Some stats, notes and observations:
- Duration: 4.5 hours (including a few stops for water, snacks, etc.)
- Distance: 12 miles (11.2 per All Trails)
- Elevation Gain: 3,146 feet
- Weather: 63° F at 8am, 36 AQI; 72° F at 1pm (i.e., perfect Fall weather)
- Starting Location: Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve (https://www.openspace.org/sites/default/files/map_RSA.pdf) parking lots (pick one)
- Route (URL): https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/california/black-mountain-via-pge-quarry-and-black-mountain-trail
- Route Details: Out-and-back: Coyote, to Stephen E. Abbors, to Quarry, to Black Mountain
- Notes and Observations: Go early. The parking lots were full at 8am and only through some good luck were we able to find folks walking back to their car and opening up a space. Use the All Trails app to find the first trailhead. After you find Abbors, you can turn off the app and enjoy the hike. The trail is busy and wide until Abbors ends and Quarry begins. Quarry is more open, and steep, than Abbors, but, frankly, my favorite part of the hike. Yes, toward the middle of Quarry, oak and other larger trees give way to manzanitas and other shrubs, but it is considerably more intimate and technical, the crowds are relatively sparse, and the views of Windy Hill to the immediate north, Mount Diablo to the northeast, and the Bay below, shrouded in fog (smog?), still waking up, is memorable, if not outstanding at times. Bring plenty of water and a breakfast bar, etc. to power you through this demanding hike. Within less than 0.5 mile of the summit, we turned back, to conserve energy. I ventured ahead of the group a bit, to confirm, at least for my own satisfaction, that besides a few cell towers, there was not much (new) to see, and that it was time to start the hike back, much easier on the lungs, but perhaps more challenging otherwise physically. There are (almost) countless trail options at Rancho San Antonio (RSA) OSP, so a return trip, exploring other parts of this preserve, is very much in the cards. I had first discovered RSA in 2008-9, trail running with a few colleagues while working in a Cupertino start up. Hard to believe that it took this long to rediscover this local jewel, but we are blessed with so many hiking options in the San Francisco Bay Area. Until the next big hike, although it may be time for one slightly less strenuous.
The Peninsula Hiking Club 