Yesterday, I was adding some maps to some of my previous posts, and I noticed that there was a comment on my post about Dinosaur Ridge from 4-19-13. I was quite surprised. Since I haven't done anything to publicize this blog, I didn't think anyone would ever find it. The comment suggested an easier way to get to Dinosaur Ridge from Bellhurst Lane at the top of the Columbia development off Cull Canyon Road. I had been intending to try this anyway, so I decided to go ahead and do it this morning.
Part of this route would be on EBMUD land, where dogs are not allowed, so I left Darby at home. Lately, I've noticed him limping a bit after some of our longer hikes, so I'll probably start leaving him behind more in the future. He's going on 8 now, not so young anymore, and he's getting some arthritis. I'll really miss his company on hikes.
The entrance to this trail is a driveway and gate between two houses, and it is not at all obvious from the street. On the gate, there is a sign saying "No Trail Access". But there is a gap between the gate and the fence just big enough to squeeze through. Obviously the park district wants to discourage anyone from using this entrance, but I doubt that they would do anything to enforce it. Anyway, on a Thursday morning, there was no one around, so I was able to slip past the gate unnoticed. Just inside a second gate there were three horses in a pasture who appeared unconcerned by me walking by.
Soon the houses were out of sight and I was following a grassy and brushy ridge with nice views of the hills all around. After a half-mile or so, there was another gate entering EBMUD land. The sign said that unlike all of the other EBMUD trails, no permit was required for this one. The trail continues as a wide fire road going up and down near the top of the ridge, and then climbs a couple hundred feet to the top of Dinosaur Ridge. Since I had been there only a few months ago, I didn't bother staying long, but I did notice that where before it had all been green grass and poppies, now it was all dead grass and weeds.
On the way back I passed another hiker doing the same hike as I, the only other person I saw all morning. It was a nice little hike -- quiet, good views, and it only took a little less than 2 hours. It was definitely an easier way to get to Dinosaur Ridge, although it was still a bit of a workout.
The map below shows my route deviating from the trail shown on the EBRPD map. That's not because I went off the trail, it's because their map is not accurate. I've recently noticed inaccurate trail alignments on several park district maps, and in this case I checked it against the GPS track on my iPhone, and my red line is closer to the location of the real trail.
4.2 miles, 800 ft. climb.
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