Looking for ancient sandstone formations? Plane crash sites? Fantastic bridges? El Corte Madera Creek Open Space Preserve is for you. Thanks to a flurry of logging in the late 1800s and early 1900s followed by an aggresive watershed-protection program and some serious ongoing trail maintenance, ECDMC has evolved into an outdoor enthusiasts dream. This Peninsula hot spot really ramps up on the weekends when mountain bikers, trail runners, hikers, horseback riders and more hit the trails -- and all seem to get along peaceably.
ECDM Trail Restoration
The El Corte de Madera Creek trails underwent a massive restoration from 2006 until 2009, I believe. It's beautiful now -- wide and stacked with massive bridges. Thanks ECDM OSP team!
The El Corte de Madera Creek trails underwent a massive restoration from 2006 until 2009, I believe. It's beautiful now -- wide and stacked with massive bridges. Thanks ECDM OSP team!
Sandstone formations
Definitely take the detour off Tafoni Trail (as marked on the map) to see the ancient sandstone formations. This is a grouping of large sandstone boulders that have slowly eroded over the years. There's an observation site and a deck that was built to give you a better view and to help protect the formations.
Definitely take the detour off Tafoni Trail (as marked on the map) to see the ancient sandstone formations. This is a grouping of large sandstone boulders that have slowly eroded over the years. There's an observation site and a deck that was built to give you a better view and to help protect the formations.
Plane Crash
A DC-6 airplane crashed just off the Resolution Trail in 1953. It's still there and if you're handy with a GPS and good with the Google you can probably find the GPS coordinates that will lead you right to the crash site. Just make sure you leave it as-is.
A DC-6 airplane crashed just off the Resolution Trail in 1953. It's still there and if you're handy with a GPS and good with the Google you can probably find the GPS coordinates that will lead you right to the crash site. Just make sure you leave it as-is.
Community Trips
The best Singletrack !!! amazing place!!Start at about 2000 ft and drop into the forest on
singletracks and doubletracks trails. The downhill are long and fun, but remember
you have to climb up
If you're pressed for time then head a few miles down Skyline Blvd from Hwy 92 to El Corte de Madera open space. The trails are popular with mountain bikers, but I've always enjoyed a hike here. They just reopened the El Corte de Madera Creek Trail (say that ten times fast) after several years of maintenance. And what a beauty it is! Wide trails, new bridges. The Mid-Peninsula Open Space District...
If you've already done Tafoni trail and are looking for an alternate route into the preserve this is a good one. But be prepared for some good elevation drop and then a nice climb. Most of the walk is on wide fire roads and it's very clean. I chose to take the Timberview Trail down and the Gordon Mill trail back up.This spot is popular with mountain bikers and I saw quite...
Leisurely Sunday hike at Corte Madera Creek Open Space Preserve. We stopped to view the Sandstone formation as well as take photos at the wreck of a 1953 DC-6 airline crash in which 19 passengers and crew were killed.
Skeggs Parking Area - CM01 - Fir - Tafoni - El Corte de Madera Creek - Resolution - Fir - Methuselah - Giant Salamander - Timberview - Crosscut - Timberview - Methuselah - Spur to Fir - Fir - Tafoni - back to start. Definitely a four-star hike through amazing forests. I think majectic Douglous firs win over redwoods in this park, although there are plenty of second growth redwoods with a...
This is a great route; however the climb out is STEEP!
Great hike being in the woods, GPS was kind of spotty so I think some of the statistics are a little off, like the vertical. Many other trails here, great place to explore...and there are redwoods!
As always, Skeggs is a cool retreat from a hot penninsula. We took a coworker for his first trip and almost killed him. :) Just kidding, but it was pretty rough trail, certainly some of the toughest (most fun) I've been on in a long time. Skeggs is great.
A comparison between the iPhone everytrail app and my Garmin Edge 305. No surprises that the Garmin out performed the iPhone.Started of at gate CM02 on Skyline dropped down onto Methuselah to Manzanita then over to Gordon Mill via crossover trail. Up Gordon Mill back out on to Skyline along to Bear Gulch Road and in again at CM05. Then hit blue blossom to Gordon mill and back along to CM02. All...
