Old Stage Road

Dogs No Dogs

Features Views · Wildflowers · Wildlife

To reach the Old Stage Road Trail, park in the lot at the entrance of the preserve right off of Edgewood Road. Cross the small wooden bridge and emerge on the road. From here, turn right and begin your climb, which continues for roughly .5 miles as the trail climbs to the fields deeper in the preserve. Follow the road past a service shed that sits off on the right and a park service building that sits off to the left. The trail continues to the right at this point toward a gate (with a sign on it that says trail) that blocks the trail, but you can hike around it. Transforming into a dirt and gravel trail, it remains wide as it climbs through the woods. There is plenty of shade along the way. Roughly a quarter of a mile into the hike, some wildflowers bloom in the spring.

Just past the .3 mile mark, the Edgewood Trail cuts across the trail as the Old Stage Road continues to climb uphill. The grade of the trail is 10-25% through the first .5 mile. In another .1 miles, the Franciscan Trail cuts across the trail before the Old Stage Road emerges into the open fields. At this point, the trail begins to level off as it makes its way through the fields. Views of the San Francisco Bay and the surrounding hills come into view. The trail gently dips before it climbs again to the Serpentine Trail.

From this point, you have several options. You can follow the Serpentine Trail to the left to the Franciscan Trail and work your way back to the Old Stage Road. If you follow the Serpentine Trail to the right, you can follow it to the Edgewood Trail, take a right, and then follow that back to the Old Road Trail. Finally, you can follow the Old Stage Road back to your car.

Deer, coyotes, rabbits, turkeys, hawks, hummingbirds and other varieties of birds can be seen along the trail.

Wildflowers can be seen along the upper portions of the trail in the fields, especially in the spring.