It has been raining a lot in the Bay Area the past month and the streams have been running high. Local rainfall totals over the past 30 days include over 12 inches in the town of Woodside, over 14 inches on Pulgas Ridge, and over 18 inches on Kings Mountain. The traditionally wettest location on Ben Lomond Mountain has over 31 inches of rain in the past 30 days (that’s over 1 inch per day on average!). The rains are highly beneficial since the area is undergoing a long term drought and even with all the recent rains, most locations are just reaching normal seasonal precipitation values.
Probably the best place to run trails with all the recent rain is Huddart Park. While other locations are very muddy, Huddart’s trails are relatively drier. The advantage has become even more pronounced after a resurfacing job in the fall has effectively eliminated all mud and trail erosion on the Crystal Springs Trail, Summit Springs Trail, and the Dean Trail crossover. These trails remain fast even on the rainiest days. The resurfacing job was initially very hard packed but it’s beginning to soften up as water is absorbed. It was also an eye sore, but that is also changing as leaves and needles accumulate on the surface. Serena and I ran these trails a few days ago and here are some photos.
Leor Pantilat's Adventures