Lower Pinehurst Trail

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Dogs No Dogs

Features Birding · Fall Colors · River/Creek · Wildlife

The parking area at the trailhead is very small. Do not block the gate. No fee required. If there is no room, park at the Sibley Eastport parking lot, and take the Pacific Pea Trail over. Poison oak is common on this trail. Do not touch it!

This trail begins at the Lower Pinehurst Road trailhead, passes the Pacific Pea Trail (Sibley Eastport), and terminates where it meets the core trails of the Huckleberry Botanic Regional Preserve, making it a convenient trail for linking the main park with the Eastport region of Sibley Volcanic Regional Preserve.

Begin at the trailhead off of Lower Pinehurst Road. Here, the trail is a wide fire road. It travels gently through the valley along San Leandro creek. After about 0.1 mi reach an opening with some beautiful maples and a bench carved out of a log. There is a trail junction here. Right (north) is the Pacific Pea Trail, which connects to the main trail network of the Eastport region of Sibley.

The trail continues straight (northwest) and quickly crosses San Leandro creek on a small bridge. The trail narrows a little and begins to steepen. Soon you are hiking through a fern-filled ravine, shaded by large trees. This section of trail is especially beautiful.

At 0.25 mi reach a junction. Right (north) is the Skyline Trail: Sibley - Huckleberry, which connects to the main core of Sibley park. Left (northwest) the trail connects to the Huckleberry Loop Trail (Huckleberry Path).

Flora: Lots of trees provide nice shade on this trail (oaks, madrones, California Bay, some redwoods, buckeyes, etc.). Big Leaf maples can be found in the clearing at the junction with the Pacific Pea Trail. They turn yellow in the fall and are very beautiful. Other typical flora of this trail include ferns, Coyote Brush, Arroyo Willows, manzanita, blackberry, poison oak (be careful!), thimbleberry, and the namesake huckleberry.

Fauna: Most commonly birds (acorn woodpeckers, chickadees, finches, juncos, towhees, etc.). Banana slugs can be found in the damp sections. Mammals include squirrels, deer, etc. Mountain lions are extremely rare, but could be found here, so be aware of your surroundings and don't hike alone.