Pogonip Creek Loop to Lookout Trail to Spring Trail to Brayshaw Trail to Prairie Trail
3 miles; 90 minutes; moderate
Our favorite Pogonip sampler platter loop starts at the end of Golf Club Drive. Start by putting your sacks of cash, iPads and other favorite material possessions in the trunk and locking the car. Head up the paved road, where gobs of blackberries hang off the fences on either side in summer and fall. About a quarter mile up you’ll see the entrance to the Pogonip Creek Loop to the left; take the branch that goes up the hill toward the big meadow.
About a half-mile of walking on a trail through tall grasses (tick alert!) leads to an unmarked intersection in the middle of the field. Turn left and head down the hill into a seasonal wetland with a boardwalk crossing. The path wends up through oak and madrone forest and a meadowland dotted with picture-perfect immature Douglas fir trees straight out of the Christmas props warehouse. Another descent and you enter the redwood ravine, a cool and peaceful place where towering second-growth redwood trees shade the Pogonip Creek riparian corridor. In the wet season, there will be muddying of boots through this section.
After a short jaunt through the redwoods, you get the choice to turn left and continue on the Pogonip Creek Loop, which circles back to the entrance off the paved road (total loop distance: 1.2 miles) or take the Lookout Trail up the hill. The .5-mile Lookout Trail climbs out of the ravine and up to Spring Trail (when you meet Harvey West Trail, bear right). The meadow at the top, near Spring Trail, is a favorite cruising spot for coyotes.
Once at Spring Trail, which is basically a fire road, turn right and continue for another half-mile or so, passing through mixed forest with occasional views of the big meadow below, the Clubhouse, the San Lorenzo Valley and Loma Prieta Peak. Admire the beauty. Take steep Brayshaw Trail down the hill, being wary of the surprisingly slippery eucalyptus seeds. Note the old club’s abandoned pool up here.
Where Brayshaw joins Prairie Trail, at the bottom of the hill, find your big reward: a big juicy view of the meadow, the city and the ocean. On evenings when the full moon is rising, this is a swoon-worthy sight.
Follow Prairie Trail to the mid-meadow intersection, turn left and check out the Clubhouse. Follow the paved road back to Golf Club Drive. Check yourself for ticks and call it another day in paradise.
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