Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve
When I first moved to the United States, I lived less than 5 miles from Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve. Actually, one of my “fun” memories of childhood is my uncle driving my brother and I down Sierra Rd at a speed that scared both me and my brother. But, I had never hiked this park until today.
I first hiked the Aquila Loop Trail and while the flowers made the hills colorful, nothing really stood out in terms of beauty.
I then headed down the Kestrel Trail to hike the Boccardo Loop Trail. As I walked the the trail, I felt dread as I lost 1000 ft of elevation in the course of a mile—I would have to make up that 1000 ft on the second half of the hike.
I hiked up hill in a steady fashion, and I was surprised I could maintain my pace of about 3mph, even with the elevation gain—1000ft in 1.5 miles. This made me really happy, as one of my fitness goals is to be able to hike about 3500 ft in elevation in less than 5 miles (which is the elevation profile for Upper Yosemite Falls trail).
At the top of the loop, I made my way to the vista point. While I didn’t stay long because there were lots of people, I did appreciate the beautiful view.
I liked this trail a lot and reminded me of Mission Peak. The view was… I would say 90% as good as Mission Peak, with the difficulty of the hike being about 50% easier.
What I Learned:
Running shorts make great hiking shorts in warm weather. Though the lack of pockets is troublesome.
The Bill Simmons Podcast and The Big Picture podcasts make excellent companions for a hike like this. These podcasts make me laugh, which then eases the burning lungs and leg aches.
I need to tie my shoe tighter especially for the downhill section. I only walked 6 miles, but I can already feel that my foot would get blisters if I walked just a little bit more.
Olivera Egg Ranch is still in business!
6 miles, 2 hrs and 18 min, 1125 ft of ascent
Hike Review:
The view is almost as good as Mission Peak, while the hike is 50% easier.
There is no shade, so this would be a terrible trail to hike on a hot summer day.
The trail had a 70% biker, 30% hiker mix, which was very surprising given the elevation gain.