Arastradero Preserve Redtail Loop Trail

Nearby Destinations

Nearby Guides

Viewed 4194 times

(0 votes)

Difficulty: Easy
Length: 1.3 miles / 2.1 km
Duration: 1 hour or less

Family Friendly

Download to Phone

View Large Map

View Photos

Overview: Arastradero Park offers nice trails for hiking, mountain biking and horse back riding. This guide describes the Redtail Loop Trail, which is the only trail on this site of Arastradero Road. The majority of trails is at the other site of the road.

The Redtail loop is a short, 1.4 mile trail that provides an achievable goal for little kids. It has some nice views on the foothills, the Stanford Dish, Highway 280 and Felt Lake.

I like this trail most for days when we have little time, but want to get out and stretch the legs.

Tips: Be mindful of wildlife. Snakes, tarantulas, coyotes and (rarely) mountain lions can be encountered on the trail. Make sure you keep your little ones from venturing too far away from you.

Points of Interest

map

Park Entrance and Parking

The main entrance of the Pearson Arastradero Preserve is well marked and easily visible just off Arastradero Road. There is space for about 30 cars. The parking lot frequently fills up on nice weekends and there is no overflow parking with easy access to the Redtail Loop Trail.

map

Trailhead

Enter the trail on the opposite site of the parking lot from Arastradero Road, that is to your left when you head towards the small visitor center. Keep left at the junction just behind the visitor center.

The trail climbs gently in several wide curves.

map

Highest point and junction

After about 0.35 miles you'll reach a junction at the highest point of the Redtail Loop. Head left here, or if you want to add a little additional distance and elevation gain take a right. The trails will reunite shortly.

The colors here vary significantly based on the season. As you can see on the accompanying photos, the grass is green in Spring, and starts to turn brown and dry in summer.

Soon you'll look down on highway 280 on your right. Also keep an eye out for the Stanford Dish Antenna on the hills on your right.

Follow the trail as it slopes down and up.

Highway 280 (Ladera, California, United States) Photo

map

View on Felt Lake

Towards your right you'll see Felt Lake, which is owned by Stanford University and apparently is inhabited by large fish (2 ft Bass and Trout). The lake is used for irrigation of Stanford Campus.

From here head back to the trailhead and parking lot by following the trail. The last part of the trail is next to Arastradero Road.