A Hidden Treasure

Forty years ago, I was exploring the Bay Area in my new white Mustang convertible. My map showed me a road up to Skyline Blvd called Alpine. I was nearing the summit when my car sunk a wheel into a deep hole. It took some digging, but the Mustang and I reached the ridge.

In March of 2026, I drove up Alpine again. This time I was driving up the same road to discover a place to hike. I turned left from Highway 280 just north of Arastradero road to the Alpine Road exit. I turned left to take a relatively smooth Alpine Road about 3.6 miles to roadside parking located just before Willowbrook Drive. (If you are using a GPS, the street address is 4860 Alpine Road.) Across the road is the main entrance to Coal Mine Ridge Nature Preserve of Portola Valley Ranch.

From this entrance, you can walk over 10 miles of trails in more than 425 acres of open space. Most of the hiking loops include a combination of Toyon, Coalmine, and Old Spanish trails. Toyon and Old Spanish connect at several points, but also run parallel for almost the entire length of the preserve.

They connect the Preserve of Portola Valley Ranch with the Open Space of Blue Oaks. Signage marking the intersections are helpful, but a map and compass could help avoid confusion. You may use mapping on your cell phone, but it doesn’t always work.

Paper maps are usually available at the entrance, but you can get one online at www.cmrnp.org.