Article

By Naomi Friedland 

Sep. 20, 2023—As the weather cools down and many of us enter a quieter period of the year, a hike on one of the many local trails seems like a great way to welcome in fall. For me, an idyllic autumn weekend begins with a midmorning hike through a forested path followed by the reward of a warm beverage back at home. Here are some trails in the hills around Silicon Valley that showcase the beauty of fall. Keep in mind that you may not see color change until mid-October and November. Read to the end for my chai recipe, the perfect comforting spicy beverage to follow a cool hike. 

High Meadow Trail Loop in Rancho San Antonio Preserve
Location: Santa Clara County
Length and Difficulty: 5.5 miles round trip, 4-5 hours, moderate 

Rancho San Antonio Preserve offers the joys of watching the leaves change and witnessing the season’s full fruit trees. The High Meadow Trail Loop starts in a cool canyon and moves up into the oaks, maple trees and grassland. Dear Hollow Farm is near the trailhead where there are fruiting pomegranate and persimmon trees. The farm also has goats, cows, and pigs. Beware of traffic: The lot usually fills up by 9 AM on weekends and gets very congested. On weekends and holidays, Lot 1 is reserved for carpool vehicles. Visitors can check parking space availability here: openspace.org/rsa-parking

Villa Montalvo Trails to Lookout Point
Location: Saratoga
Multiple short and sweet trails

Villa Montalvo, a 166-acre private estate turned park has multiple hikes leading to a gorgeous lookout point with an expansive valley view. In the fall you can see all of the trees turn golden including the rare ginkgo tree. There is no fee for vehicle entrance. Plan your Via Montalvo visit. 

Franciscan Loop Trail and Lost Creek Trail in Los Trancos Preserve
Location: near Los Altos Hills
Length and Difficulty: Francisco Loop Trail: 1.5 miles, Lost Creek trail: 0.8 miles 

This deeply wooded preserve in the Santa Cruz Mountains offers many short trails with gorgeous trees and falling leaves. The Franciscan Loop Trail begins at the parking lot on Page Mill Road and winds up a small hill to a bench with sweeping views of the Bay Area. The loop at this point leads back to the parking lot. For a meditative stroll, take the Lost Creek Trail, going down a leaf-covered dirt path to a calming creek. 

Blue Oak and Dick Bishop Trails in Pulgas Ridge Preserve
Location: near San Carlos/Redwood City
Length and Difficulty: Blue Oak: 0.4 miles easy; Dick Bishop: 0.7 miles easy

Both of these uphill trails take you through blue oak and coast live oak woodlands. The short trails lead you to Pulgas Ridge, where you can enjoy views toward the bay and surrounding hillsides. 

Tafoni Loop in El Corte de Madera Creek Preserve
Location: near Woodside
Length and Difficulty: 5.1 mile loop, easy 

Immerse yourself in a dark and woodsy atmosphere on the Tafoni Loop. The trail features tafoni, unique sandstone structures that look like honeycomb. Along with the captivating rock structure, hikers can admire coastal redwoods, ferns, and banana slugs. 

Naomi’s Chai Recipe
Makes 2 servings (or one large mug full to sip while reading a good story)

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup milk (I prefer whole milk, but any type of milk works)
About 8 cloves
About 8 green cardamom pods
About 4-6 black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
A nub of fresh ginger
2-4 tsp of looseleaf Assam tea or 2-4 Assam tea bags
Sugar or sweetener of choice (honey is highly recommended)

Directions
Use a mortar and pestle to crush the spices into smaller pieces and to release the flavor. Add the ginger to the mortar at the end of the crushing process. (If you don’t have a mortar and pestle you can put the spices in a small resealable bag and use a small pot or heavy item to crush the spices and ginger.) 

Add the spices to a small pot and cover with water and milk. 

Bring to a boil and add your Assam tea. Bring the heat down to low and let the chai come to a rolling boil. 

Once the chai is golden brown and smells fragrant, drain into a mug. Tea strainers work well.

Stir in enough honey or other sweetener of choice to your liking. I like to add about a teaspoon to my chai.