Date Hiked: August 1, 2025
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
Beautiful day for a hike up to Timber Top! Trail is in amazing condition, but a few of the steeper sections do have quite a bit of loose rock/dirt which can make the descent a little tricky. Camp up top in great condition as well.
Boronda Trail
-
dave_yocom_SF
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Sun Jan 19, 2025 11:49 am
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: May 10, 2025
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
Amazing day up on Boronda Ridge, though pretty toasty conditions. Saw numerous VWA volunteers doing the lord's work making the trails better for everyone. Thank you all!
Photos, videos and details here: https://david-w-yocom.medium.com/trip-r ... 1f5102deca
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
Amazing day up on Boronda Ridge, though pretty toasty conditions. Saw numerous VWA volunteers doing the lord's work making the trails better for everyone. Thank you all!
Photos, videos and details here: https://david-w-yocom.medium.com/trip-r ... 1f5102deca
-
Jim Ringland
- Posts: 149
- Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 12:02 pm
- Location: Oakland, CA
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: April 29, 2025
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
I hiked up on Wednesday, April 23 and down Tuesday, April 29. There’s been some recent work on the French broom in lower sections. Save one easy duck-under about half way up, it was perfectly clear on the 23rd. Just a few flopped-over broom branches on the 29th after the weekend rains. Still, all of this is so minor and the trail so very well used by day hikers (and some backpackers) that Wilderness Freeway is the only possible condition report. It's one steep freeway, of course. Great flower show: California poppies most of way up; sheets of sky lupines on the top half; silver bush lupines; owl’s clover too, although they are getting a bit mature. For that matter, the invasive non-natives have some beauty along with their bad behavior. The French broom *is* showy and fragrant. The dark red of the sweet peas goes well with the orange California poppies.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
I hiked up on Wednesday, April 23 and down Tuesday, April 29. There’s been some recent work on the French broom in lower sections. Save one easy duck-under about half way up, it was perfectly clear on the 23rd. Just a few flopped-over broom branches on the 29th after the weekend rains. Still, all of this is so minor and the trail so very well used by day hikers (and some backpackers) that Wilderness Freeway is the only possible condition report. It's one steep freeway, of course. Great flower show: California poppies most of way up; sheets of sky lupines on the top half; silver bush lupines; owl’s clover too, although they are getting a bit mature. For that matter, the invasive non-natives have some beauty along with their bad behavior. The French broom *is* showy and fragrant. The dark red of the sweet peas goes well with the orange California poppies.
-
Sammsquach
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: March 21, 2025
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
The french broom is overgrown in three sections; otherwise, it is a wilderness freeway. I probably should've worn pants instead of shorts. The water is also running at the spring.
General Condition: Clear (no obstacles and tread well defined)
The french broom is overgrown in three sections; otherwise, it is a wilderness freeway. I probably should've worn pants instead of shorts. The water is also running at the spring.
-
LindsayJeffers
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: October 23, 2024
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
As previously remarked, this trail is easy to follow and clear. The Scotch Broom is growing in sections of the trail on the first third of the climb but is young enough that it is easy to brush through even wearing shorts. However, it is going to become an issue if it is not clipped down on a regular basis. I did not check water in the spring but the trail down is getting some use, so I imagine there is still water. The trees in the draw are green and healthy. Timber Top camp site is clean and marked with No Campfire signs. It clearly is popular.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
As previously remarked, this trail is easy to follow and clear. The Scotch Broom is growing in sections of the trail on the first third of the climb but is young enough that it is easy to brush through even wearing shorts. However, it is going to become an issue if it is not clipped down on a regular basis. I did not check water in the spring but the trail down is getting some use, so I imagine there is still water. The trees in the draw are green and healthy. Timber Top camp site is clean and marked with No Campfire signs. It clearly is popular.
-
hydrologic
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Sun Apr 19, 2015 1:23 am
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: June 16, 2024
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
perfect, zero issues, get out there!
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
perfect, zero issues, get out there!
-
K Vandevere
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:50 pm
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: January 6, 2024
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
The genista that was overgrowing the trail in my report from last May has been removed, so the previous report is correct in calling this a Wilderness Freeway. A lot fewer people willing to make the trek on a cold, windy January day than there were in May (saw 7 other hikers vs. 48 last May), but the clouds and incoming storm were quite dramatic.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
The genista that was overgrowing the trail in my report from last May has been removed, so the previous report is correct in calling this a Wilderness Freeway. A lot fewer people willing to make the trek on a cold, windy January day than there were in May (saw 7 other hikers vs. 48 last May), but the clouds and incoming storm were quite dramatic.
-
geoffvirtue
- Posts: 29
- Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2020 11:10 pm
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: October 16, 2023
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
Wilderness freeway all the way to the top, some brush encroaching in one or two sections but in good shape. Friendly reminder, this is an exposed trail with no water, nearest water to Timber Top is Cold Spring or Terrace Creek, so please wear sun protection and bring enough water!
On a day with the marine layer in this is one of the few spots you can quickly climb high enough to pop through it.
Beautiful day out there on 10/16. Did an 18 mile trail run out and back to Barlow.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and/or well maintained)
Wilderness freeway all the way to the top, some brush encroaching in one or two sections but in good shape. Friendly reminder, this is an exposed trail with no water, nearest water to Timber Top is Cold Spring or Terrace Creek, so please wear sun protection and bring enough water!
On a day with the marine layer in this is one of the few spots you can quickly climb high enough to pop through it.
Beautiful day out there on 10/16. Did an 18 mile trail run out and back to Barlow.
-
K Vandevere
- Posts: 297
- Joined: Tue Aug 26, 2008 3:50 pm
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: May 6, 2023
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
I hate to have to rate this only passable, but the opening section, from the Highway to the open fields, is pretty overgrown with genista. Pushing through it will leave you soaked on a damp morning and, if you're the first person to hike the trail that day (like me), you'll likely pick up a few ticks. Once the fields begin it's a Wilderness Freeway (unless you count grass brushing your ankles) all the way to the top.
I arrived after 9:00am on a Saturday and was surprised to see no cars at the trailhead. I saw no one on the hike up, but on the way back down I passed no less than 48 uphill toilers, including a few large groups of young people hauling huge packs. Hopefully, this wasn't anyone's introduction to backpacking as it looked like a serious gruel-a-thon was in progress. There were 19 cars at the trailhead when I got back.
The grass is still green and there are many things in bloom. Very beautiful!
General Condition: Passable (some brush and/or deadfalls, tread evident)
I hate to have to rate this only passable, but the opening section, from the Highway to the open fields, is pretty overgrown with genista. Pushing through it will leave you soaked on a damp morning and, if you're the first person to hike the trail that day (like me), you'll likely pick up a few ticks. Once the fields begin it's a Wilderness Freeway (unless you count grass brushing your ankles) all the way to the top.
I arrived after 9:00am on a Saturday and was surprised to see no cars at the trailhead. I saw no one on the hike up, but on the way back down I passed no less than 48 uphill toilers, including a few large groups of young people hauling huge packs. Hopefully, this wasn't anyone's introduction to backpacking as it looked like a serious gruel-a-thon was in progress. There were 19 cars at the trailhead when I got back.
The grass is still green and there are many things in bloom. Very beautiful!
-
Jim Ringland
- Posts: 149
- Joined: Sat May 07, 2011 12:02 pm
- Location: Oakland, CA
Re: Boronda Trail
Date Hiked: March 29, 2022
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
I went up on March 29 and back down on April 1. Save a very few places where some broom or deerweed was leaning into the trail, this was wide open. Stiff grades. Great views. I enjoyed the fields of lupines, poppies, popcorn flower, fiddlenecks, and others: quite a good show for this dry year. On both days, Lafler Creek at about 2100’ was running nicely, including water pouring out the little pipe into the pool. The lateral trail down to the creek was clear. Although a use camp is marked on the BigSurTrailMap, all I saw was a small, sort-of-flat, grassy area that didn’t look like it had seen any recent use. Up at 3000’, Timber Top Camp has no water but does have table, a grill, and, on the trail up from the grill to the old tank, a resident rattlesnake.
General Condition: Wilderness Freeway (Heavily used and well maintained)
I went up on March 29 and back down on April 1. Save a very few places where some broom or deerweed was leaning into the trail, this was wide open. Stiff grades. Great views. I enjoyed the fields of lupines, poppies, popcorn flower, fiddlenecks, and others: quite a good show for this dry year. On both days, Lafler Creek at about 2100’ was running nicely, including water pouring out the little pipe into the pool. The lateral trail down to the creek was clear. Although a use camp is marked on the BigSurTrailMap, all I saw was a small, sort-of-flat, grassy area that didn’t look like it had seen any recent use. Up at 3000’, Timber Top Camp has no water but does have table, a grill, and, on the trail up from the grill to the old tank, a resident rattlesnake.
