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By Majken Talbot

Aug. 13, 2024—Editor’s Note: Below you will find a fun guide to the incomparable Russian Ridge Preserve. This Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024, from 9am to 1pm, you have an opportunity to experience it in a special way.

Volunteer for Habitat Restoration
Make new friends and help preserve this gorgeous preserve for future generations at a habitat restoration event. Volunteers will participate in invasive plant removal to create space for wildflowers and native plants to flourish. Bring sunscreen, water, and layers. To participate, register online in advance and sign the required waiver. On to the fun:

Take a Breathtaking Morning Hike at Russian Ridge Preserve
The Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District manages a vast greenbelt of more than 70,000 acres stretching from San Mateo to Morgan Hill, with 250 miles of trails traversing a variety of landscapes. Russian Ridge is a bright jewel in the crown of these 27 Midpen preserves, boasting 3,137 acres of golden rolling hills, sun-soaked ridges, deep canyons, and forested hillsides.

Named in honor of a prominent Russian immigrant who operated a dairy farm and cattle ranch about 100 years ago, the preserve offers mainly easy to moderate trails. There are a few trails designated for mountain bikers, while hikers share the trails with equestrians (so keep a sharp eye out for horses). The main trailhead at the Skyline Boulevard Parking lot winds up the hills for about 800 feet before leveling off. The top of the ridge reveals 360-degree views of the San Francisco Bay on one side and the ocean on the other. Take the left fork and follow it as it winds along the shadier ocean side of the ridge to the Ancient Oaks Trail.

Experience Ancient Oak Trail—the ‘Muir Woods’ of Oak Trees
The Ancient Oak Trail follows a westward ridgeline and offers further views of canyons and pristine wild hills. True to its name, the trail picks its way through a grove of enormous, craggy, moss-covered oak trees. It is a mystical, otherworldly experience befitting a J.R.R. Tolkien fantasy.

It’s mind-boggling to consider that most of these trees were saplings long before the first Mexicans or Europeans arrived. These oaks survived the Industrial Revolution, world wars, the moon landing, and the computer chip. Remarkably, in all those centuries no one put an ax to them.,

Canyon live oak is known for its exceptionally dense and hard wood which makes it difficult to mill for lumber. This may be one reason why the trees were never harvested even in the wake of the 1906 earthquake and fire when large quantities of lumber were urgently needed to rebuild San Francisco.

Enjoy these majestic trees, but please refrain from climbing them. Spores tracked in on hiker’s shoes can spread diseases like Sudden Oak Death which can devastate these leafy giants.

Indigenous people left an indelible mark throughout Russian Ridge. The Ohlone were known for their adept cultivation of native plants for food and medicine. Local ecologists suspect the small grassy field near the Mindego Gateway trailhead to be the remains of a tribal bulb garden.

For a deeper dive into Russian Ridge ecology check out this fascinating conversation with preserve ecologist Cindy Roessler in Bay Nature Magazine.

Grab Lunch at Alice’s Restaurant in the Redwoods
After working up an appetite treading the trails, head over to Alice’s Restaurant for some California comfort food. Just 20 minutes north on Skyline Blvd, the iconic pit stop for hikers and bikers is nestled in the redwoods along Skyline Ridge. (On the way, you’ll pass the gorgeous Thomas Fogarty Winery; wave, because you’ll be back to visit it pretty soon.)
Alice’s has a lot of great choices on their menu, but their wood-fired pizza is outstanding. A Michelin-star chef would be hard-pressed to find fault with this pizza. The toppings are ample, fresh, and flavorful. It’s an exquisite mystery how they manage to bake the pizza dough to perfection and never burn the crust.

I highly recommend the scrumptious roasted wild mushrooms with truffle oil pizza, or the prosciutto, burrata, peaches, and arugula with balsamic glaze option. Both are deeply satisfying palate pleasers.

Craving something sweet? Grab a chocolate molten cake to go! Or try the Boysenberry pie à la mode. They also have a tempting gluten-free honey cake. Alice’s has a good assortment of cocktails, wine, and beer to pair with your pizza experience. However, your day trip doesn’t have to end at Alice's Restaurant.

Crown the Day with Wine Tasting at Thomas Fogarty Winery
No Day Trips and Sips on Skyine Boulevard would be perfect without a stop at the picturesque Thomas Fogarty coastal winery. Located atop Skyline Ridge, just minutes away from the Russian Ridge preserve and Alice's Restaurant, this iconic winery boasts spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay Area and surrounding POST nature reserves. This small, boutique vineyard produces just 250 to 500 cases of each wine per year.

The California winemakers pride themselves on crafting their wine in the tradition of old-world French viticulture most notable for the Burgundy and Bordeaux style wines. Thomas Fogarty wines are known for their acidic earth-forward flavor profile, unlike Napa wines which are sweeter and fruit-forward.

For $35, you can sample a flight of 5 wines ranging from coastal Pinot Noirs to Chardonnays. Red wine lovers can opt for the Lexington flight of Cabernet and Merlot from the Gist Ranch property located 30 minutes south. Gist Ranch grows Bordeaux grapes with thick skins that make fuller-bodied wines.

Thomas Fogarty wines may not sport the “organic” label, but they incorporate biodynamic, organic, and sustainable practices to grow their grapes. The viticulturists cultivate healthy “living” soil to nurture their exceptional vines. There seems to be a growing trend with small, independent wineries in the Santa Cruz Mountains eschewing the organic label. It’s best to ask the vintner about their unique growing practices rather than assume anything based on the bottle labeling.

The winery’s origin story is as unique as the wine itself. The vineyard was founded in the 1970s by local heart surgeon Dr. Thomas Fogarty, known for the invention of the balloon catheter as well as other life-saving medical devices. Fogarty chose to preserve 320 acres as Heritage Oak and Fir forest open space by converting 30 acres to agricultural use as a small vineyard. The California Land Conservation Act of 1965 made this possible. Today, more than 16 million acres of land are preserved as open space thanks to this legislation.

Book a Walking or UTV-Guided Tour of the Winery
Guests may bring small bites such as cheese and crackers to enjoy under the sun umbrellas of the charming outside patio. For groups larger than six people, the winery recommends making reservations. Prefer a more immersive experience? Book a guided walking tour. The tour leads through the collection of eight eclectic vineyards sprawling over the stunning hillside estate each boasting its own unique soil and microclimate or terroir. The walking tour includes sit-down wine tasting. The winery recommends guests bring good walking shoes, sunscreen, and water. However, after a long morning’s romp through Russian Ridge preserve, hikers might prefer to rest their dogs and opt for a fun open-seated UTV tour of the vineyards instead. Just be sure to reserve a spot a few weeks in advance. The two to three hour tour includes cheese and charcuterie with wine tasting.