The all-new, all-fabulous 7-mile multi-use trail connects lofty Skyline with the lower reaches of Sanborn County Park and completes another segment of the Bay Area Ridge Trail.
Story and photos by L. Clark Tate
March 31, 2015—It’s incredible what a trail crew can do with three years, some wily pulley systems and, presumably, a frenzied love for hard work in the great-out-of doors. In this case, the crew in question constructed a glorious trail ribboning along the ridge between Lake Ranch Reservoir and Sunnyvale Mountain in Sanborn County Park linking the Skyline and Lake Ranch Trails. World, welcome to the John Nicholas Ridge Trail.
A warm dedication ceremony, held at the Sunnyvale Mountain Event Site and backed by a flowery meadow filled with sun, chased away the chill of the morning on March 28. The complimentary coffee (and bagels and oranges and juices) helped too. Local dignitaries like Janet McBride of the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, State Senator Jim Beall and Saratoga Mayor Howard Miller kicked off the event by expressing their enthusiasm for and dedication to expanding local trail systems like this one. “My job is to fund, and to find funds for, trails,” stated Beall.
REI’s Volunteer Program Manager Steve Wood was also on hand, saying, “Our business isn’t about just selling toys.” The membership-owned company wants to create recreational opportunities as well. “We have to help create these open spaces and help get people outside,” Wood continued.
The general message of the day—sponsored by the Bay Area Ridge Trail Council, Santa Clara County Parks and the Coastal Conservancy—was that the John Nicholas Ridge Trail is yet another step towards a future Silicon Valley riddled with greenways to take you away for days, a sentiment reinforced by the ribbon-cutting banner “Another Segment of the Ridge Trail Opens.” Subtle. And awesome.
Tom Smith, who co-founded the West Valley College Park Management Program with John Nicholas and counted him a dear friend, spoke fondly and emotionally about the trail’s namesake. Generations of students were inspired by his work.
After the pomp and circumstance, and two endearingly botched ribbon cuttings (no one could wait till “three” to start snipping), the tromping began. Bikers spun away first, followed by the hikers stetting out for the 7-mile out-and-back adventure down to Lake Ranch Reservoir, Hilltromper included. Short-haul hikers and a lone ranging horse (yes, it was white) brought up the rear.
On The John Nicholas Trail
So back to those trail crews. Holy moly. Where to begin?
Thanks to the herculean efforts of the California Conservation Corps, guided by Santa Clara County Parks staff, this trail is a real beauty. According to Greg Bringelson, trails coordinator for Santa Clara County Parks, the corps work is "invaluable." "They are amazing," he says. "I don't know what we'd do without them." West Valley College students and other volunteers (over 500 dedicated 3,100 hours to the cause) rounded out the effort.
The wide and smooth trail was so well packed it was hard to believe it wasn’t an ancient, inexplicably well-maintained route. And its well-considered course was carefully charted by County Parks staff over the course of nine months to show off the area’s best features, including that most elusive of Sanborn County Park treasures, a view.
The park, a heavily wooded mountainside flanking Silicon Valley’s western edge, feels worlds away thanks to the intimate forest cover. But every once in a while it’s nice to see the valley below. Thus, the trail crews felled a few trees, very selectively, along a high point about 15 minutes from the trailhead by foot. Several benches, built from the trees removed, shrewdly suggest long looks.
Another quarter-hour walk through the woods brought us to the next engineering marvel, the “Lombard Street” switchbacks. The stacked turns keep the trail descending smoothly along a wide ridgeline, with the final one turning at the foot of a 40' tall tafoni sandstone outcrop. This unique feature melds an urban planning perspective with a woodsy context, and the effect is incredibly unique, and pretty darn cool, if not exactly conducive to a wilderness experience.
The “built” theme continues on the trail’s way down to the beautiful picnic benches at Lake Ranch Reservoir. It meanders across a stunning hand-constructed stone culvert (individual rocks within weigh from 300 to over 1,000 pounds!), and beautifully fashioned wooden bridges. The overall effect is of an intriguing blend of Silicon Valley’s formed landscape and the surrounding wild woods.
After a lunch break spent with a soundtrack of rustling leaves and trilling red-winged blackbirds, we headed back up the 1,000-foot hill, a surprisingly easy enterprise due to the mellow grade that extensive switchbacks afford.
The entire outing took us 3.5 hours at a leisurely pace and lunch break.
As Mayor Miller stated at the ceremony, such marvelous trails begin as “a vision, a spark in somebody’s mind.” If you like getting outside and live in Silicon Valley, it’s good to know these guys and gals are spending their lives scheming up such inspirations.
Find the John Nicholas Trail in Sanborn County Park on a map.
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