Windy Hill Open Space Preserve

Summit of Windy Hill from the Hamm Gulch Trail

View of the bay and Mount Diablo from Windy Hill

Windy Hill Open Space Preserve is a regional park located in San Mateo County, California and operated by the Midpeninsula Regional Open Space District (MROSD). It encloses an important 1132 acre (4.6 km²) stretch of conservation land on the eastward side of the Peninsula Range (Santa Cruz Mountains), rising from the valley road near Portola Valley to the 1905 ft (581 m) summit from which it gets its name. Access to the summit is easy (0.5 mile moderate grade) from California Highway 35, the ridge road along the Peninsula Range. Facilities focus on trails for hiking and mountain biking, with around 14 miles (22 km) of hiking trails. In clear weather there are magnificent views from the summit, and indeed the entire upper end of the park, across the campus of Stanford University to the San Francisco Bay and beyond to Mount Tamalpais and Mount Diablo. The area is rich in wildlife; among the species likely to be seen are coyote, California Vole, White-tailed Kite, American Kestrel, Band-tailed Pigeon and California Quail.