A popular hike with great views of Silicon Valley.

Location: Stanford Dish

» Trail Map by TrailStompers: Nice map showing both trail heads (Stanford Avenue and Piers Lane).

To Trailhead: Walk along Piers Lane. Skip the trail marked “Alpine Road Bicycle Trail”. Go left instead, over a bridge, to arrive at a locked gate to enter Stanford Dish.

Route: At the 1-mile mark, you shall reach the Dish. Then you may go clockwise or anti-clockwise along a 3.5-mile loop. After finishing the loop, return to the trailhead along the 1-mile trail you followed earlier.

Notes: The entire hike is on a wide paved road. Hardly any shade. Great workout. No restrooms anywhere. No trailmap available.

Location: Intersection of Alpine Road and Piers Lane, Menlo Park, CA 94025 . Parking area is visible in Google Maps if you zoom in sufficiently.

Directions: Take Alpine Road exit on Highway 280. Go East on Alpine Road. Within two blocks of the exit ramp, there is parking at the intersection of Alpine Road and Piers Lane. Walk along Piers Lane. Skip the trail marked “Alpine Road Bicycle Trail”. Go left instead, over a bridge, to arrive at a locked gate to enter Stanford Dish.

Google Maps:

Parking Fees: None (last visited: Feb 2010)

Capacity: About 3 to 4 cars may be parked here.

Latitude: 37.414107     Longitude: -122.193117