Home»Portola Valley Ranch, Windy Hill, Etc.»Coal Mine Ridge Nature Preserve of PVR»Trails of Coal Mine Ridge, Portola Valley Ranch

Coal Mine Ridge Nature Preserve of Portola Valley Ranch offers a refuge from the settled landscape. Its varied ecosystems range from open grassland to dark woodlands. Occasional views reveal vistas from Mt. Diablo to Windy Hill. In the spring, a rolling sequence of wildflowers brings continual surprise and delight.

Here is a collection of views from the trails of the Preserve. I take us along Alpine Trail, then up Toyon Trail, down Coalmine Trail, up Old Spanish Trail, and down Arroyo Trail. (Sorry, I have few good photos of Bay Laurel Trail.) You of course may make your own hike; as often happens, the trails feel different in the opposite direction.

This collection is more atmospheric than exhaustive. I have tried to order the images along each trail in rough order -- leave a comment if a photo is out of place. In this process, of course, the seasons get mixed up. It is interesting to see the same place in different seasons of the year, different years.