Skyline Ridge is one of my favorite spots to sit still. The hiking is great, but the two ponds are what makes this preserve so special to me. They are quiet, tranquil, meditative places, and usually empty on weekdays. The trails around Alpine Pond and Horseshoe Lake are all-access trails very close to parking, so if you want to share the outdoors with a mobility-challenged person (or are challenged yourself), Skyline Ridge is a great choice.
     For the featured hike, start at the northernmost parking lot and begin hiking on Ipiwa Trail (follow the signs "to Alpine Pond"). The trail, open to hikers only, begins in grassland, climbs slightly, then darts into a woodland comprised of Douglas fir, coast live oak, big-leaf maple, California bay, and buckeye. Springtime blooms include Chinese houses, yellow mariposa lily, and an occasional fairy lantern. Deer are commonly spotted in these woods. Look for thimbleberries at a dark and damp spot, and gooseberry, wild rose, and hazelnut on the shaded slopes. At 0.5 mile, the trail reemerges into grassland at a signed junction. From this junction the views to the west are fabulous, even though Butano Ridge arches its spine, blocking the view of the ocean. Fog sometimes collects in the southern crook of the hills, hanging across the mountains like a canopy. Turn right.
       Sunny Jim Trail heads somewhat steeply uphill, with coyote brush, coast live oak, madrone, and some nonnative conifers on the sides of the wide fire road. When you reach the crest of the hill, keep going straight past two undersigned junctions (at 0.7 and 0.75 mile) with trails heading to the left. Across the valley to the east, views are dominated by Monte Bello Open Space Preserve, and Black Mountain(2800 feet). The elevation under your feet, at almost 2500 feet, is one of the highest points in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The trail ushers you under the canopy of coast live oak, tanoak, and California bay as you descend to the north. At 1.0 mile, at a signed junction, turn right, toward Alpine Pond, remaining on the Sunny Jim Trail.
      You may catch a glimpse of a small stand of lovely white poplar trees, their deciduous silvery leaves seeming to sparkle in the wind. When you reach a paved service road at a signed junction at 1.2 miles, turn left, then after a few feet, turn right at a signed junction and walk downhill toward Alpine Pond.
      Continue straight at a junction with a trail that sets off to the left, marked "not a through trail." Snowberry and creambush line the understory, where you might see fairy lanterns and Chinese houses in spring. Turn right at the signed junction with the Bay Area Ridge Trail segment at 1.3 miles.
Follow the flat path around Alpine Pond. If you are hiking on a weekend day between mid-March and November, the Daniels Nature Center may be open. If not, let Alpine Pond draw you into its busy world. Fish, ducks, and turtles disrupt the smooth surface of the water as they splash about. Crawfish can sometimes be seen in the mud. And of course there may be birds and brightly-colored dragonflies drifting about. There's a tiny platform near the water's edge; a nice place to sit and bask in the sunshine. When you return to a previous junction at 1.5 miles, turn right onto the Bay Area Ridge Trail/Ipiwa Trail
     Take note of the sign warning about rattlesnakes, which are active in warm weather on this stretch of hiking-only trail. I once got myself so worked up and panicky here that I literally scared myself with my own shadow. Now I try to stay calm, yet attentive to the trail. It's worth it; this portion features incredible views to the west. The trail starts out under cover of live oaks, then crosses a grassy hillside. Then the trail creeps along the edge of the ridge. The ocean can be glimpsed, weather permitting. I often spot footprints of bobcat and/or coyote along this stretch.  A bench dedicated to Norbert Eberhardt, a hiker who died while visiting this preserve in 1999, is a fitting location for a rest break. Some rocks look inviting to climb, but note the poison oak, and the long drop off the side of the hill. There is an easy-to-miss junction near the most prominent rock formation (where a fence and trail have been built into and around the rock), at 2 miles. The path to the left climbs up to meet the crest of the hill, but stay to the right, go around the rock, and continue through chaparral, mostly comprised of chamise, ceanothus, pitcher sage, monkeyflower, coyote brush, toyon, California sagebrush, holly-leaf cherry, and manzanita. You might also see silktassel and cercocarpus. Ridge Trail dips beneath some live oaks, then emerges to a fantastic view south, with Mount Umunhum visible on a clear day. As the trail curves to follow the contour of the hill, it cuts through a slope of land that has been overtaken by yellow star thistle, an invasive, nonnative pest. You might see owl's clover in early spring, and clarkia, yellow mariposa lily, and brodiaea later in the season. At a previously encountered junction at 2.4 miles, turn right and head downhill toward Horseshoe Lake. 
        Sunny Jim Trail, open to equestrians, hikers, and cyclists, drops easily downhill through coyote brush and more Christmas tree farm escapees. At 2.8 miles, turn right at a signed junction, continuing toward Horseshoe Lake. As you descend, the sounds of the lake will probably drift up to meet you. Blue-eyed grass is common in early spring. Lambert Creek Trail (not a through path) departs to the right at a signed junction at 2.9 miles. Continue straight a few steps more to the lake and a signed junction. (There's a bench just past this, near the water, that makes a good lunch stop.) Turn left onto a full-access section of the Ridge Trail.
      The path is open to hikers (and wheelchair users) only. It takes a level tack along the shore of the lake, through coyote brush and willow.  I saw a bobcat here once, and often see their tracks in the soft mud around the water. Shy ducks squawk in alarm at outsiders. Iris are lovely in early spring on the left. At a bridge crossing, look to the right for a cloud of snowberries in autumn. The trail switchbacks gently uphill, and reaches the handicapped parking lot at 3.1 miles (you can take either path at a split; the trail left is at a wheelchair accessible grade, but the stairs dump you out into the parking lot immediately). Cross the lot and look for the signed continuation of the trail. This last stretch of the hiking-only path passes levelly through coyote brush and marshy grassland. In late summer, the blush of buckwheat in bloom shades the grass a strange pink. At about 3.3 miles, the path ends back at the trailhead.

Total distance: 3.3 miles
Last hiked: April 3, 2012
Previous visits: November 14, 2000 and May 23, 2001