Adventure 008, Hike 052 - Steven's Creek Trail

Capture California, the Game-2012

Adventure: 008, Hike 052 – Steven's Creek Trail

Team: Thing One, Thing Two

Date:  June 2012 and August 11-12, 2012

Location: Mountain View

Hike Info:

Trail: Steven's Creek Trail

Distance: 5+ Miles

Duration: 2:30

Elevation Rise: 100'

 Description:

Forty plus years ago I remember helping to clean out Steven's Creek with my Boy Scout troop. The creek has really changed and the surroundings has improved since then. My family has lived in Mountain View for over 80 years—my Dad grew up here. I remember the creek as being a place where trash got dumped, hobo's took up residence and nobody used. But during the past twenty years, the City of Mountain View has made a large investment in improving the area. Today there is a network of interconnected trails, with Steven's Creek eventually running from the Bay to the Steven's Creek Dam.

We took this trail in two sections. My parent's house is about the trail's midway point—close to Landel's school. So it is really convenient for us to walk half the trail one day and that is what we did. The first hike we did was to head towards the Bay. We get to the trail by the Dana Street entrance and head east. This is a gentle downhill which weaves back and forth across the creek, Oak trees with various shrubs line the trail, giving the trail plenty of shade. Squirrels dart in and out with jays squawking overhead. After a little ways, we cross Evelyn Street and the Central Express on a pedestrian overpass—this overpass is being repaired this week. We continue on. The trail has plenty of off shoots into the neighborhoods. One of them is the Hetch-HetchyTrail—more on that on a different adventure. The creek is dry much of the year, but during the Winter and part of the Spring, the creek will provide habitat to frogs, fish and ducks. Later we go over Moffet Blvd on another pedestrian overpass. After walking about a mile, we get beyond the confines of the creek and open up into the marsh areas of Shoreline. At this point, Steven's Creek Trail connects with several other trails within Shoreline. We return and come back home.

Recently, Steven's Creek Trail had an extension open up. We had been waiting to claim this trail until we could walk it. Going West, we go over highway 237 on another pedestrian overpass—you get the feeling that Mountain View has gone all out to make this trail a place for its citizens to enjoy. And they do—walkers, joggers, bicycling, even skaters use this trail. And you always have people around you. The trail continues onto El Camino Real, going under it and emerging alongside of Highway 85 and Steven's Creek. This part of the trail is less shaded and more open. But Mountain View is planting native vegetation to green up the trail. In a few years, this should be a nice area. At Springer Road, is the new section. It is a quarter mile trail leading to the overpass of Highway 85. This is the last of the Mountain View segment of the trail. It is up to Sunnyvale and Cupertino to take the trail up to the Dam.