I enjoyed hiking this hill with my co-worker, Oscar. From the trailhead at the parking lot, we followed the Betsy Crowder Trail to its junction with the Spring Ridge Trail. We climbed this trail, which is wide enough to be considered a fire road, for about 1,200 feet in elevation gain to the summit of Windy Hill, just above Skyline Boulevard. It took us about an hour, which wasn't too bad. We were in no hurry (not true...I had a date with Olma for Mardi Gras that evening in Berkeley, so I kept telling Oscar to shake a leg).
While hiking, I spotted several red-tailed hawks. Oscar mentioned that the last time he had hiked up here, he ran across a newt and a flock of quail.
We brought good weather with us and from the summit, were able to see Stanford University and beyond, all the way out to the East Bay Hills, including Mount Diablo and Mission Peak. To the west, we gazed upon the rolling hills and valleys all the way out to the Pacific Ocean. Magnificent hike for views of the beautiful Bay Area we live in.
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| View to the south |
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| A tree that caught my eye near the start of the trail |
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| View of the East Bay hills |
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| A bench to rest on near the summit |
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| Another view of the East Bay from the summit |
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| Survey marker at the summit of Windy Hill |
