The best MTB trails in Long Ridge Open Space Preserve

Make sure White Oak trail is open before you go.

Borel Hill is my favorite place to watch spring flowers. The western slope near ancient oaks (5-10min west of Borel Hill) are covered with orange California Poppies and purple flowers starting in April. Borel Hill itself peaks around mid May and has a wide variety of flowers. The show lasts only a few weeks until end of May. The peak time and flower intensity varies from year to year, so come several times between April and May. There is small summit NW of Borel Hill and a narrow dirt trail leads you to a rock within 2 min. The rock is big enough for 2-3 to sit on. On a sunny day, the rock is nice warm even if the air is cold. Good views on the ocean and the Bay.

This section of the Skyline Trail offers shade and occasional viewpoints overlooking the forest and valley. It's a beautiful, well-marked trail that's also shared with mountain bikers.

Turtle Rock is the highest and most prominent mountain in the area. From this viewpoint, you can enjoy a panoramic view of the surrounding mountains, especially stunning at sunset. Be cautious, as the trail is popular and often busy with hikers.

Here, the Steve's Creek Nature Trail and the Canyon Trail intersect. A lovely patch of grass surrounds the junction, making it an ideal spot for a break.

Long Ridge Open Space Preserve is a 2,035-acre preserve that follows Long Ridge in the Santa Cruz Mountains. There are a variety of trails that can be used for hiking, biking, or horse riding. This is a dirt trail area, so it is more suited for gravel bikes or a stout touring bike; a hardtail would be ideal. In addition, this is a preserve and not a park, so there are no facilities that you would normally expect in a park, such as bathrooms, drinking water fountains, picnic tables, snack bars, or stores.

At the convergence of the Long Ridge Trail and Long Ridge Road, you will find the Wallace Stegner Bench. This overlook was one of the favorite places of author and conservationist Wallace Stegner. There are panoramic views of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the Pacific Ocean to be had from here. However, if you come up by bike, the dirt trail is best suited for a touring bike with decent tires or a gravel bike.

Saratoga Gap is a well-known convergence area for two well-known trails, namely the Saratoga Gap Trail and the Skyline Trail. Both of these trails are mainly single-track and orientated towards gravel or mountain bikes. However, it is also the intersection for the Skyline Boulevard and the Big Basin Way, both very scenic and great cycling roads. There is a car park here, but no facilities.