bay. Ravenswood's
main segment, adjacent to the former port of Cooley Landing, is a restored salt
pond returning to marshland. It's a good place for birdwatching, but there are
parks nearby (Don Edwards, Baylands,
and Shoreline at Mountain View) that offer longer
hikers with more of a sense of security. 
see
ducks in the slough on the right. At 0.13 mile the trail bends right, crosses
a bridge, and reaches a T junction. Bear left.