Route 4: Grizzly Flat and Charcoal Road Loop

Bring plenty of water with you, as this route includes a long, steep, hot climb.

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Route highlights:

• This route begins at the same trail head as Route 3. You can combine the two for a longer route. Note that Charcoal Road allows bicycles only in the uphill direction, so you must do a clockwise loop.
• There are no rest rooms at the trail head. The nearest rest rooms are at Skyline Ridge preserve, about 2 miles north on Skyline Blvd. You can usually find trail maps at the Long Ridge trail head on the west side of Skyline Blvd.
• While the distance and elevation gain of this route are not impressive, a 1 mile moderately technical single track followed by a 2 mile steep up hill climb make Route 4 the most technically and physically difficult route on this web site. I recommend that you try some of the others first.
• Route 4 begins on the same Grizzly Flat trail as Route 3 . As in Route 3, take the Grizzly Flat trail down into the canyon, across Stevens Creek, and out to the Canyon trail. Our route turns right on the Canyon trail (instead of left as in Route 3).
• Ride down the Canyon trail 0.3 mile to the Table Mountain trail junction. Do not keep going down hill, or you'll soon find yourself in Cupertino.
• Turn right on the Table Mountain trail, which is a moderately technical single track. The trail crosses the creek again, then climbs Table Mountain. I'm not sure why it is called a mountain, since Table Mountain is lower in elevation than ridges to the north and south. Table Mountain is really just a flat area where some logging camps used to be.
• Avoid the single track trail heading west from Table Mountain, as bicycles are not allowed.
• Instead, take the dirt Charcoal Road, which is moderately steep and sometimes worse for 2 miles. This section can get very warm during the summer, so bring and drink a lot of water.
• Eventually, the road levels out and you reach an intersection with the Ridge trail. Turn right on the Ridge trail you reach Skyline Blvd. in 0.3 miles.
• Cross Skyline Blvd. carefully and enter Long Ridge preserve across the street.
• The trails in Long Ridge are all very scenic. The mapped route explores the upper (and much easier) part of the preserve. If you have any energy left after Charcoal Road, you can visit the steeper, lower part of the preserve via Hickory Oaks trail and Ward Road.
• If you take Long Ridge trail around the north end of the preserve, there is one short but steep down hill. Watch your speed, as this preserve is very popular with hikers (and rangers with radar guns).
• From the north end of Long Ridge, take the connector trail out to the Grizzly Flat parking area where you began.

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