Hiking Los Robles Trail and Open Space

February 15, 2019 By Hollie in hiking Tags: california, fitness, hike, hiking, history, nature, sports 1 Comment

It feels like this was forever ago. While in California, we hiked five different locations between 2-9 miles. Nothing was overly strenuous but each was fun and challenging in its own way.

Los Robles Trail and Open Space is located at the southern portion of the Conejo Open Space. It’s located near the highway, and you would never guess there are over 200 acres in the park.

We were traveling north from Carlsbad to San Francisco and wanted to get out and stretch your legs. When I googled short hikes, I found the Los Robles Trail and Open Space. One commenter wrote: “perfect for when you’re stuck in traffic and want to get out of the car for a short walk.”

What I didn’t realize until later was the trail’s historical significance! On Feb. 28, 1776, Juan Bautiste de Anza and nearly 200 settlers came through the Conejo Valley on a similar trail while traveling from Mexico to San Francisco.

While we were out, we saw several other hikers as well as plenty of mountain bikers too.

The Open Space

Lots of mountain bike trails too

A very old tree

Views

The end of the trail to a neighborhood

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Trying to catch a sunset and eating hair. Typical.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jan 20, 2019 at 6:07pm PST

You Can See More Hikes here.

California Hikes:

Hiking Marin Headlands (San Francisco)

Hiking Calavera Hills Community Park

Mini Trip to Los Angeles

Questions for you:

Are you good at road trips? Can you drive for a long period of time without stopping? (not me LOL)

Where is your favorite spot to hike?

Hiking Marin Headlands (San Francisco)

February 5, 2019 By Hollie in hiking Tags: california, fitness, hike, hiking, san francisco, trail

Just north over the Golden Gate Bridge, are the Marin Headlands. My husband and I were looking for a longer and scenic hike, and so we chose to go up there. We visited during the government shutdown, which meant all of the bathrooms and buildings were closed, but you could still hike or run. There are a bunch of hikes in Marin Headlands, as well as mountain bike trails, equestrians, and if you are bold enough, you can run the trail.

We decided to hike the perimeter. It’s an easy, wide trail, with the challenge being the elevation changes (about 1600 feet total). While we saw people, it was never busy, or crowded.

This is about what we did: Lagoon Trail → Miwok Trail → Wolf Ridge Trail → Coastal Trail to Rodeo Beach.

The loop itself is 7.8 miles, but near the peak, you can walk to the peak which is just over .5. It’s well worth the view and I would recommend it.

The start:

We found a well en route

You cant tell, but the incline is steep!

We added about .5, to see the very top. This area is used for flying and the giant building in the middle is called a “VORTAC”. Pilots can gauge where exactly they are in the air via these areas. It can be used in inclement weather when the aircraft is being flown solely from instruments (meaning the pilot is using modern technology to navigate). You can read more about that here.

Eating a cookie at the top

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If you hike 4 hours without cell service…did you even go?

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jan 22, 2019 at 3:56pm PST

In all, it was one of my favorite hikes of the trip. It was a beautiful open trail. The terrain is not difficult, but the elevation and climbing are.

Other California Hikes:

Mini Trip to Los Angeles

Hiking Calavera Hills Community Park

You Can See All Hikes Here.

Questions for you:

East Coast rocky trails or West Coast smooth but more climbing trails…which do you prefer?

Walking the Manasquan Reservoir

January 22, 2019 By Hollie in hiking Tags: fitness, health, hike, hiking, nature, new jersey 4 Comments

Recently I was at the Manasquan Reservoir. Even with the number of times I tried to spell it writing the post, I’ve struggled!

Anyway, the perimeter loop is 5 miles and it’s an, scenic, flat loop. You can run or walk, whatever you’re feeling like. It took me about 2 hours to walk, but I was taking my time and seeing what I saw. It would be a fairly nice loop to run or even do a workout on. Why didn’t I run? I was catching up with a couple of people and it was a cross training day. I would come back and run.

It’s definitely an easy hike or walk but there is always a view along the way. Plus, I saw people riding horses which I haven’t seen in a while. I parked near the boat ramp and just walked around that way.

The Manasquan Reservoir Park has about 1,200 acres which include the reservoir itself plus the surrounding forests and wetlands. While it was cold when we were out, you can definitely boat or fish at the reservoir too.

It’s well marked with plenty of signs. It’s next to impossible to get lost (believe me, if there is a way to get lost, I will)

A few bridges in the beginning

The water wasn’t frozen over but the tree branches had their fair share of icicles.

Much of the path is easy, crushed, gravel

A pack of deer literally right next to me. They were tame and didn’t care…

The final section goes by the road. It’s not more than 1/2 mile though.

In all, it was a beautiful but cold adventure. I like the Manasquan reservoir and I definitely want to come back and run.

You Can See All NJ Hikes Here.

2019 Winter Hikes I’ve Done:

Hiking to the Headley Overlook at Mahlon Dickerson

Questions for you:

What is your favorite season to hike?

Have you ever come close to a deer?

Hiking to the Headley Overlook at Mahlon Dickerson

January 9, 2019 By Hollie in hiking Tags: fitness, hike, hiking, nature, new jersey 4 Comments

I haven’t had a lot of time to hike lately and I’ve missed it. Truthfully between running and hiking, there are times I just appreciate hiking. Not trail running but just hiking and tooling around in on trails for a few hours. I’ve wanted to get to the Headley Overlook for a while.

Headley Overlook is located in Mahlon Dickerson Park in northwest NJ. The park itself has about 10 miles of hiking or running depending on your mood. I went the day after a few days of rain, so the park was wetter than normal but still moderately easy to get through.

The Headley Overlook looks over Lake Hopatcong and then follows a pass by the highest point in Morris County (1395′).

Then you return down an old flat rail bed. You can hike anywhere between 1-10 miles because of all of the trail systems. We set out to stay around 3 hours. It ended up being somewhere between 5-7 miles.

We parked at the beautiful and peaceful Saffin Pond. We started on the teal diamond which was rocky and a little wet due to rain.

Nothing too strenuous and I used my Under Armour Gore Trail shoes with no issues. Slowly I started climbing over the course of a mile and arrived to the Headley Overlook around 2.5 miles. The view is wonderful and you can see Lake Hopatcong in the distance.

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I’ve wanted to climb to the Headley Overlook for months. As fun as running is, nothing beats conquering another mountain.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Jan 7, 2019 at 5:37am PST

Around 4 miles, I reached the highest point in Morris County. It’s not the highest spot in NJ, but up there.

From there, we hiked back to the car which was another hour or so. We explored the old rail beds. It was the lowest, and the wettest area from all of the rain.

In all, it was a peaceful hike. The entire park has about 10 miles of trails which are doable for most, especially the rail bed (which is almost completely flat).

You can see all hikes here.

Questions for you:

What is your favorite hiking spot?

What is your favorite season to hike?

I thought mine was summer, but truthfully, I enjoy the lack of bugs and people during this time of the year.

Exploring Wells State Park (Sturbridge, MA)

September 13, 2018 By Hollie in hiking Tags: camping, fitness, hike, hiking, massachusetts, trails 2 Comments

It looks like Wells State Park is my last post for summer hiking. This summer, I was lucky enough to have time to hike in several spots in the Northeast. Heck, I even did a couple of mountain races too. I genuinely enjoy hiking as much as running.

Anyway, on my way back from the Boothbay Half, my husband and I stopped around Sturbridge. Instead of running, we opted for a 4-5 mile hike in Wells State Park. Wells State Park is neat because there is plenty of camping. We were out early, and we saw lots of other hikers and campers. It was never overwhelming, and it wasn’t as if the trails went right through campsites. If I lived in the area, this would be a place I would camp.

Wells State Park is about 1,400-acres. Apparently, there are the campground has 60 sites. We primarily hiked around Walker Pond which appears you can fish or swim depending on the location.

There are over 10 miles of trails which are for hiking. There is also a road that goes through the park for campers to easier setup sites.

Here are a few photos:

Around Walker Pond

Dirt Path

More Hiking

Do you see the frog? I didn’t until my husband pointed him out.

In all, we had a great time, and if I’m ever back in the area, I will go back. The trail itself is easy, and doable for kids or dogs.

Here are other hikes I’ve done this Spring and Summer:

Hiking Turkey Swamp in Freehold
Exploring Cattus Island in Toms River
Exploring Hartshorne Park in the Highlands
Hiking to the Cape May Lighthouse
Hiking Bear Mountain in a Downpour
Hiking through Belleplain State Forest
Hiking High Mountain with a View of NYC
Walk Out a Mile and It Down Pours
Hiking Shark River Park

You can see all hikes here.

Questions for you:

Do you like camping? I haven’t been in a while, but I don’t mind.

What is something fun you did this summer?

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Running and Laughing through the Garden State

Tag Archives: hike

Hiking Los Robles Trail and Open Space

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